Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law Alabama’s patently anti-LGBT bill H.B. 24.
The bill, deceptively titled the “Child Placing Agency Inclusion Act,” enshrines discrimination into Alabama law by allowing some state-licensed adoption and foster care agencies to reject qualified prospective LGBTQ adoptive or foster parents based on the agency’s religious beliefs. An amendment was added in the Senate and agreed to by the House that limits that discriminatory exemption to agencies that do not receive state or federal funding.
the state from discriminating against child placing agencies on the basis that the provider declines to provide a child placement that conflicts with the religious beliefs of the provider.
The bill would prohibit the state from refusing to license or otherwise discriminate or take an adverse action against any child placing agency that is licensed by or required to be licensed by the state for child placing services on the basis that the child placing agency declines to make, provide, facilitate, or refer for a placement in a manner that conflicts with, or under circumstances that conflict with, the sincerely held religious beliefs of the child placing agency.
The bill describes “adverse action” as any of the following:
- Taking an enforcement action against the entity;
- Refusing to issue a license;
- Refusing to renew a license;
- Revoking a license; or
- Suspending a license.
The bill’s exceptions for religiously motivated prejudice are baseless, discriminatory, and dangerous.
Approximately 30 percent of child placement agencies in Alabama are faith-based organizations, and HB 24 would prohibit the state from withholding funding or licenses if those organizations discriminate.