Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth let it be known that he’s not happy with those in the Legislature who caved to lobbyist pressure and didn’t pass a bill over religious liberty in Alabama public schools.
The measure would offer public school students the ability to participate in off-campus religious and character instruction during school hours.
State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) carried it in the House, and State Sen. Shay Shelnut (R-Trussville) carried a similar version in the Senate.
The State House Government Committee voted down the bill Wednesday after a 5-5 vote. Ties in committee votes result in failure. Here is the list of lawmakers who voted for and against the bill:
“The Republican State Senate, Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, and I supported a bill allowing public school students to take off-campus Bible study classes as an elective, but lobbyists for the Superintendents and School Board associations, which oppose the measure, blocked its passage in House committee today,” Ainsworth said. “No taxpayer dollars of any kind would have been used, and identical electives are being offered in more than a dozen other states and serving thousands of students.”
The School Superintendents of Alabama and the Alabama Association of School Boards came out strongly against the bill.
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“The legislators who allowed paid lobbyists to influence their committee votes on such a simple, commonsense issue should be ashamed,” Ainsworth continued. “Students are already permitted to leave campus for any number of programs, such as career tech training that hones their skills and builds their talents, so I believe we should also allow them to leave for Bible instruction that hones their faith and builds their character.”
While the legislation failed this go around, Ainsworth said he’s not ever going to give up on the issue.
“I’m going to make sure that this legislation is introduced again and again and again until our students are given this elective option,” he concluded.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
