MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation on Tuesday exempting nursing mothers from jury duty.
The bill came about after a January 1819 News report of a Jefferson County mother who was forced to report for jury duty while breastfeeding her three-month-old baby girl.
Kandace Brown of Morris received a jury summons in December. She attempted to call to be excused and filled out a form but never heard back.
Brown said Jefferson County Circuit Judge Shanta Owens mentioned that she could hear children during the excusal process. Governor Kay Ivey appointed Owens to the Jefferson County Circuit Court in 2019.
"She thanked everyone for being there, and she said, 'I can't see them, but I hear there are children here today. Any mother that has brought a child with them needs to make accommodations for their child to come and (be) picked up. I would hate for DHR to be involved," Brown said of Owens.
Brown's story outraged lawmakers and other political voices in the state, leading to a Supreme Court decision and legislation filed in both the House and Senate. The bill is named Parker's after Brown's son, Parker.
House Bill 209 (HB209), sponsored by State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover), would exempt a nursing mother for 24 months after providing the court with an affidavit that she is a nursing mother and a birth certificate or other government document or medical record certifying the birth.
Without a word of protest or debate, the bill passed with a unanimous vote of 103-0. DuBose opened the bill up for co-sponsors, gaining 79 in total.
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