February 18, 2026 • Christian Coalition of Alabama
The Christian Coalition of Alabama strongly supports the legislation filed by State Representative Kenneth Paschal (R-Pelham) to reform the Department of Human Resources Central Registry process. This bill is not about weakening child protection. It is about strengthening it — by grounding it in the same principles of justice, truth, and accountability that Scripture demands.
What Is the Central Registry?
Alabama's Department of Human Resources maintains what is known as the Central Registry — a state database of individuals who have been the subject of child abuse or neglect investigations. When DHR investigates an allegation and determines it is "indicated" (meaning they believe abuse or neglect likely occurred), that person's name is placed on the Registry.
Being on the Central Registry carries severe real-world consequences. It can prevent a person from obtaining employment — particularly in childcare, education, and healthcare. It can affect professional licensing. And it can be used against a parent in custody proceedings. In effect, placement on the Registry functions as a judgment of guilt that follows an individual for years.
The core problem is this: under current practice, a person's name can be placed on the Registry based on preliminary findings alone — without a formal hearing, without the right to review evidence, and without the opportunity to defend themselves. In some cases, individuals remain on the Registry even after allegations are later determined to be "not indicated," meaning unsubstantiated. There is no automatic process for removal.
In plain terms, the current system can place someone on a "guilty" list before they have ever had a trial. Representative Paschal's bill would change that by requiring a proper hearing with due process protections before any name is added, and by mandating that unsubstantiated cases be removed.
God Commands Us to Protect Children
There is no higher earthly calling than the protection of children. Scripture is unambiguous on this point. Jesus Himself issued one of His sternest warnings on behalf of the young and vulnerable.
We take this command seriously. Every child in Alabama deserves a system that protects them from genuine abuse and neglect with speed, competence, and conviction. Representative Paschal's legislation does not weaken that protection. It strengthens it by demanding that the system operate with integrity.
God Also Commands Just Process
But Scripture does not only command us to protect the vulnerable. It also commands us to pursue justice with fairness, truthfulness, and due process. A system that can destroy a family's reputation, livelihood, and custody of their own children based on unconfirmed allegations is not a system that honors God — even when its intentions are good.
Under current practice, Alabamians can be placed on the state's Central Registry — with devastating consequences for their employment, professional licensing, and parental rights — based on preliminary findings that may never be confirmed. In some cases, allegations later determined to be "not indicated" still follow individuals for years. This is not justice. This is the kind of unchecked governmental power that Scripture warns against.
What This Bill Does
Representative Paschal's proposal strikes a careful and righteous balance: it keeps every tool in place to protect children from harm, while ensuring that the process itself meets constitutional and moral standards.
Key Provisions
- Prohibits "not indicated" reports from being placed on the Central Registry and requires their removal
- Requires confirmed findings through a hearing or voluntary waiver before registry placement
- Guarantees the right to counsel, to review evidence, to present and cross-examine witnesses
- Mandates notice to individuals under investigation, with limited child safety exceptions
- Requires a formal statewide training program for DHR employees and investigators
- Establishes annual reporting to the Legislature on investigation outcomes and child placement data
- Requires credible evidence documentation and family-preservation consideration before removing a child from a home
Critically, the bill does not reduce penalties for child abuse. It does not limit DHR's authority or law enforcement's ability to intervene when children are at risk. What it does is ensure that when the state exercises its enormous power over families, it does so with the transparency, accountability, and fairness that a free people under God deserve.
The Family Is God's Institution
The family is the first institution God established. Before the church, before the government, God created the family and entrusted parents with the sacred responsibility of raising their children.
When the state separates a child from a family, it must do so with the highest standard of evidence and the most rigorous process. Anything less is a violation of the trust that God and the people of Alabama have placed in their government. This bill ensures that the awesome power to intervene in a family is exercised with the gravity and care it deserves.
Accountability Is a Biblical Value
Government transparency is not a partisan issue. It is a moral one. The Bible is clear that those in authority are accountable to a higher standard.
The requirement for annual reporting to the Legislature and formal training standards ensures that DHR operates in the light — not behind closed doors. When agencies that hold power over families are required to account for their actions, children are safer, families are stronger, and the public trust is preserved.
Our Position
The Christian Coalition of Alabama calls on the Alabama Legislature to support Representative Paschal's DHR reform bill. Protecting children and protecting justice are not competing values. Scripture commands both. This legislation honors both.
We urge every Alabama Christian to contact their state representative and ask them to co-sponsor this vital reform. The integrity of our child protection system — and the families it serves — depends on it.