Latest news with #ReedIngram
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama House committee considers bill to ban certain food dyes in schools
Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, sits on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 25, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill seeking to remove certain food additives from Alabama's public K-12 schools faced discussion in the House Health Committee Wednesday, with proponents citing health concerns and opponents raising issues of regulatory burden and implementation timelines. HB 491, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Matthews, would prohibit schools from selling or serving food items containing specific artificial colorings, including common dyes like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5. The committee held the bill for a vote next week to allow members to review a potential amendment. 'Europe has banned it years ago, and all we're asking is just in the lunches, what's in the schools,' Ingram said to the committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ingram argued passionately against the additives and said he doesn't 'think we ought to keep giving our kids poison.' 'Why not take a proactive approach to save a life? … we're prescribing so much medication now, it's got to be something that we're eating and something we're doing,' Ingram said to the committee. The scope of the bill focuses specifically on food provided by schools. It would not restrict items brought from home or shared by students for events like class parties. Alabama House bills would target some food additives But concerns were raised about the bill's impact. Virginia Banister, executive director at Alabama Beverage Association, said the bill would create 'unnecessary regulatory burdens, cost, consumer and retailer confusion.' She also said that it would undermine the role of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 'HB 491 would place the state of Alabama in an unprecedented position in regulating food and beverage ingredients. That's a role currently held by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,' Banister said. In a recent interview, Ingram indicated that a push by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to 'Make America Healthy Again' is allowing Republicans, who have historically opposed regulation, to talk about the issue. He also said that his grandchildren aren't allowed to have synthetic dyes, which led him to learn more about the issue. Kennedy has promoted numerous controversial and unfounded views around public health issues. He has made false claims about the safety of vaccines and the impact of environmental chemicals on a child's sexual orientation or gender identity. He has also baselessly connected anti-depressant use to school shootings and has advocated for raw milk consumption despite health risks. California banned Red Dye No. 3 in 2023 after a state report raised concerns about its link to increased youth ADHD and questioned federal safety levels for children. The FDA recently followed, announcing a Red Dye No. 3 ban in food effective in early 2027 and 2028 in drugs. Research continues on the safety of other food dyes. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House committee approves constitutional amendment on school prayer
Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road (right) speaks with Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 6, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Ingram's bill that would require local school boards to adopt a policy allowing employees and students to voluntarily pray in school passed a House committee on April 16, 2025. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would require local school boards to adopt a policy allowing employees and students to voluntarily pray in school. But the committee made significant changes to HB 231, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Matthews, a constitutional amendment that must be approved by voters if it passes the Legislature. As filed, the bill required a daily prayer and specified that the prayer must reflect Judeo-Christian values. A substitute adopted by the committee removed that requirement. 'We took out the Christianity requirement, where if somebody had a different belief, it would be any of their religion,' Ingram said. 'And I'm a Christian, and have been, and always will be. But I do respect other religions as well, too, and other people come into this country with different beliefs and that's their right and opinion.' Current law generally allows school prayer and religious studies outside of school buildings. Other changes to the bill include that prayers cannot be done in a classroom or during instructional time, and students must get parental consent to participate. 'Prayer has to go on before the school time or after school time. So they would have a room that they could pray in if the school, whatever the school board decided for them to,' he said. The legislation also requires schools to start each day with the Pledge of Allegiance. If schools do not comply consistently with this requirement, the state superintendent must withhold 25% of state funding. The Legislature will also be authorized to withhold funding from noncompliant schools if they continue to violate the legislation. 'These kids that grow up these days don't understand what the flag is and what it means. And I think that's part of the teaching,' he said. The bill moves to the full House. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill allowing state takeover of police departments moving through Alabama legislature
