Two Alabama vaccine bills signed into law Friday take effect immediately - NBC 15 WPMI
MOBILE, Ala. (WPMI) — Governor Kay Ivey signed two new vaccine bills into law following the special legislative session that wrapped up this week.
Senate Bills 9 and 15 were signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey on Friday and immediately went into effect.
SB9 says, “This is an act to require employers to allow employees to claim an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination for medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs.”
"There’s a balance between being pro-business and being pro-freedom and religious liberty and individual freedom," SB9 Sponsor Sen. Chris Elliot.
But what about President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring COVID-19 shots for federal employees and contractors?
While there is a temporary block on the federal vaccine mandate it's unclear how this new Alabama law will work with a conflicting executive order.
"If there's some level of conflict with some of the federal executive orders from the president then that's an issue that some will have to analyze," President Pro Temp Sen. Greg Reed said.
The other bill, Senate Bill 15, states, “A minor cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent,” which is very similar to a bill championed in the house by Representative Chip Brown.
At the request of legislators the Alabama Department of Public Health has already started requiring parental consent for COVID-19 vaccines.
“We have asked that all persons in the age group under 19 unless they are emancipated minors have consent of their parents,” ADPH Dr. Karen Landers.
In the state of Alabama, minors 14 years old and up can make their own decisions for medical, dental and mental health services, but this new law doesn’t interfere with the old law except when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.
“Vaccination is routine, and it is not different than other types of medical care that we provide, say giving an antibiotic for a sinus infection,” Legislative Chair for the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Nola Ernest.
The new law requiring employers to allow exemptions to COVID-19 vaccine mandates is set to expire in 2023 unless additional motions are made to extend it.
source: https://mynbc15.com/news/local/two-alabama-vaccine-bills-signed-into-law-friday-take-effect-immediately
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