April 5, 2021 Group Watch: Consideration of Changes to ADPH, State Health Officer Pushed to 2022
In February, State Senator Jim McClendon introduced legislation that would reconstitute the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and remake the agency’s leadership. McClendon, the chair of the Senate Health Committee, proposed abolishing the State Board of Health and the State Health Officer. The bill would create a Secretary of the Alabama Department of Public Health, appointed by the governor. House Health Committee Chair Rep. Paul Lee is also considering options to deal with the agency and the role of the State Health Officer. Lee does not think a fair assessment of the agency can be made under the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lee prefers to wait until the 2022 legislative session to consider changes to the state government executive branch’s role in public health.
