The Alabama House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 9 on Thursday, legislation that would restrict vaping in public spaces and rename the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act.
Sponsored by Senator Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, the SB9 would add vapes—or “electronic nicotine delivery systems”—to the listed forms of smoking that are currently prohibited in enclosed public areas under Alabama law.
The bill would also rename the Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act to the “Vivian Davis Figures Clean Indoor Air Act” in honor of state Senator Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, who has been a longtime advocate for clean air regulations in the state and championed the original passage of the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2003.
Senator Allen previously explained the motivation behind the legislation in a statement provided to APR earlier this year.
“Renaming this bill the ‘Vivian Davis Figures Clean Indoor Air Act,’ was to honor my colleague’s dedication to a better Alabama,” Allen told APR. “For more than a decade she has worked to promote clean air for our communities.”
“This issue transcends party lines—it affects every resident of our state,” Allen added. “As time progresses, new forms of nicotine delivery systems continue to emerge, our laws must evolve to preserve their original purpose. In this case, the purpose was to protect public places from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Since the original passing of the [Alabama Clean Indoor Air Act], electronic nicotine delivery systems have become widespread. As a result, there is a clear need to expand the law to continue protecting the people of this great state.”
Before the House voted on SB9’s passage Wednesday, Representative Laura Hall, D-District 19, offered an amendment that would add Representative Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile, to the act’s new title alongside Senator Figures, making it the “Vivian Davis Figures and Barbara Drummond Clean Indoor Air Act.”
The amendment received popular support, including from Drummond’s fellow Mobile lawmaker Representative Mark Shirey, R-Mobile, who called it an “excellent amendment.”
Following the adoption of Hall’s amendment, the House voted unanimously in favor of SB9’s passage. Having been amended, the bill will now need to return to the Senate to receive concurrence before the end of the legislative session if it is to be signed into law.
