Lt. Governor Ainsworth Responds When Religious Release Bill Dies in Committee

A bill supported by many religious conservatives failed to pass out of the Alabama House State Government Committee on Wednesday, May 7, promoting a spirited reply from Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth on social media.

Alabama Senate Bill 278 (SB278), known as the Alabama Released Time Credit Act, would require all local Boards of Education to implement policies allowing students to receive elective credit for participating in religious instruction during the school day, under certain conditions. Under current Alabama law, Boards “may” do this. SB278 would change this to “shall,” creating a State-wide mandate.

When SB278 failed in Committee, Ainsworth posted the following on Facebook:

“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.

“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 legislators who allowed paid lobbyists to influence their committee votes on such a simple, commonsense issue should be ashamed.

“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.

“I’m going to make sure that this legislation is introduced again and again and again until our students are given this elective option.”

This was the second time a version of this bill had failed to pass a House committee. SB278 was sponsored by State Senator Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville). A complimentary bill, HB342, sponsored by State Representative Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) failed to pass the House Education Policy Committee earlier in the session.

Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) spoke for SB278 before the Committee on behalf of Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville). “This bill simply allows public school students to enrich their school opportunities with an optional religious class,” DuBose said. The bill requires local school districts to allow students to attend an off-campus religious class during the school day, at zero cost to taxpayers. According to DuBose, both Red and Blue States have similar “shall allow” bills already in place.

Sunnie Cotton, Alabama State Director for LifeWise Academy, spoke in favor of SB278. “This bill strengthens parental rights and protects religious freedoms while giving parents the choice to provide religious instruction for their children during the school day,” Cotton said.

Ryan Hollingsworth, Executive Director of the School Superintendents of Alabama spoke in opposition to SB278. He questioned the lack of definitions in the bill of certain important terms, and pointed out that a number of Alabama school districts already offer this under a 2019 Alabama law saying schools “may” do this. He stated that, based on totally hours in a year, parents have control of their child for 88% of the time, and that if it’s important to a parent, they would make time to make it happen.

Jennifer Riggs rose with her son Issac to say SB278 “has the potential to eternally impact us for good.” She related that when she and others approached their local Superintendent in Madison, they were told he could not accommodate this program. “I, and over 150 parents like me in the Madison County District would like the same opportunities for our children as other districts in our State who are accommodating a release time for religious instruction program,” Riggs said.

Scott Suttle, President of the St. Clair County Board of Education and President-Elect for the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB), spoke against the bill. “Our local leaders have been abundantly clear that we don’t want another overreach into our school systems,” he said. “Folks, we have a bill that works, and it works well (referring to the 2019 law which allowed schools to offer release time)…It works as it is, let’s please leave it as it is.”

Dr. Carter Harsh, a retired physician from Birmingham, spoke in favor of SB278. “ as it exists now, there is a hodgepodge, a patchwork of opportunities and inequities in the system. Changing from a ‘may’ State to a ‘shall’ State will eliminate that hodgepodge, and the confusion that goes with it, giving all parents the opportunity to make great decisions for their children.”

Rep. DuBose returned to the podium to close the public hearing. She reminded the Committee that the Supreme Court ruled in 1952 that religious release programs are constitutional, have been taking place since that time.

Rep. Marcus Paramore (R-Troy), who serves on the House Education Policy Committee with Rep. DuBose, reminded her that the companion to SB278 had previously been voted down there.

So, here we are in another Committee, trying to get a Bill that was voted down back out and onto the floor in a different format,” Paramore said. “This has already been before a body in this House once this year, and here we are again.”

Rep. Marilyn Lands (D-Madison) made the statement that while she was not against religious release, “I have to side with the Superintendents. The people that run our schools feel this is not the best use of time or the best way to structure what happens during the school day for our kids.” She then asked for a roll cal vote.

Rep. Barbara Boyd (D- Anniston) spoke about how for many years she taught the Bible “as a second language. I chose to use most of the poetic verses, and all.”

Chairman Chris Sells (R-Greenville) responded by commenting that “Miss Boyd, I believe if school was like it was when me and you went to school, I believe we wouldn’t have problems like we have right now. Rep. Boyd agreed, and allowed the vote to be taken.

The vote was a tie, which did not allow the Committee to give the bill a favorable report and move it to the full House.

With only a single day remaining in the 2025 regular session and HB278’s failure to be reported form the Committee to the House floor, HB278–like it’s companion bill HB342–is dead.

Given Lt. Governor Ainsworth’s sentiments, which likely reflect a considerable number of the bill’s supporters, it is virtually assured that SB278 will return in some form next year.

The full text of SB278 is HERE. The Committee meeting may be seen on YouTube on The Alabama Channel HERE.