MONTGOMERY — A constitutional amendment requiring the Alabama State Department of Education to require a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer passed committee for a second time after leadership requested more amendments.
House Bill 231 (HB231), sponsored by State Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road), would require a three-fifths vote by both legislative bodies. The measure would then appear on the next statewide ballot for a vote from the state's citizenry before it could be ratified.
The State Government Committee already passed the legislation in February. However, it was placed back in the House Education Policy Committee for Reed to offer a substitute to clear up any potential legal issues.
"We passed it through committee, and I sat down and talked to leadership, and we both felt like it needed more work to: A, be able to get it passed, and B, to minimize the litigation, and it would be a plus for our state, a plus for our schools, and a plus for our students and parents," Ingram told the committee.
"I've worked on it probably for a couple of months, talking to principals, talking to attorneys, talking to superintendents and talking to my fellow body and even a couple of people in the Senate."
The original bill required a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer "consistent with Judeo-Christian values" at the beginning of every school day. The substitute bill removed the Judeo-Christian portion and mandated that no prayer or reading could take place in a classroom.
In addition to the Pledge of Allegiance, the bill now requires each local board of education to vote within 90 days of the ratification of the amendment whether to adopt a policy allowing employees and students to voluntarily participate in daily prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text.
The bill also requires the State Education Superintendent to withhold 25% of funding if a local board of education fails to conduct the pledge and hold a timely vote on whether to authorize the policy relating to praying and reading the Bible or other religious texts.
"I'm a Christian and have been and always will be, but I do respect other religions too," Ingram continued. "Other people come into this country with other beliefs, and that is their right and opinion."
While State Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) inquired about the changes in the substitute bill, lawmakers on either side of the aisle did not offer any real pushback.
The bill passed the committee without a single "no" vote and is now primed to go to the House floor for a full vote.
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