Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB520 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	HB520INTRODUCED
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3	3	HB520
4	4	BYVCEJJ-1
5	5	By Representatives Yarbrough, Whorton, Butler, Harrison,
6	6	Mooney, Carns, Gidley
7	7	RFD: Health
8	8	First Read: 03-Apr-25
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14	14	6 BYVCEJJ-1 03/31/2025 GP (L)lg 2025-1345
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16	16	First Read: 03-Apr-25
17	17	SYNOPSIS:
18	18	This bill would prohibit an employer or
19	19	prospective employer from discriminating against an
20	20	individual on the basis of the individual's refusal of
21	21	certain drugs, vaccines, or facial coverings for
22	22	reasons of conscience, including religious convictions.
23	23	This bill would prohibit a place of public
24	24	accommodation from discriminating against any
25	25	individual on the basis of the individual's
26	26	immunization status or refusal to wear a facial
27	27	covering.
28	28	This bill would prohibit a hospital or health
29	29	plan insurer from discriminating against any individual
30	30	based on the individual's refusal of certain drugs,
31	31	vaccines, or facial coverings, except for surgical
32	32	masks during the performance of a surgical, medical, or
33	33	dental procedure, for reasons of conscience, including
34	34	religious convictions.
35	35	This bill would prohibit an occupational
36	36	licensing board from denying, suspending, revoking, or
37	37	refusing to issue, renew, or reinstate a license
38	38	because of the immunization status of the licensee or
39	39	applicant for a license.
40	40	This bill would authorize any individual subject
41	41	to discrimination by an employer, prospective employer,
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69	69	28 HB520 INTRODUCED
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71	71	to discrimination by an employer, prospective employer,
72	72	place of public accommodation, hospital, health plan
73	73	insurer, or occupational licensing board in violation
74	74	of the bill to seek a permanent or preliminary
75	75	injunction, and would provide for remedies for the
76	76	violation.
77	77	This bill would authorize the Attorney General
78	78	to bring a civil cause of action against an employer,
79	79	prospective employer, place of public accommodation,
80	80	hospital, health plan insurer, or occupational
81	81	licensing board for a violation.
82	82	This bill would also authorize the Attorney
83	83	General to defend or participate in a suit on behalf of
84	84	an employer, place of public accommodation, hospital,
85	85	health plan insurer, or occupational licensing board
86	86	that is subject to federal fines, penalties, or
87	87	mandates relating to the requirements of this bill.
88	88	A BILL
89	89	TO BE ENTITLED
90	90	AN ACT
91	91	Relating to health; to prohibit certain entities from
92	92	taking certain discriminatory acts against individuals who
93	93	refuse certain immunizations, drugs, or facial coverings for
94	94	reasons of conscience; to provide for a private cause of
95	95	action for a violation of this act; to authorize the Attorney
96	96	General to enforce this act; to provide additional remedies
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126	126	General to enforce this act; to provide additional remedies
127	127	for a violation; and to authorize the Attorney General to
128	128	defend or participate in a suit on behalf of an entity subject
129	129	to certain federal penalties relating to the requirements of
130	130	this act.
131	131	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
132	132	Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
133	133	the Alabama Conscientious Right to Refuse Act.
134	134	Section 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
135	135	following terms have the following meanings:
136	136	(1) DISCRIMINATE or DISCRIMINATION. The discharge,
137	137	refusal to hire, refusal to promote, demotion, harassment,
138	138	segregation, or discrimination in matters of compensation or
139	139	benefits against an employee. This term includes any
140	140	imposition, requirement, or burden on one class of employees
141	141	that is not mandated for all other employees.
142	142	(2) EMPLOYER. Any person that accepts the services of
143	143	another, including, but not limited to, the services of an
144	144	independent contractor or volunteer.
