We hope you enjoy this preview of Alabama Arise’s weekly legislative update! Every week during the Alabama Legislature’s regular session, we send 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. If you enjoy this recap, join us today with a gift of any amount and you will continue receiving this recap throughout the session. Memberships renew annually. We hope you will consider sustaining our work year-round by becoming a monthly donor. Click “my gift” below your gift amount to do this. Thank you for your support of our movement for a better Alabama! We also offer gift memberships. If you cannot afford a membership but would like to join Arise, email development associate McKenzie Burton at [email protected]. |
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| Arise Legislative Update: February 12, 2024 Arise's Akiesha Anderson catches everyone up on a busier-than-normal first week of the Alabama legislative session and previews an additional busy week ahead. Anderson discusses what's been happening with a harmful bill that would create more barriers to absentee voting and provides an update on the future of the state sales tax on groceries. |
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Alabama Arise: Tell your senator: Help protect voting rights in Alabama! SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, would make it a crime for any person to receive funding or a gift for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, prefilling, completing, obtaining or delivering another person’s absentee ballot application. To learn more about this issue, please read our fact sheet on SB 1. Please reach out to your senator to let them know that you’re a registered voter in their district who doesn’t support this bill or any other legislation that would make it more difficult for Alabamians to vote. |
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Alabama Arise: Tell your senator to keep child labor protections Teenagers shouldn’t feel the brunt of our state’s failure to invest in work supports for Alabamians. Current law protects 14- and 15-year-olds by the common-sense step of requiring work permits through their schools if they are going to work. This helps ensure that the teenager is capable of performing in school and working as well. SB 53, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would remove this guardrail for child workers. The Senate Children and Youth Health Committee is scheduled to consider and likely vote on SB 53 this Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Your senator needs to hear from you that you oppose SB 53 and they should too. |
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Alabama Arise: It’s time for Alabama to prove we care about mothers and children Healthy parents and healthy children mean a healthier future for Alabama. Comprehensive maternal and infant health care investments are crucial to ensure the health and safety of both infants and Alabamians of child-bearing age, especially postpartum mothers, pregnant women and future mothers. Alabama Arise envisions a world in which each successive generation is ensured a secure and healthy future. By adopting policy solutions to increase the number of health care providers and extend health coverage to more people, Alabama lawmakers can help turn that vision of a brighter future into a reality. Check out Arise's fact sheet about our newest legislative priority: maternal and infant health care. |
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Alabama Arise: Universal school breakfast would benefit Alabama’s children in many ways Arise hunger policy advocate LaTrell Clifford Wood highlights the ways that universal school breakfast would help Alabama's families. Areas include reducing child hunger, addressing chronic absenteeism, improving adolescent mental health, improving standardized testing and math scores in Alabama and alleviating behavioral problems and the school-to-prison pipeline. |
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Alabama Arise: Alabama Arise announces newly formed staff union “As a pro-labor organization, voluntarily recognizing our staff union was an easy choice for Arise,” Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden said. “As a leader, I think our greatest accomplishment is supporting and growing leadership at all levels of our organization. I believe everyone has something to contribute to building a strong and healthy workplace, and I’m so proud of our staff for taking this step.” |
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WHNT 19, Huntsville: Medicaid Unwinding: Some Alabamians set to lose healthcare coverage “We know that some people are just not going to meet the criteria,” Arise's Jennifer Harris told WHNT 19 in Huntsville. “The eligibility criteria for Alabama Medicaid is one of the lowest in the nation.” |
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Fox 10, Mobile: Alabamians won’t see sales tax go down in 2025 "The state sales tax on groceries won't be reduced because the average estimated growth for Alabama’s Education Trust fund for year 2025 won’t be 3.5% higher than fiscal year 2024," Fox 10 in Mobile reports. Arise continues to advocate for the elimination of Alabama's state grocery tax. |
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WVUA 23, Tuscaloosa: 2024 Alabama legislative session: What's on the docket? Arise's Akiesha Anderson spoke to WVUA 23 last week about our ongoing support for stronger investments in Alabama's public schools. The interview aired a day before Gov. Kay Ivey announced her support of legislation that would redirect up to $100 million from public schools toward private schools and homeschooling. |
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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. |
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Bills We're Watching: CHOOSE Act (SB 61) by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would divert public education dollars to non-public schools. The Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee will hear SB 61 on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. Alabama Arise opposes SB 61. - SB 1 by Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, would place restrictions on absentee voting assistance. The Senate State Governmental Affairs Committee approved SB 1 on Feb. 7, and the full Senate could consider it as early as Tuesday, Feb. 13. Alabama Arise opposes SB 1.
- SB 53 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would eliminate the eligibility to work form for child labor. The Senate Child and Youth Health Committee will hear SB 53 on Thursday, Feb. 15. Alabama Arise opposes SB 53.
- HB 29 by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, would allow for resentencing for people convicted of a crime under the Habitual Felony Offenders Act. The House Judiciary Committee will consider HB 29 on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Alabama Arise supports HB 29.
- SB 62 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would exempt essential maternal and infant items from sales taxes. The Finance and Taxation Education Committee will consider SB 62 on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Alabama Arise supports SB 62.
- HB 151 and HB 152 by Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Smiths Station, are comprehensive bills that would propose a constitutional amendment to allow the governor to negotiate a gaming compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and would establish a state lottery. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee will hear HB 151 and HB 152 on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. Alabama Arise is monitoring HB 151 and HB 152.
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Alabama Arise
P.O. Box 1188, Montgomery, Alabama 36101 (334) 832-9060 · [email protected] |
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