WK 6: Dangerous Bill Undermines Parents Passed AL Senate 28-1!

Legislative Week 6

Legislative Days 10-12 of 30

Join us today on Zoom at 2:00 as we discuss these and other bills.

Zoom link here. Meeting ID: 819 9181 3466 -- Passcode: 546000

Bill Requiring Programs To Shape Students Attitudes & Feelings Passes Senate 28-1

Click to watch how SEL is a leftist strategy to undermine parents.

SB40 Sen. Smitherman

BILL DESCRIPTION: To require “The State Department of Education to develop a program to address the mental health of students who are considered at-risk for developing inadequate social-behavioral skills. … “

To “require each local board of education in the state … to employ a mental health coordinator [and] to submit a needs assessment relating to the provision of mental health resources to students… “ in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Mental Health. It requires teachers to be trained to recognize signs of “inadequate social-behavioral skills in a student … and to manage support for social-behavioral skills … including one-on-one or small group mental health consultations for students…and developing curricula on age-appropriate social skills provided directly to students in the classroom. The department shall develop a safe and supportive schools framework integrates] services … including social and emotional learning.

BILL STATUS: On Feb. 9th, this passed the AL Senate 28-1 (See how your member voted here.)

EF's POSITION: We oppose this bill. Social Emotional Learning is manipulative and shapes students' attitudes and feelings towards leftist ideas by using peer pressure and data surveys. SEL is also used to instill Critical Race Theory tenets in the minds of unsuspecting students without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Please watch the linked video above to get a quick overview of some of the problems with SEL. SB40 is an outrageous affront to all parents in Alabama, no matter how good it may sound to some. According to America First Legal, “Certain school districts have retained survey and data mining companies. These companies sell race focused student and teacher surveys, data management tools, and training on systemic racism and oppression, white supremacy, implicit bias, gender issues, and intersectionality, often under the rubric of 'Social-Emotional Learning.’” https://www.aflegal.org/resources/pupil-rights

ACTION-URGENT: Contact House Education Committee members today and ask them to vote "NO" on SB40. Then contact your house representative and ask him/her to vote "NO" on SB40.

K-12 Bathroom Bill Passes

House Education Committee

HB322 Rep. Stadthagen

BILL DESCRIPTION: This bill would require public K-12 schools to designate all rooms that are accessible to multiple students of one sex to be used by male and female students on the basis of biological sex.

BILL STATUS: Last Wednesday, the House Education Committee gave this bill a "favorable report" and it is headed to the House floor for a vote.

EF's POSITION: We support this bill. The bill sponsor reported multiple instances where females have been raped by boys in school bathrooms in Alabama. This common-sense bill would help prevent that.

Bill Banning Internet Censorship

Moves Forward

SB10 Sen. Orr

BILL DESCRIPTION: This bill would prohibit a major interactive computer service provider from taking certain restrictive or suppressive action against a user of its service based on either a viewpoint expressed or shared by the user or true statements of fact expressed or shared by the user. This bill would also provide for civil remedies for an affected user against a major interactive computer service provider.

BILL STATUS: Last Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on SB10 and it was given a "favorable report" and is headed to the Seante floor.

EF's POSITION: We support this bill. Eagle Forum has first-hand experience of being censored by Big Tech for posting videos on YouTube from our COVID Truths Doctors' Forum. Those videos featured doctors who have successfully treated thousands of COVID patients and have kept them out of the hospital. Factual information was presented that could be found on multiple government websites. Yet, we were cited with providing "misinformation". We have also had posts on Facebook censored/removed or "shadow banned". It is important that citizens have the right to express their lawful views and comments without being censored by the politically correct "fact-checkers."

Stop Medical Child Abuse on

Gender Dysphoric Children

Click to watch Dr. Lappert's testimony to the Senate Health Committee

Click here to read the transcript of Dr. Lappert's testimony.

SB184 Sen. Shelnutt HB266 Rep. Allen

BILL DESCRIPTION: This bill prohibits the use of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones or surgeries for the sole purpose of changing a healthy minor's gender until they are 19 years old. It also provides for disclosure of certain information concerning students to parents by schools.

BILL STATUS: This Senate bill is ready to be debated on the Seante floor. The House version will be in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday at 1:30 in room 200. Please come and show your support for the protection of this vulnerable children.

EF's POSITION: VCAP is one of EF's priority bills. in 2020 and 2021 this bill overwhelmingly passed the AL Senate and two House committees . Unfortunately, it was never brought to a vote on the House floor.

ACTION: We need your help to get VCAP across the finish line this year! Start by contacting your Senator and asking him/her to support SB184 (VCAP) to stop medical child abuse. See our talking points paper here.

Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana

(We Told You It Would Lead To this!)

SB160 Sen Singleton

BILL DECSRIPTION: This bill would amend the crime of unlawful possession of marijuana in the first degree to provide that a person commits the crime if he or she possesses two or more ounces of marijuana and would prescribe new criminal penalties based on the number of prior violations.

BILL STATUS: This bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote

EF's POSITION: We oppose this bill as it takes us one step closer to legalizing recreational marijuana.

ACTION: Start by contacting your Senator and asking him/her to vote "NO" on SB160 to decriminalize marijuana.

Bill to Ban Female Genital Mutilation

HB170 Rep. Rod Scott

BILL DESCRIPTION: To establish the crime of female genital mutilation and provide criminal penalties.

BILL STATUS: On Wednesday, the bill overwhelmingly passed on the House floor, and it headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

EF's POSITION: We support this bill and have tried to help get it passed in the last 3 sessions.

The Numeracy Act

SB171 SPONSOR: Sen. Orr

See our Week 5 Update for more details about this and why don't support it as introduced.

The Alabama Parents' Choice Act

SB140 Sponsor: Sen. Del Marsh HB245 Rep. Charlotte Meadows

BILL DESCRIPTION: This bill would create the Parent's Choice Act. This bill would provide for the process for creating, funding, and utilizing education savings accounts.

BILL STATUS: We oppose this bill in its current form. For more details about the bill and our position see our Week 4 Update. This bill passed the Senate Education committee. However, sponsors are working on changes to address concerns from homeschoolers, private school parents and the AL State Department of Education. We will continue to watch this bill and update you when we have new info.

Bill to Remove Requirement of Notary Public For End-of-Life Decisions

Is Headed to the Senate.

HB191 Sponsor: Rep. Ed Oliver

See our Week 4 Update to read details about this bill and to understand why we oppose it.

Watch Committee Meetings

On Wednesday Online

One of the goals of Eagle Forum is to help you engage in important legislative issues. Below are links to the House and Senate committee meetings happening this week. Most are on Wednesday. Take a look at the list of bills that will be discussed in the committees and watch the ones that are of interest to you.

House committee meetings/bills: