Alabama bill seeks equal signing day recognition for military recruits and trade school students in public schools
An Alabama lawmaker has filed legislation that would require public high schools participating in national signing programmes to host formal signing days for military enlistment and trade school students alongside athletic commitments.Rep. Chad Robertson, a Republican from Heflin, is sponsoring HB 75, which seeks to place military service and technical education on equal footing with sport by recognising student pathways during school ceremonies.Proposal aims to widen recognition beyond sportRobertson said the measure is intended to support recruitment and workforce development while reflecting existing practices in some districts. “We just wanted to make it even across the plane that if the schools are doing the signing days for athletes, then we do a signing day for the ones that are going in the military,” he said, according to News From The States. He added that military enlistment differs from technical education because recruits sign contracts at that stage, as quoted by the News From The States.The bill would apply to public high schools that already take part in national signing events. Schools would be required to provide reasonable accommodations, including a suitable space with seating and internet connectivity, to host ceremonies for students entering the armed forces or trade schools.Recruitment pressures cited in support of billThe proposal comes as branches of the US armed forces seek to improve recruitment outcomes. The US Army missed its target of 60,000 recruits in 2022 by nearly 25 per cent, while the US Navy fell short of its 37,700 goal in 2023 by 20 per cent, figures referenced by the News From The States.Robertson said the aim is visibility rather than compulsion, noting that schools already celebrate different achievements. He pointed to Cleveland High School in Blount County, where students across multiple pathways are recognised together. “They kind of just do everybody all at once and it’s kind of an awards day,” he said in comments carried by the News From The States.Legislative history and next stepsHB 75 is a refiling of earlier legislation that passed unanimously in the House during the 2025 legislative session but did not advance in the Senate because of time constraints. Robertson said in a statement cited by the News From The States that he does not expect resistance when lawmakers take up the bill again, adding that prefiling was intended to allow more time for consideration. The bill outlines no changes to curriculum or requirements.