145	145	(b) An employer or prospective employer shall not
146	146	discriminate against an otherwise qualified individual on the
147	147	basis of the individual's refusal of any biologic, DNA-based
148	148	product, drug, facial covering, gene editing technology,
149	149	pharmaceutical, RNA-based product, or vaccine for reasons of
150	150	conscience, including religious convictions, with regard to
151	151	job application procedures; the hiring, advancement, or
152	152	discharge of employees; employee compensation; job training;
153	153	or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.
154	154	(c)(1) Any individual who is subject to discrimination
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184	184	(c)(1) Any individual who is subject to discrimination
185	185	in violation of this section may seek a preliminary or
186	186	permanent injunction before a circuit court of competent
187	187	jurisdiction to enforce this section. A circuit court may
188	188	enter any order necessary to remedy the violation, assess
189	189	penalties, and award reasonable attorney fees and costs,
190	190	including expert fees, to a prevailing plaintiff.
191	191	(2) No security in any form may be required for an
192	192	action filed under this subsection.
193	193	(d)(1) The Attorney General may enforce the provisions
194	194	of this section.
195	195	(2) If an employer or prospective employer is subject
196	196	to federal fines, penalties, or mandates: (i) due to its
197	197	compliance with this section; or (ii) which conflict with the
198	198	requirements of this section, the Attorney General may defend
199	199	or participate in the suit on behalf of the employer or
200	200	prospective employer in order to protect its right to comply
201	201	with this section.
202	202	Section 3. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
203	203	following terms have the following meanings:
204	204	(1) DISCRIMINATE or DISCRIMINATION. The denial of the
205	205	opportunity of an individual or class to participate in an
206	206	equal manner as all other individuals, not separate or
207	207	segregated, or the denial of equal benefit from the goods,
208	208	services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or
209	209	accommodations of a place of public accommodation.
210	210	(2) IMMUNIZATION STATUS. Whether an individual has the
211	211	presence or absence of antibodies or has received or has not
212	212	received any vaccination, including biologics, a DNA-based
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242	242	received any vaccination, including biologics, a DNA-based
243	243	product, gene editing technology, pharmaceutical, or an
244	244	RNA-based product administered for the purpose of preventing
245	245	an infectious disease.
246	246	(3) PUBLIC ACCOMODATION. The same meaning as provided
247	247	in Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C.
248	248	§ 12181.
249	249	(b) A place of public accommodation shall not
250	250	discriminate against any individual on the basis of the
251	251	individual's immunization status or refusal to wear a facial
252	252	covering for reasons of conscience, including religious
253	253	convictions, by denying or restricting in any way the
254	254	individual's full and equal enjoyment of goods, services,
255	255	facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of the
256	256	place of public accommodation.
257	257	(c)(1) Any individual who is subject to discrimination
258	258	in violation of this section may seek a preliminary or
259	259	permanent injunction before a circuit court of competent
260	260	jurisdiction to enforce this section. A circuit court may
261	261	enter any order necessary to remedy the violation, assess
262	262	penalties, and award reasonable attorney fees and costs,
263	263	including expert fees, to a prevailing plaintiff.
264	264	(2) No security in any form may be required for an
265	265	action filed under this subsection.
266	266	(d)(1) The Attorney General may enforce the provisions
267	267	of this section.
268	268	(2) If a place of public accommodation is subject to
269	269	federal fines, penalties, or mandates: (i) due to its
270	270	compliance with this act; or (ii) which conflict with the
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300	300	compliance with this act; or (ii) which conflict with the
301	301	requirements of this act, the Attorney General may defend or
302	302	participate in the suit on behalf of the place of public
303	303	accommodation in order to protect its right to comply with
304	304	this section.
305	305	Section 4. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
306	306	following terms have the following meanings:
307	307	(1) DISCRIMINATE or DISCRIMINATION. The denial or
308	308	restriction of medical care, public service, or insurance
309	309	coverage, payments, reimbursements, or claims to an
310	310	individual.
311	311	(2) HEALTH PLAN INSURER. All health insurance plan
312	312	issuers doing business in Alabama, including any public or
313	313	private medical insurance program.
