A bill to expand oversight of child care centers in Alabama, the subject of debate and compromise for more than a year, won final approval today in the Legislature.
Gov. Kay Ivey could sign the Child Care Safety Act into law.
Josh Pendergrass, communications director for the governor, said the bill by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee would be reviewed.
"In keeping with the governor's well-known practice, Rep. Warren's bill will undergo a legal review and then be considered, on its merits, for approval by the governor," Pendergrass said in an email.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 23-4 today. That came after Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, agreed to drop his efforts to block the bill. Shelnutt had delayed the bill last week because he said he had concerns about the effect on church-affiliated child care centers that accept children who receive federal subsidies.
Warren and supporters of her bill say it would be an important step toward uniform standards needed to ensure safety in child care centers.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources licenses and sets minimum standards for child care centers, but state law allows centers that claim affiliation with a church to be exempt.
Almost half of the state's roughly 1,900 centers are exempt.
Warren's bill would require licensing for any center that enrolls children whose families receive federal subsidies, including church-affiliated centers.
Other church-affiliated centers would remain exempt from licensing but would face more regulation, including a requirement to report employees names and criminal histories to DHR each year.
The House passed Warren's bill by a vote of 86-5 on Feb. 1. A similar bill had also passed the House last year but died in the Senate on the last day of the session.
"It's going to make a difference," Warren said. "Things are not going to be business as usual in the state of Alabama in day cares in the state. And that's every day care in the state of Alabama."
A 5-year-old Mobile boy died last August after he was left in a van by a driver for an unlicensed center. The driver had a criminal record, authorities said.
Warren said the tragedy exemplified the need for more regulations after her bill had failed a few months before.
"I couldn't say that last year in May, but his death in August proved that we had a problem in the state of Alabama," Warren said.
Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, who handled Warren's bill in the Senate, said it was an example of where "government has to infringe a little bit," comparing it to a seat belt bill he sponsored years go.
"We're going to save lives by passing this bill," Dial said.
Angela Thomas, communications manager for VOICES for Alabama's Children, issued a statement calling the bill an "incremental step." VOICES has advocated for years for a repeal of the license-exemption for church-affiliated centers.
"Our position on the state of child care licensing remains the same - all child care facilities should be licensed and inspected," Thomas said.
Voting against the bill were Sens. Shelnutt; Greg Albritton, R-Range; Tim Melson, R-Florence and Arthur Orr, R-Decatur.