On Tuesday, Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office issued guidance that addressed questions about COVID-19 vaccinations as they pertained to a new law passed by the Alabama Legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in May.

According to a press release from the attorney general’s office, there had been a “sharp increase” in vaccine-related inquiries and complaints.

During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” Marshall said those inquiries had come from both the public and private sectors.

“I think a couple of things were in play that caused us to issue that guidance,” he said. “Number one is we had been receiving calls, kind of from a variety of sectors, whether it be from our educators, whether it be from governmental entities or governmental bodies, as well as generally citizens and private business that wondered specifically about the bill that passed in the last legislative session. Folks really just sort of generically reference it as a vaccine passport bill. But when you actually dive into it, though it is not actually a very long piece of legislation, it actually has an impact in a variety of areas. So, we felt it would be helpful to go ahead and put together at least some draft guidance to be able to help those that called us with questions and those that may want to have a little bit better understanding of what the legislature did and what the Governor did end up signing.”

Marshall also pointed out that given the law prohibited vaccination proof, the unvaccinated were protected against efforts to mandate vaccinations because the enforcement mechanism of requiring proof of vaccination would not be legal.

Attorney General Steve Marshall Releases Public Guidance Addressing Legal Questions Surrounding COVID-19 Vaccinations in Alabama https://t.co/oaxcnDAZXJ pic.twitter.com/qs7N6LsrdF

— Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) July 26, 2021

“In a nutshell, I think what we concluded as a result of the passage of this bill is that no government, school or business can demand a constituent, a student, a customer or any of those respective categories that they be vaccinated for COVID-19 or show proof of that vaccination,” he advised. “There are specific provisions that are directed at business that involves their customers. There are specific and targeted provisions relating to schools or academic institutions. The crux of that bill is even if somebody were to develop a policy that was directed at the unvaccinated, frankly, there is no enforcement mechanism because you cannot compel proof of vaccination.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.