314	314	(3) HOSPITALS. The same meaning as provided in Section
315	315	22-21-20, Code of Alabama 1975.
316	316	(b) A hospital or health plan insurer shall not
317	317	discriminate in any way or take any adverse action against:
318	318	(i) an individual based on the individual's refusal; or (ii)
319	319	an unemancipated minor based on the refusal made on the
320	320	minor's behalf by his or her parent, guardian, or legal
321	321	representative, of any biologic, DNA-based product, drug,
322	322	facial covering, gene editing technology, pharmaceutical,
323	323	RNA-based product, or vaccine for reasons of conscience,
324	324	including religious convictions, including, but not limited
325	325	to, through:
326	326	(1) Denying a service, including medical care, a public
327	327	service, or organ donation, to the individual;
328	328	(2) Penalizing the individual or using financial
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358	358	(2) Penalizing the individual or using financial
359	359	coercion against the individual; or
360	360	(3) Refusing or restricting insurance coverage,
361	361	payments, reimbursements, or claims to an individual.
362	362	(c)(1) For the purposes of this section, the term
363	363	"facial covering" does not include a surgical mask worn during
364	364	the performance of a surgical, medical, or dental procedure.
365	365	(2) This section may not be construed to prevent the
366	366	recommendation of, education on, or access to a facial
367	367	covering or other medical intervention specified in this
368	368	section.
369	369	(d)(1) Any individual who is subject to discrimination
370	370	or adverse action in violation of this section may seek a
371	371	preliminary or permanent injunction before a circuit court of
372	372	competent jurisdiction to enforce this act. A circuit court
373	373	may enter any order necessary to remedy the violation, assess
374	374	penalties, and award reasonable attorney fees and costs,
375	375	including expert fees, to a prevailing plaintiff.
376	376	(2) No security in any form may be required for an
377	377	action filed under this subsection.
378	378	(e)(1) The Attorney General may enforce the provisions
379	379	of this section.
380	380	(2) If a hospital or health plan insurer is subject to
381	381	federal fines, penalties, or mandates: (i) due to its
382	382	compliance with this section; or (ii) which conflict with the
383	383	requirements of this section, the Attorney General may defend
384	384	or participate in the suit on behalf of the hospital or health
385	385	plan insurer in order to protect its right to comply with this
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416	416	section.
417	417	Section 5. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
418	418	following terms have the following meanings:
419	419	(1) IMMUNIZATION STATUS. The same meaning as provided
420	420	in Section 3.
421	421	(2) OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARD. The same meaning as
422	422	provided in Section 41-9A-1, Code of Alabama 1975.
423	423	(b) An occupational licensing board shall not deny,
424	424	suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue, renew, or reinstate a
425	425	license, as defined by Section 41-9A-1, Code of Alabama 1975,
426	426	because of the immunization status of the licensee or
427	427	applicant for a license.
428	428	(c)(1) Any individual who is subject to any action
429	429	described in subsection (b) by an occupational licensing board
430	430	may seek a preliminary or permanent injunction before a
431	431	circuit court of competent jurisdiction to enforce this
432	432	section. A circuit court may enter any order necessary to
433	433	remedy the violation, assess penalties, and award reasonable
434	434	attorney fees and costs, including expert fees, to a
435	435	prevailing plaintiff.
436	436	(2) No security in any form may be required for an
437	437	action filed under this subsection.
438	438	(d)(1) The Attorney General may enforce the provisions
439	439	of this section.
440	440	(2) If a hospital or health plan insurer is subject to
441	441	federal fines, penalties, or mandates: (i) due to its
442	442	compliance with this section; or (ii) which conflict with the
443	443	requirements of this section, the Attorney General may defend
444	444	or participate in the suit on behalf of the hospital or health
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474	474	or participate in the suit on behalf of the hospital or health
475	475	plan insurer in order to protect its right to comply with this
476	476	section.
477	477	Section 6. This act shall become effective on June 1,
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