Staff Reports news@times-journal.com
MONTGOMERY—Leaders from all 67 Alabama counties gathered at the ACCA Legislative Conference earlier this month to set their collective policy priorities for the State Legislature's 2025 Regular Session.
"Every year, this Conference serves as our final opportunity to gather together as an Alabama County Family and decide our collective stance on a myriad of pressing policy issues," said ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield.
"It is this collective discussion that allows us to speak with ONE Voice on the many issues and decisions that arise in Montgomery but that impact the operation of county government back home."
In 2025, Alabama counties will actively promote the passage of legislation to:
Establish for Alabamians an insurance program that will take advantage of available federal funding without exposing the State of Alabama to undue budgetary requirements;
Amend the current Board of Registrars system to ensure appointments fairly reflect the racial demographics of the county served, as well as to provide increased accountability, local notification and communication, state and local oversight, and minimum qualifications for appointments;
Establish a single deadline by which candidates affiliated with a political party must submit a completed statement of economic interests;
Formalize the process by which county commissions may opt into sales and use tax exemptions on an annual basis;
Expand the scope of county-to-county mutual aid authority to include non-disaster emergencies and other events too great to be handled unassisted;
Grant emergency communication districts the ability to coordinate public safety answering points to provide 911 services to the public more efficiently;
Revise the authorized usage and distribution of unclaimed funds from the State 911 Cost Recovery account to equitably distribute funds for 911 operations in Alabama;
Establish a state crime for the possession of a glock switch;
Allow correctional officers to become eligible for first responder credit in the Employees' Retirement System upon completing certain training requirements.
In addition to setting its 2025 priorities, counties unanimously approved the adoption of a statewide document -- referred to as the Alabama County Platform -- that details the unified, 67-county stance on other policy issues that may come before state lawmakers. The 2025 County Platform can be found
The ACCA is a statewide organization speaking for all 67 counties with one voice. It promotes improved county government services in Alabama, offers educational programs for county officials and their staff members, administers insurance programs for county governments and employees, offers legal advice, and represents the interests of county government before state and federal organizations and agencies.
