HB367 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mack N. ButlerRepresentative

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Vaccines; state entities and county health departments prohibited from advertising, exceptions provided, Attorney General required to investigate violations, penalties provided

Summary

HB367 would ban government entities from spending public funds to advertise vaccines, with limited exceptions, and require budget cuts equal to the amount spent against violators.

What This Bill Does

The bill bars any governmental entity or county health department from using public funds to advertise or promote vaccines. It creates exceptions for printed materials distributed directly to patients that present balanced information (including vaccine requirements and VAERS reporting) and for communications required by federal law. The Attorney General can investigate alleged violations and determine the amount of public money spent on unlawful advertising, and the Legislature must reduce the violator's next year's appropriation by that amount; in counties with independent health departments, the county commission would reduce funding to the violating department by the same amount. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.

Who It Affects

• Governmental entities and county health departments would be prohibited from advertising vaccines, with specific allowed exceptions.
• The Attorney General and the Legislature would enforce the rule by investigating violations and adjusting funding for the violators; county commissions would also adjust funding to violating county health departments, especially where independent county health departments exist.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits governmental entities and county health departments from spending public funds to advertise or promote the use of vaccines.
• Exceptions include printed educational materials distributed directly to patients with balanced vaccine information (including state vaccine law requirements and exemptions) and information about VAERS, as well as communications required by federal law or regulation.
• Violations may be reported to the Attorney General, who would investigate and determine the amount spent on unlawful advertising; the Legislature would reduce the violator's appropriation by that amount in the following fiscal year.
• If a county has an independent county health department and is found to have violated the act, the county commission must reduce funding to the violating department by the amount spent on advertising in the following fiscal year.
• Effective date: July 1, 2025.

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

Subjects

Health