Alabama Senate approves bill requiring adult-size changing tables in public buildings

by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
February 28, 2025

The Alabama Senate unanimously passed a bill to require adult-size changing tables be installed in public buildings.

SB 83, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would require the changing tables to be powered and height-adjustable and be installed in newly constructed or renovated public buildings starting in 2028. The bill passed 27-0.

“These families are citizens, our people, and need to be treated with respect and assistance. They’ve got a very hard life, more challenges, and the government, at all levels, can help them with these challenges,” Orr said.

Just over 9% of Alabamians have an ambulatory disability, meaning they have a physical impairment that affects their ability to walk and move around independently. That is above the national average of 6.7%, according to the United States Census Bureau.

The legislation would only apply to new construction and renovations that cost more than $500,000.

Installing a changing table in a public building would cost the state and local entities at least $15,000, and that price would be revised every three years starting in 2030 based on the Consumer Price Index percentage increase. The fiscal note said the cost could be offset by grants through legislative appropriations.

“It’s a small price to pay. I wouldn’t call it a price to pay. It’s taking everybody into consideration,”  Orr said.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, called the legislation a “good bill.”

“I commend you for bringing this. I think that is the highest level of sensitivity that we can deal with,” Smitherman said.

Orr amended the bill twice on the floor. One amendment exempted public K-12 schools, and public universities and colleges.

Orr introduced the bill after a constituent, June Wilson, told him about her struggles with changing her 4-year-old son’s diaper. Wilson testified when the bill was considered in committee, saying that

“She’s had people be pretty unkind when she had to change the child in the back of a hatchback vehicle in a parking lot … just being very insensitive to the situation. And so we’re able to pass this and at least lead by example as a state,” Orr said.

The bill moves to the House.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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SUMMARY: The Vanity Fair Distribution Center in Monroeville is closing by the end of April, resulting in the loss of 156 jobs. This decision is part of a workforce reduction by its parent company, Fruit of the Loom. The closure, affecting over 100 employees, will have a significant impact on the local economy. However, the Alabama Department of Commerce is offering assistance to help workers transition, with some being transferred to other locations like Montgomery, Alex City, and Kentucky. The Monroeville Economic Development Authority assures that the town’s business is growing, providing new opportunities for displaced workers.

Vanity Fair Distribution Center in Monroeville is closing, News 5 has learned.
FULL STORY: https://trib.al/IHHHpI3

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Bell-to-bell cell phone ban moves in House and Senate committees

by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
February 27, 2025

The House and Senate education policy committees approved identical bills on Wednesday that would ban cell phones in public K-12 schools from “bell to bell.”

SB 92, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, and HB 166, sponsored by Rep. Leigh Hulsey, R-Helena, requires all local school boards to develop and implement cell phone policies that require students to store devices for the entirety of the school day. Pike Road Junior High Principal Christy Wright told lawmakers about her school’s cell phone ban using Yondr pouches.

“Without cell phones being there, it was clear that there was much more peer interaction happening, deeper discussions. Even just in the hallways, the interaction between our students changed our culture some,” Wright told the Senate Education Policy Committee Wednesday. “They also noticed, obviously, more in-depth instructional time, more academic engagement, and also just an overall confidence in our students.”

Wright said the school got the pouches through a grant, but if one is damaged or lost, students must pay for the $30 pouch to be replaced. She said students turn off their phones and place them in the pouches and lock them with a magnet as they enter the building. They cannot access the magnet again until the end of the school day, she said, with exceptions for emergencies. 

“If there is an emergency, the parent is to call the front office. The front office immediately gets in touch with the child,” Wright said.

Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, expressed concern on how school districts would afford storage for cell phones.

“I represent two to three largest school systems in the whole state of Alabama, that is Jefferson County and Birmingham. We’re talking about thousands of students,” Smitherman said. 

Although Pike Road Junior High School uses Yondr pouches, the legislation does not dictate how devices will be put away. That is left to the discretion of local school boards, according to the bill.

“It could be stored in a locker, car or similar storage device, and that’s simply up to the local boards of education as to what they basically can afford,” Chesteen said. 

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said in early February there are about 20 school districts that have a total ban. 

“It is also not just dealing with the cell phones — which I call supercomputers in a student’s pocket — but it’s really talking about social media, and that is the issue,” Mackey said on Feb. 13. “We can’t lose sight that the issue is not the device.”

Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner Kimberly Boswel spoke to the House Education Policy Committee about how cell phones and the use of social media affect youth anxiety, depression and self harm.

“We saw depression increase from 2010 to 2020, 145% in girls and 161% in boys,” Boswel said. 

She said social media causes social deprivation, sleep deprivation, attention fragmentation and addiction.

“We have shifted from the play-based childhood that we all experienced to a phone-based childhood,” Boswel said. “What we want to get back to is connection and community, and really helping our kids be as mentally healthy as they can be.”

According to a study by the University of California, it takes about 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain focus after a distraction. Adrianna Harrington, managing director of policy for ExcelinEd, applied this information to a student receiving a mobile notification while in school. She said 50% of students get 240 notification per day.

“If you do the math, it’s not mathing,” Harrington said. “You can’t focus.”

In addressing concerns of safety, including school shootings, Hulsey told the House committee that school resource officers are supportive of cell phone bans. According to a consulting company for school safety, cell phone use can escalate an emergency by overloading emergency services and distracting students from the emergency itself. In addition, contact with parents can cause unnecessary crowds during an emergency.

But the legislation includes exceptions for when a student can access and use their devices. Hulsey said under the legislation cell phones could be used in emergency situations, by students with Individualized Education Plans and Section 504 plans, and when necessary for instructional purposes.

The legislation also requires an annual survey for compliance and implementation. Starting in the 2026-27 school year, schools that fail to achieve the minimum compliance must give up 30% of their common purchase funds, Hulsey said. Though Hulsey said she would be OK with more punitive measures.

“I think this is a fair compromise,” she said.

The legislation also requires an internet safety education program to be completed before a student starts eighth grade. Chesteen said the State Board of Education would be responsible for creating the program on the risks and benefits of social media.

Mackey said he would create an internet safety course even if the bills did not pass. 

“We’re already beginning those discussions in anticipation that the bill passes,” he said on Feb. 13. “I would say if the bill doesn’t pass, we’re still going to do it. It just won’t have the force of law behind it.”

Both bills received unanimous approval. HB 166 will now go to the full House, and SB 92 will go to the full Senate. 

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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