MONTGOMERY — A bill to exempt economic developers from state ethics rules governing lobbyists passed the Alabama House of Representatives overwhelmingly Thursday. The vote was 94-4, with three abstentions.

The legislation is seen as essential by the state’s economic development community, which argues that treating site selectors like lobbyists and requiring them to publicly disclose their clients will result in Alabama missing out on the next Mercedes, Honda or Mazda-Toyota type of projects. Read more.