A House bill revamping sex education in Alabama schools that mandates curriculum be "evidence-based," "age-appropriate" and "medically accurate" passed the Education Policy Committee on Wednesday, bringing the bill one step closer to passage.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, changes language to state law on sex education curriculum and removes a section calling homosexuality a crime in Alabama and an unacceptable lifestyle.

Todd's bill does not mandate schools teach sex ed, but requires those that do use up-to-date information.

"They're not necessarily using evidence-based curriculum in their teaching," Todd said when the committee met Wednesday afternoon. She said a rise in sexually transmitted infections and HIV in Alabama was the impetus for her to introduce the bill.

The Birmingham lawmaker faced resistance among lawmakers who called for her bill to remove that sex ed be "culturally appropriate," and an amendment passed the committee striking that language from the bill.

"I think we open our school systems up to some amazing lawsuits" by having that language, argued Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. "Then you get a lawsuit from the ACLU or whoever comes after you. We're making state code; this is dangerous business. I don't want to drive that agenda [that homosexuality is acceptable] into the state of Alabama."

But other Republican lawmakers in the committee noted that gay marriage is the law of the land, and the state would save itself from lawsuits by striking the language on homosexuality.

"I'd hate to see us throw money away on lawyers," said Rep. Jim Patterson, R-Meridianville. "This is the right thing to do financially and legally based on the latest rules."