Alabama Vaccine Passport Ban
The Alabama Vaccine Passport Ban (Act of Alabama No. 2021-493) is a law passed in 2021 that amends Title 16 of the Code of Alabama to prohibit government entities and private businesses from issuing "vaccine passports", or making vaccination a condition for providing access to facilities or services.
The law was introduced in the Alabama State Senate during the 2021 Alabama legislative session by sponsor Arthur Orr. Senate Bill 267, as it was designated, was first read on February 24, 2021. It was passed by a vote of the Senate on April 8 and referred to the Alabama House of Representatives. The House Health Committee referred it to the full body with an amendment on April 21, and it was passed in the House on May 17. The Senate voted again on the amended bill the same day. Governor Kay Ivey signed the act on May 24.
The law was passed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but does not refer specifically to COVID-19 immunization. Instead it refers generally to "immunization", but provides exceptions for records required to be kept under other existing laws. With regard to schools, the law specifies that, "Institutions of education may continue to require a student to prove vaccination status as a condition of attendance only for the specific vaccines that were already required by the institution as of January 1, 2021, provided that the institutions give an exemption for students with a medical condition or religious belief that is contrary to vaccination."
The law contains no provisions for enforcement. Birmingham-Southern College announced a policy that any student unable to document vaccination against COVID-19 would have to submit to weekly testing, for which a $500 fee would be levied. In a radio interview Orr characterized that policy as a "constructive barrier" in contravention to the law, and claimed to have reported the policy to, "the authorities."
References
- Whitmire, Kyle (May 21, 2021) "Whitmire: Alabama’s vaccine passport ban is a ticket to nowhere." The Birmingham News
- Whitmire, Kyle (August 4, 2021) "Whitmire: How one Alabama college outsmarted the state’s vaccine passport ban." The Birmingham News
External links
- Act of Alabama No. 2021-493 at sos.state.al.us