MONTGOMERY — Legislation that would allow participants in a new school choice program to sue the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) in some eligibility disputes passed the Senate Education Budget Committee on Wednesday.
The bill by State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville) would provide a private right of action for a CHOOSE Act participant to pursue injunctive relief or damages for an action taken by an interscholastic athletic association that is based solely on his or her status as a CHOOSE Act participating student.
Drew Harrell, Director of Legislative Affairs for Governor Kay Ivey, said during a committee meeting on Wednesday, "It just says that because of their CHOOSE Act status, they can't be discriminated against as far as their athletic eligibility goes with any association moving forward. It gives them some ability to have some recourse if something like that happens, if they are discriminated against."
"We don't want to give any special exception to the CHOOSE Act students or anything like that," Harrell said. "We just want to make sure if they do check all those boxes about what they need to do to transfer, that the last thing their CHOOSE Act status isn't something that's going to keep them from playing."
The AHSAA is currently being sued by Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) over their rule requiring transfer students using CHOOSE Act funds to sit out from athletics for a year.
The next hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for April 14.
The bill now heads to the Senate. There are seven legislative days left in the 2026 session.
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