SR19 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

J.T. WaggonerSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

SPECIAL ORDER CALENDAR

Summary

SR19 sets a special order calendar giving priority to a list of bills, especially SB113 on health care visitation rights, for a four-day period.

What This Bill Does

The Senate designates the listed bills as the special, paramount, and continuing order of business for the fourth legislative day only, taking precedence over all other matters until disposed of. SB113 would require health care facilities to adopt visitation policies that guarantee patient visitation rights and allow an essential caregiver to visit. The bill also assigns duties to facilities to publish these policies with the Department of Public Health, establishes a complaint mechanism, provides limited liability immunity in certain cases, exempts some psychiatric facilities, and repeals prior hospital visitation provisions enacted during a public health emergency.

Who It Affects

• Patients in health care facilities and their visitors, who gain or lose rights to visitation and the designation of an essential caregiver.
• Health care facilities and the Department of Public Health, who must implement, share, and oversee visitation policies and related protections (including liability provisions and complaint mechanisms).

Key Provisions

• Establishes a special order calendar: SB113 and the other listed bills become the Senate's priority items for the fourth legislative day, taking precedence over all other business until disposed of.
• SB113 provisions: health care facilities must adopt visitation policies, guarantee patient visitation rights and designation of an essential caregiver; prohibits more stringent policies than those for employees; cannot require proof of vaccination; requires policies be provided to the Department of Public Health; creates a complaint mechanism; provides limited liability immunity; exempts certain psychiatric facilities; repeals existing hospital visitation provisions from the public health emergency.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.