Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Family Support Jury Duty topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate passes 'Parker's Law' exempting nursing mothers from jury duty
Summary
The Alabama Senate passed Senate Bill 76, known as Parker's Law, to allow nursing mothers to be excused from jury duty on their statement alone; committee and bipartisan amendments removed a medical-provider attestation requirement and clarified judges' discretion.
The Alabama Senate on a voice and roll-call vote approved Senate Bill 76, commonly called Parker's Law, a measure that exempts nursing mothers from jury duty if they provide a statement that they are nursing mothers.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Cindy Weaver, told the Senate the measure "offers nursing mothers an exemption from jury duty. It will provide them a solid and long lasting protection that are carved into law." Weaver said the chamber adopted a committee amendment and a second bipartisan amendment removing a requirement that a medical provider certify nursing status; under the amendment a mother need only state that she is nursing.
The change responding to stakeholder concerns removes an administrative attestation barrier, Weaver said. "We have a friendly bipartisan amendment that we believe makes this bill better. It takes out the part where the mother has to have the certification from a medical provider, and it basically says that she just has to have a statement that she is a nursing mother," Weaver said during floor debate.
During floor discussion, several senators voiced support for the measure's intent to reduce burdens on new mothers. Senator Bell said judges already have discretion but that codifying the protection in statute is appropriate when administrative rules can be reversed. Senator Kelly and Senator Singleton also urged passage, describing the practical burdens nursing parents face when summoned for jury duty.
The Senate adopted committee and floor amendments by unanimous voice or roll calls and then approved final passage as amended by a recorded roll call of 31 ayes, 0 nays. The committee amendment gave the bill the name "Parker's Law," referencing the incident that prompted the proposal, and the second amendment removed the medical-provider attestation requirement.
The bill now heads to the House for consideration. The sponsor and supporters said the intent is to create a statutory protection for nursing mothers that cannot be reversed by administrative rule alone.
