Week 7 (Feb 24-26)
NEW BILLS THIS WEEK
JROTC For Homeschoolers
SB201 Givhan
DESCRIPTION: The bill requires Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs to be available to home school and private school students who reside within the attendance zone of the local school system and are the dependents of active duty military parents performing covered military service.
STATUS: This bill passed the Senate and is headed to the House.
OUR POSITION: We support this bill.
Protecting Religious Freedom
SB138 (Sen. Roberts)
DESCRIPTION: This bill would prohibit a franchisor from requiring a franchisee that asserts a sincerely held religious belief to operate on a religious day unless: (i) the original franchise agreement required operation on a religious day; (ii) the franchisee agrees to the operation on a religious day; or (iii) the franchise locations are expanded and the agreement setting forth the expansion requires the operation on a religious day. This bill would also provide for a cause of action if a franchisor violates this act and would provide for penalties.
STATUS: Passed out of Senate Commerce and Small Business in Week 6 and headed to Senate Floor.
Pledge & Voluntary Prayer In School
HB43 (Rep. Ingram)
DESCRIPTION in a nutshell: This bill would amend the Alabama Constitution to require public K-12 schools to begin each day with the Pledge of Allegiance. It would also allow local school boards to vote on offering voluntary daily prayer and Bible (or other religious text) readings with parental consent, while ensuring participation is optional, does not replace instructional time, and is subject to investigation if violations are reported.
STATUS: After a heated-debate the bill failed to get a favorable report in House Education Policy Committee but Chairwoman Collins bn said it would come back next week.
Protecting Biological/Neural Data
HB263 (Rep. Robbins)
DESCRIPTION in a nutshell: This bill would restrict companies from sharing or disclosing a person’s biological or neural data to third parties without explicit consent. It also limits how that data can be used, bans marketing based on it, and requires clear notice and opt-out rights before the data is transferred, disclosed, or used.
STATUS: Bill passed the full House and is headed to the Senate.
OUR POSITION: We support this bill.
Previous Bills That Moved This Week
HB363 (Rep. Barnes) Bill mirrors federal law (FACE Act) that protects houses of worship from riots. Bill passed the full House and is headed to the Senate.
HB8 (Rep. Gidley) Bill requires school boards to make a policy whether to allow volunteer chaplains, who have gone through a recognized chaplains program, to minister to teachers on campus. Passed the full House and is headed to the Senate.
HB2 (Rep. Standridge) Bill renames the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It passed the full House and is headed to the Senate.
HB78 (Rep. Ross) Bill creates age-appropriate screen-time guidelines for child-care facilities, prekindergarten, and kindergarten. Passed the Senate and is headed to the Governor for her signature.
