HB559 Summary

• Amends Alabama Code Section 13A-11-9 to add an exemption to the loitering crime for individuals wearing medical or surgical grade masks during protests, demonstrations, or public assemblies if complying with health care provider guidance or state/federal emergency declarations to prevent infectious disease spread.

• Allows law enforcement officers to require individuals wearing masks under these exempted circumstances to produce documented medical guidance and remove their mask for identification purposes.

• Authorizes local boards of education to establish broader or more restrictive policies regarding mask usage during protests, demonstrations, or public assemblies on school property, with violations subject only to administrative discipline, not criminal charges.

• Grants public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education the same authority to adopt and enforce mask usage policies on their campuses, with violations subject to administrative discipline rather than criminal prosecution.

• Becomes effective October 1, 2025; passed the House on April 29, 2025, with a vote of 74 yeas, 22 nays, and 7 abstains.