The Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die (meaning “with no appointed date for resumption”) on May 14. Here’s what we watched this session, and where it ended up.

• SB277 – We are thrilled to report that SB277, which would have prohibited all sex education except “sexual risk avoidance” (aka abstinence-only-until-marriage) in public schools, failed for the second year. Although the bill did move to the Senate floor, it died in debate. Please take a moment to thank Senators Coleman-Madison, Figures, and Smitherman for publicly opposing the bill.
• HB107/SB79: “What is a Woman Act” – With House and Senate support, this bill passed early in the session. The new law, which goes into effect on October 1, provides a legal definition for “male” and “female” based on biological markers at birth, and effectively erases trans, gender non-binary, and intersex Alabamians. ACASH opposed this bill.
• HB152 – This new law provides a sales tax exemption on diapers, baby formula, bottles, breast pumps and pumping parts, maternity clothing, and menstrual hygiene products. It goes into effect on September 1. ACASH supported this bill, with partners at URGE Alabama helping push it through the legislative process.
• HB244: “Don’t Say Gay” – For the second year in a row, a “Don’t Say Gay” bill did not pass the Alabama Legislature. The bill would have prohibited any discussion of gender identity in grades K-12, and would have also prohibited public school employees from displaying pride flags or referring to students by their preferred pronouns. Alabama already prohibits discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-5. ACASH opposed this bill.
• SB101 – This new law increases the age of medical consent from 14 to 16 years old. ACASH opposed this bill, but we are happy that the bill sponsors agreed to age 16 rather than 18, as was originally proposed. We are also pleased that the bill lists exceptions for youth who are experiencing acute mental health crises, suspected abuse, and pregnant youth. The bill will go into effect on October 1. You can read more about our opposition to the bill here.
• SB102 – This new law provides presumptive eligibility of Medicaid coverage for pregnant people. This means that when someone presents to a health clinic and is pregnant, they are immediately presumed to be eligible for Medicaid, meaning their services will immediately be covered, rather than waiting for an eligibility decision and paying out of pocket for services. This is help pregnant people get into prenatal care faster, which is expected to have a positive effect on Alabama’s high maternal mortality rates. The law goes into effect on October 1.

There were several other “booger bills”, as our friend Senator Smitherman calls them, this year. Take a look at the Alabama Political Reporter’s list of the 10 worst bills that didn’t pass this session.