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Pike Road) said some police departments need help from the state and he hopes to give cities that help. 'Corruption is inexcusable in a police department,' said Ingram. 'In any department corruption is inexcusable. But, we've gotta make sure that we have oversight for that reason.' With Ingram's bill, that oversight would come from the governor and attorney general. They could appoint an interim police chief in cities with high crime. Ingram said this would work in cities like Hanceville, where the chief and four officers are accused of mishandling evidence. 'Now, there's a lot of good ones out there. Lot of good cities that are doing it right. They don't have any vacancy or vacuum with everyone leaving,' he said. 'But, when you have a police department that's down 50% and you haven't changed in population, something's wrong.' Birmingham Public Library to host 4th annual 'A Novel Tasting' event Rep. Kelvin Datcher (D-Birmingham) said cities should be supported. But, accountability should be handled at the local level. 'You know, I vote for the mayor of the community that I live in,' he said. 'And I expect that person to carry out those responsibilities. And it's my opportunity to hold that person responsible when they're up for re-election.' He said the bill nullifies the vote of local residents. 'While we can show our interest from the state level, we can provide resources. Whether it's advice, expertise, whether it's financial resources, or other kinds of resources, I think that's our role from the state level,' said Datcher. Ingram said the interim chief would serve no more than six months. On the state level, Rep. Ingram said some cities just need training. 'There's a lot of municipalities that are even smaller,' he explained. 'That don't even have the experience in that city or that county. That we can bring somebody in to help them and recruit.' The bill passed out of committee and now heads to the House floor. Ingram said he is talking to his fellow lawmakers before it's voted on. He said he wants to make sure the bill is done right. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would require daily prayer in Alabama schools at the risk of slashing funds
MONGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT)– A bill in the Alabama House of Representatives would cause public schools lose funding if they do not implement a daily prayer. HB231, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, would hold local boards of education to a 25% budget reduction if found in violation of the proposed amendment. The state superintendent of education would be responsible for conducting the investigations. According to the bill, the prayer would be 'consistent with Judeo-Christian values' following the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each school day. The bill, which was co-sponsored by 13 other Republican legislators, passed into the full house on Wednesday. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot hold prayers in public school, even if participation is not required. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black authored the majority opinion. Since the filing of the bill, the Freedom from Religion Foundation has openly criticized the effort, calling it an 'outrageous attempt to impose religion on captive public school students.' 'This bill isn't about religious freedom; it's about the government forcing religion onto students,' a statement from the FFRF stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House committee approves bill allowing governor, AG to appoint local police chiefs
Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, speaks to colleagues on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives before the start of the session on Feb. 6, 2024 in Montgomery, Alabama. An House committee approved a bill that would allow state officials to appoint a local police chief if they determine there is an ongoing public safety risk in the area. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved a bill that would allow state officials to appoint the leaders of local police departments. HB 14, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would allow the governor and attorney general to appoint a local police chief if they determine there is an ongoing public safety risk. 'It was a fair, valid question about 'Why don't we just do both to give it a little more meat and to make sure that everybody's on the same page?'' Ingram said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation has drawn opposition from city officials and legislators, who say it is government overreach that would allow chiefs appointed under the law to operate without local oversight. The bill requires the governor's office and attorney general's office to review crime statistics relevant to the area and consult with the local district attorney's office, the sheriff's office and crime victims before declaring an emergency. Staffing at a local police department must also be 30% off average staffing levels over the prior ten years. Many police departments in the state are dealing with staffing issues and struggling to attract recruits. The legislation was amended after a public hearing in Tuesday's committee meeting to limit the intervention to six months, with the possibility of returning after another six-month period. The amendment also requires the governor and the attorney general to agree to intervention. As originally filed, the bill only required one of the two officials to decide to intervene. 'Six months they're out. They can't come back in for another six months,' Ingram said. But opponents of the legislation said they remained wary of political influence. 'I just still have concerns that there's no criteria, and it could be an arbitrary use of power at the executive level,' said Rep. Kelvin Datcher, D-Birmingham. Reed said that this bill is a temporary way to address violence and that Gov. Kay Ivey's office is working on another bill that would provide a more permanent solution, including funding for a permanent task force. 'This was just a temporary fix, since we had so much problems here, along with the city, the county and the state, that worked on that,' he said, though he did not specify the local governments. The bill now heads to the full House for further consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
