Friday marked three consecutive years of same-day business filings by the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.
“Today, we have reached a great milestone in modernizing the business filings process for all corporate filings,” said Secretary John Merrill. “When I took office Jan. 19, 2015, the business filing process where corporations were recorded took up to seven months. Not only is the business harmed, but some business owners had to wait seven months to open a simple business bank account, obtain a line of credit or bank loan or have appropriate resources to meet their first payroll. Bureaucracy does not care if your small business is your only source of income. The system was covered in red tape that had significant impacts for all hard-working business owners.”
“I am proud to say that now, business owners will never have to wait longer than the one-day speed our office so efficiently provides,” Merrill said. “We no longer operate at the speed of government, we are operating at the speed of business.”
“Government should be working for the people and helping businesses grow and thrive, not burdening them with endless processing times that inhibit a business’s ability to provide goods and services,” said Business Council of Alabama President and CEO Katie Boyd Britt. “I commend the Secretary of State’s Office for their dedication and service to the people of Alabama.”
Since implementing the same-day policy, filings are made significantly more helpful to the business community and Alabama’s economy.
“I have not received a complaint about the business filings procedure or turnaround time since Secretary Merrill has had this policy in place,” said Rosemary Elebash, National Federation of Independent Business Alabama state director. “Starting a business is time-consuming enough, whether someone is starting a new business or changing their current business. When you’re made to wait on a process outside your control, you are not producing anything, hiring anyone or earning income. Therefore, it is so important to get this done in a timely manner. What a great accomplishment it is to have so consistently served Alabama business people this way.”
Merrill is in his second term as Alabama secretary of state and is term limited from running again. Merrill previously served one term in the Alabama House of Representatives representing Tuscaloosa County.
Merrill will announce this week whether or not he will join the crowded field for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama.
