The Alabama Senate approved a bill Thursday that eliminates from current law the requirement that parents get a form from their local county health department when requesting a vaccine exemption for K-12 schools for religious reasons.
“You can go straight to the school, you don’t have to go to the county health department,” bill sponsor Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said.
Orr said that while county health departments have to give parents the current exemption forms, they sometimes unnecessarily question them. And some charge fees for the forms, he said.
Senate Bill 85 says “a written statement pursuant to this subdivision from a parent or guardian attesting to a sincerely held religious belief shall be recognized as valid grounds for exemption from any school enrollment vaccine or testing requirement.”
The bill was amended on the Senate floor to require a board-approved physical evaluation form or the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s participation physical form from the last 12 months.
The bill also says that public colleges that require vaccinations or disease testing must offer exemptions for religious or medical reasons.
The bill now goes to the House.