Hey John, I wanted to send you this Grocery Tax Special Edition of Alabama Arise’s weekly legislative update, found below. Every week during the Alabama Legislature’s regular session, Arise sends our members an up-to-the-minute summary of what you need to know from the past week at the State House – and what to expect in the week ahead. We are proud to offer this as a members-only benefit of Arise. You'll see this email is packed with great information. If you enjoy this recap and Arise's work on the grocery tax, join us today with a gift of any amount. Memberships renew annually. Then, you will automatically start getting these great updates. To help cover the cost of our membership program, we suggest a gift of at least $50, or a gift of $5 a month. We hope you will consider sustaining our work year-round by becoming a monthly donor. Just click “make this donation recurring” below your gift amount. Thank you for your support of our movement for a better Alabama! If you cannot afford a membership but want to join Arise, email me at [email protected] or just reply to this email. Thank you for your partnership, John! Let me know if you have any questions. |
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| | | | | | | Arise legislative update: May 30, 2023 As the Alabama Legislature's 2023 regular session begins to wind down, Arise's Carol Gundlach looks at the House passage of HB 479, a major breakthrough on our longtime goal of reducing the state sales tax on groceries. She also discusses four major budget bills headed to the governor's desk.  |
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| | Alabama Arise: Thank your legislators! Help us get the grocery tax bill across the finish line We hope you’ve heard the big news: The Alabama House voted Thursday to reduce the state grocery tax! It was unanimous: 103-0. It was an important step toward a more just and equitable tax system. And it was thanks to years of determined advocacy by folks like you. Now we need to keep up the momentum as the bill moves to the Senate. Thank your representative for voting “yes” on HB 479 and encourage your senator to do the same.  |
| Alabama Arise: Alabama Arise testimony in support of untaxing groceries "We believe that the grocery tax is an unjust burden on people who simply need to eat. While we had hoped that this bill would include a way to replace the revenue lost over the four years that we cut the tax in half, we are pleased to see that the bill offers a safeguard by limiting the tax cut if the ETF fails to grow," Arise's Robyn Hyden said in her testimony last Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Education Committee in support of HB 479. |
| Alabama Arise: How would the grocery tax reduction bill (HB 479) benefit every Alabamian? Alabama Arise outlines four principles of what we consider an ideal grocery tax bill: - Provides a tax cut for families with low incomes across Alabama (not just wealthy households).
- Protects education revenue to ensure our children’s classrooms are adequately funded in the years to come.
- Is broad enough to have a meaningful and long-lasting impact.
- Provides an immediate grocery tax reduction.
HB 479 by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, measures up well on each of those principles. |
| AL.com: Alabama House passes bill to cut state sales tax on food AL.com highlights Arise's years of advocacy for eliminating Alabama's grocery tax and explains the details of the bill. “HB 479 specifies that the tax cut will apply to foods eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Act, or SNAP,” AL.com’s Mike Cason wrote. “The bill does not reduce sales taxes on food collected by cities and counties. It does prohibit cities and counties from raising their sales tax on food above the level it is when the law takes effect.” |
| | Center for Public Integrity: Grocery taxes face the chopping block in South Dakota “We are in this peculiar position that we have an incredibly regressive tax in the sales tax on groceries and we have a tax cut that is really a tax break that benefits … mainly the top 5% of income earners in the state,” Arise's Carol Gundlach told the Center for Public Integrity. Gundlach added that she has high hopes that Alabama won't be the only state to reevaluate the grocery tax: "We get Alabama and South Dakota, then all we’ve got to do is Mississippi." Further reading: Birmingham Watch |
| CBS 42, Birmingham: ‘Certainly causes concern’: Alabama finance director on impacts of possible U.S. debt default Cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other federally funded services “would just be absolutely devastating for almost everyone in the state and almost everyone in the country,” Arise’s Carol Gundlach told CBS 42 in Birmingham. Further reading: WHNT 19, Huntsville WKRG 5, Mobile |
| Greenville Advocate: Unemployment declines – small businesses, poorest residents still struggle “Many Alabamians who would like to work cannot, due to health problems or financial barriers like lack of child care or transportation,” Arise’s Chris Sanders told The Greenville Advocate. Medicaid expansion and state funding for public transportation would help more Alabamians enter and stay in the workforce. Further reading: Lowndes Signal Luverne Journal |
| Rx Foundation: Resources for the unwinding public health emergency The Rx Foundation, which Alabama Arise is proud to have as a funder, examined our work advocating for the many Alabamians at risk for losing health coverage during the Medicaid "unwinding." "In Alabama, tens of thousands of residents are expected to lose health coverage. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute, more than 61,000 Alabamians are expected to lose Medicaid coverage by June 2024. Advocates with Alabama Arise are pushing for Medicaid expansion to ensure affordable health care coverage for Alabamians who will be priced out of coverage and otherwise be left uninsured," the Rx Foundation wrote. |
| Alabama Forward: Democracy: Now or Never Festival Alabama Arise will join Alabama Forward for its Democracy: Now or Never Festival on Saturday, June 3, at Montgomery's Riverfront Park from 4-9 p.m. You'll hear more about the fight for democracy here in Alabama and across the country. Then stay for a free, fun, family-friendly event full of music, art, food and inspiration. Make sure to visit the vendor area to connect with some great civic engagement organizations from across the state that are keeping the fight alive every day! |
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| | Alabama Channel: Live and recorded legislative meetings The Alabama Channel is a searchable library of live and recorded videos of floor debates and committee meetings at the Alabama Legislature. It is a project of the League of Women Voters of Alabama Education Fund. |
| - HB 209 by Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, would place restrictions on absentee voting assistance. The House and the Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee have approved HB 209, and it could receive final passage in the Senate this week. Arise opposes HB 209.
- HB 229 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would allow for resentencing of some people sentenced under the Habitual Felony Offender Act. The House and the Senate Judiciary Committee have approved HB 229, and it could receive final passage in the Senate this week. Arise supports HB 229.
- HB 479 by Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, would reduce the state sales tax on groceries from 4% to 2%. The House has passed HB 479, and the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee is expected to.consider it Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. If the committee approves HB 479, it could receive final passage in the Senate this week. Arise supports HB 479.
- SB 196 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would improve access to public records and establish a procedure for response to public records requests. The House Ethics and Campaign Finance Committee will consider SB 196 on Wednesday at 11 a.m. If the committee approves SB 196, it could receive final passage in the House this week. Arise supports SB 196.
- SB 263 by Sen. Donnie Chasteen, R-Geneva, would expand the Alabama Accountability Act by increasing the number of students eligible for private school tuition assistance and the amount of that assistance. The Senate and the House Ways and Means Education Committee have approved SB 263, and it could receive final passage in the House this week. Arise opposes SB 263.
- SB 299 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would sunset some economic development tax incentives and establish criteria for tax incentives passed after Dec. 31, 2028. The Senate and the House Ways and Means Education Committee have passed SB 299, and it could receive final passage in the House this week. Arise supports SB 299.
Alabama Arise tracks legislation related to our members' interests. You can find our Bills of Interest here. |
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| Alabama Arise
P.O. Box 1188, Montgomery, Alabama 36101 (334) 832-9060 · [email protected] |
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