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Alabama Senate committee OKs bill expanding religious exemptions from vaccinations

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alabamareflector.com – Anna Barrett – 2025-03-05 17:59:00

Alabama Senate committee OKs bill expanding religious exemptions from vaccinations

by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
March 5, 2025

An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that allows parents to claim a religious exemption from vaccination without providing an explanation or allowing a public body to evaluate the claim. 

SB 85, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, also explicitly allows students at colleges and universities to declare themselves religiously exempt from vaccinations. 

“The experience has been many times in these offices, the mom or dad or whoever has taken the child, gets asked about their religious beliefs,” Orr said.

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The legislation also removes language that suspended religious exemptions in the presence of an epidemic “or immediate threat thereof.” Apriell Hartsfield, a policy analyst with Voices for Alabama Children, the lone speaker at the public hearing, opposed the legislation. 

“We fear that this bill will needlessly impact many vulnerable children whose health is already at risk and they are not able to get vaccinations,” she said.

In Texas, one child died from measles on Feb. 25, a previously dormant disease, due to an outbreak that infected mostly unvaccinated children. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 159 measles cases so far with five of the infected being vaccinated with at least one dose.

Alabama public health officials have voiced fears about dropping vaccination rates in the state. The state’s measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate fell below 94% in 2022-23. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 95% of the population needs to be immunized to achieve herd immunity. 

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, said unvaccinated children should be kept at home. 

“If you don’t want your child to get the vaccine, then they need to be at home with Zoom,” he said.

Orr said unvaccinated children should not be a threat to public schools and vaccinated children.

“That’s the point of vaccines. If you’re vaccinated, what’s your worry?” Orr said. 

Orr said Alabama should respect a parent’s decision to not vaccinate their child.

“Fundamentally, if you do have a religious objection, I think that this state and our constitution wants to respect that and not subject parents to being subjected to an inquisition,” Orr said.

The bill received a favorable report, with Smitherman and Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, abstaining. It now goes to the full Senate. 

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama Senate committee OKs bill expanding religious exemptions from vaccinations appeared first on alabamareflector.com

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama Ethics Commission: DAs can do jobs outside official working hours

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alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-08-06 14:58:00


On August 6, 2025, the Alabama Ethics Commission unanimously approved an advisory opinion permitting district attorneys to hold compensated jobs outside their official working hours, provided they are not called to duty during those times. The decision aligns with an Alabama Attorney General’s Office opinion stating that district attorneys and assistants are on call 24/7 but only considered working when actively summoned. Assistant general counsel Brian Paterson emphasized that outside regular hours is not considered official work time under ethics rule 5-C, which prohibits public officials from using their position for private gain. This ruling overturns a 1998 opinion that restricted outside employment for police chiefs.


by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
August 6, 2025

The Alabama Ethics Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to adopt an advisory opinion allowing district attorneys to be compensated for another job done outside working hours for their public work.

Staff applied an advisory opinion issued by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office that stated that while district attorneys and assistant district attorneys are on call at all hours, they are not considered working unless they are summoned to work in their official capacity.

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“We concur with that opinion and do not consider time outside of regular business hours as time for the purposes of 5-C,” said Brian Paterson, assistant general counsel for the Alabama Ethics Commission.

5-C is a rule prohibits public service employees and officials from using public office for private gain.

The Alabama Ethics Commission in 1998 ruled that a police chief is always working and could not work anywhere while the individual is serving as police chief.

“This opinion would overrule that ‘98 opinion,” Paterson said.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama Ethics Commission: DAs can do jobs outside official working hours appeared first on alabamareflector.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The article reports on the Alabama Ethics Commission’s unanimous decision to allow district attorneys to work outside their official hours without violating ethics rules. The language is neutral and factual, focusing on the technicalities of the advisory opinion and its implications without editorializing or framing the decision as politically charged. It simply explains the legal and procedural aspects of the ruling, citing relevant officials and previous decisions. There is no evident ideological slant or partisan framing, indicating balanced, straightforward reporting.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

News 5 NOW at 8:00am | August 6th, 2025

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www.youtube.com – WKRG – 2025-08-06 08:31:13

SUMMARY: A foggy Wednesday morning in Mobile begins with updates on local news. The historic Ace Theater is undergoing a $3.5 million renovation to become a jazz center by early 2027. A 9-person fight at a mobile home park was caught on video, involving a gun but no arrests yet. Brew y’all Coffee replaced its stolen and destroyed mobile trailer, recovering from a $40,000 loss. Mobile City Council candidate Samantha Ingram faces a lawsuit over residency claims, which she denies. Tonight in Daphne, a popular free weather radio programming event will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Finally, the VMAs are generating buzz, with Lady Gaga leading nominations.

Streaming on “News 5 Now”: A violent brawl caught on camera, a new look coming to an old Mobile theater, and our latest Weather Radio Programming event is today.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Man jumps off Bayway after crashing into bridge

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www.youtube.com – WKRG – 2025-08-05 18:23:08

SUMMARY: A man jumped into the water from the Bayway bridge after crashing his car into the side early Wednesday morning. The driver, appearing uninjured and standing waist-deep about 500 yards from shore, was rescued quickly by first responders using a rope rescue due to rising tides. Firefighters, training twice yearly for such rescues, successfully brought him to safety and transported him to the hospital despite his initial reluctance to be rescued. The incident caused westbound traffic on I-10 to halt during rush hour. The driver’s reasons for jumping remain unclear.

A water rescue this morning on the Bayway at the height of rush hour.  A man jumped into the water after crashing his car into the side of the bridge.

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