The Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday approved a bill requiring school sports events to offer a cash option for admission.

HB 364, sponsored by Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, would require public K-12 schools and local school boards to accept cash for admission to school-sponsored sporting events.

Hurst said during debate on Tuesday that he knew a grandmother who drove 30 miles with her grandchildren to a school event, where she was refused entry because the school only accepted credit cards, and she only had cash.

“Problem is, everybody doesn’t have a credit card,” he said. “I’ve got Clay County in my district – a lot of people don’t have credit cards. A lot of folks, their cellphones don’t even work.”

An amendment by Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Phenix City, was added that would expand the requirement to playoff games as well.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, asked if passing a law requiring schools to accept cash is the least restrictive means of providing an option to pay with cash.

“This is an easy fix, and it would be that an executive order or something from the governor or the superintendent [of education] easily could have been stated in the public policy of the school board or the school system,” Givan said.

Hurst said that has not happened, which is why this bill is needed.

“I would have been thrilled if somebody in the administration, the governor, the superintendent of education, would step forward and said, ‘look we got to allow cash as well,’” he said. “But that’s not happening.”

About one-third of the U.S. population did not have a credit card in 2021, according to The World Bank.