This week was one of the busiest weeks of 2026 so far! In addition to Greg Davis preaching at Mt. Zion Free Will Baptist Church in Pell City (pictured below with Dr. Michael Barber), ALCAP spent much of the week at the State House for the final week of session.
We were honored to have spent many weeks advocating for Christian values at the Alabama State House! We could have never done it without our hundreds of supporters across the state. This has truly been a historic session and we are excited to celebrate multiple huge victories across a wide variety of important topics. Check out the summary below for a full report on what made it to the finish line this year!
Special thanks from a partner organization
For years, The Alabama Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Coalition (AL SRAE) has been a major advocate for protecting children from explicit sex-ed in Alabama. We are humbled to receive this thoughtful note from its Chairman Jason W. Mann: “ALCAP’s consistent advocacy on behalf of family values has served to secure viable and appropriate sexual health development education for thousands of students throughout the state. Without your guidance, the AL SRAE Coalition could not have successfully navigated the complex nuances of Alabama’s legislative processes. Even in our absence, the ALCAP team routinely met with key stakeholders and representatives to ensure the details and desired outcomes of SB209 were clearly understood.” We could have never done it without all of our supporters across the state.
It was our privilege to assist with the passage of SB 209. We are thankful for every organization that worked so hard on this bill, and especially the courageous legislators who led the effort, Sen. Shay Shelnutt and Rep. Susan Dubose.
Priority Legislation for ALCAP: Final Recap
Victory!!
The Ten Commandments in Schools (SB 99): The companion House and Senate bills sponsored by Rep. Mark Gidley (Gadsden) and Sen. Keith Kelley (Weaver) require Alabama public schools to post the Ten Commandments with a historical explanation in certain middle and high school classrooms and common areas. Schools would only have to do this if the posters or the money to buy them are donated. Check out the Priority Talk Radio interview with Senator Kelley below.
Status: SB 99 passed the Senate floor on March 31st, it passed the House floor on April 9th, and has been signed by the Governor into law!
Victory!!
School Chaplains (HB 8): HB 8 by Rep. Mark Gidley (Gadsden) and championed by Sen. Rodger Smitherman (Birmingham) in the Senate, authorizes each local boards of education to vote on whether to accept a campus chaplain as a volunteer to provide services at the request of a teacher.
Status: HB 8 passed the House on February 24th, and passed the Senate on April 7th. The Governor is expected to sign the bill any day now!
Victory!!
Sex Education Bill (SB 209): Introduced by Sen. Shay Shelnutt and carried by Rep. Susan Dubose in the House, this bill requires Alabama public K-12 schools to teach sex education exclusively through a sexual risk avoidance (abstinence-focused) framework. It also mandates parental notice and opt-out rights, bars schools from using outside providers that do not support abstinence or are connected to abortion services
Status: The bill was introduced to the Senate Education Policy committee on January 27th and passed the Senate floor on February 19th. It passed the House on April 7th. The Governor will likely sign it very soon!
Victory!!
Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance (HB 511): This bill by Rep. Reed Ingram proposes a constitutional amendment requiring public K-12 schools to conduct The Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day it also requires local school boards to vote on whether to allow voluntary daily prayer and Bible or other religious text readings with written consent.
Status: The bill was introduced on February 25th and passed the House floor on March 10th. It passed the Senate on April 8th and awaits the Governor’s signature!
Victory!!
Religious Release Time for Students (SB 248): SB248, by Senator Shay Shelnutt (Trussville), gives parents the freedom to have their public school children participate in off-campus religious instruction during the school day. Students may earn elective credit for taking part in these programs. The programs are run and funded by local religious organizations. We are especially excited about the potential of this bill as a unique opportunity for churches to minister to students across our state through elective school credit.
Status: The bill was introduced on February 3rd, and passed the Senate with broad support on February 19th. It passed the House on March 31st and is on the Governor’s desk!
Died at the finish line
Protection from Non-Consensual Illicit Images (HB 347): This bill by Rep. Ben Harrison (Cartwright) would let people sue tech companies in certain situations, especially if harmful images were carelessly made or shared for money or through public “nudification” apps. It would also require websites and apps to have a clear way to remove illegal images, allow victims to take legal action, give the Attorney General power to enforce the law, and set penalties for breaking
Status: The bill passed the House Judiciary on February 11th, and passed the entire House of Representatives on March 3rd. It died on the Senate floor without a vote.
Died at the finish line
Prohibiting the Disruption of a Worship Service (HB 363): This bill by Rep. Greg Barnes (Jasper) creates a specific offense for intentionally disrupting a church worship service or harassing worshippers, including actions on church property meant to block entry or exit. Violators would be charged with disruption of a worship service.
Status: The bill was introduced in the House on January 29th and passed the House floor on February 24th. It passed out of the Senate Committee on County and Municipal Government on March 4th, and Sen Chris Elliott moved it forward to the Senate floor. It unfortunately never made it to a Senate vote.
