Thank you for supporting Arise's vision for a better Alabama for all! We will send weekly news updates throughout the Legislature's 2026 regular session. Arise members will receive a more robust version of these emails, including weekly video recaps and updates on key bills.
If you're receiving this email, our records show you aren't an active member of Arise. Please join us today to ensure you stay in the loop! And if you think our records may be mistaken, please email our senior development associate McKenzie Burton at [email protected] so we can update your information.
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Action alerts, events and resources: |
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Alabama Arise Action: Tell your state rep: Oppose HB 13, a harmful anti-immigrant bill
HB 13 by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, would undermine civil liberties, increase the potential for racial profiling and wrongful detention of immigrants, and undermine trust in law enforcement, especially among immigrant communities.
HB 13 will have a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 1:30 p.m., and the committee could vote on the bill as soon as this week. |
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Alabama Arise Action: Tell your state rep: Keep babies and new mothers out of jail
Alabama needs to do more to address the urgent issue of improving maternal and infant health across our state. HB 54 by Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham, would take an important step toward advancing that goal in the state’s criminal justice system.
The House Judiciary Committee will consider HB 54 this Wednesday at 1 p.m. They need to hear from you that they should vote YES on HB 54. |
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Alabama Arise: Strong investments in schools, housing and transit improve life for all Alabamians
"Strong funding for public services like education and public health broadens opportunity for everyone, especially for Alabamians with low incomes," Arise's Carol Gundlach wrote in a new fact sheet about Arise's budget priorities. "Alabama Arise members for decades have urged robust and secure state funding for these services." |
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Alabama Arise: Closing the health coverage gap: Alabama must enact policies to save lives
"Alabama Arise will continue to support health investments to save lives, create jobs and protect rural residents across our state. This will include advocacy to close the state’s health coverage gap through Medicaid expansion," Arise's Jennifer Harris and Debbie Smith wrote in a new fact sheet. "We also will urge lawmakers to approve legislation to protect and expand access to comprehensive maternal health care." |
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Alabama Arise: Federal SNAP cuts underscore Alabama’s need to protect and increase food access
"In 2026, Alabama Arise will support stronger investments in child nutrition," Arise's LaTrell Clifford Wood wrote in a new fact sheet. "This includes legislation to ensure continued funding for SUN Bucks and increased flexibility for schools to provide no-cost meals to all of their students. Arise also will advocate to protect SNAP and oppose additional red tape for participants." |
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Alabama Arise: An inclusive democracy is vital to building a better Alabama for all
"Alabama has a painful history of enacting policies that have made voting more inaccessible for older adults, people with disabilities, and Black and Hispanic people," Arise's Dev Wakeley wrote in a new fact sheet. "Lawmakers should turn away from this harmful, divisive path and work instead to pass pro-democracy reforms to remove barriers to voting." |
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Alabama Arise: Alabama’s justice system should focus on rehabilitation, not cruelty
"Arise will continue advocating for the Legislature to reject shortsighted policies that enable human rights abuses," Arise's Dev Wakeley wrote in a new fact sheet. "We will urge lawmakers to work instead to build a more sensible justice system for Alabama that protects public safety and respects human rights." |
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Alabama Arise: Alabama’s tax system is upside down and needs real reform
"The state’s tax structure hurts everyday Alabamians who are struggling to make ends meet," Arise's Carol Gundlach wrote in a new fact sheet. "It also fails to generate enough revenue for basic needs like education and health care." |
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Alabama Arise: Empower workers to build an economy that works for all Alabamians
"To move Alabama toward an economic structure that values worker well-being and uplifts workers’ voices in their workplaces, Alabama Arise is working to advance policies to improve working conditions and stop common types of worker abuse," Arise's Adam Keller and Dev Wakeley wrote in a new fact sheet. |
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Alabama Political Reporter: Alabama Arise discusses 2026 legislative priorities before session begins
“Legislators respond to people they know,” Arise's David Stout told the Alabama Political Reporter. “You don’t have to be a professional advocate to have influence. You just have to be willing to show up, know the facts and speak up.” |
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AL.com: Will Alabama abandon food stamps that feed 750,000? State faces $200 million SNAP crisis
“I would also be worried about our rural grocery stores, and even the big boys like Walmart which are really dependent on SNAP dollars. It could have a serious economic consequence while driving up hunger," Arise's Carol Gundlach told AL.com reporter John Sharp. |
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WVTM 13, Birmingham: Alabama at risk as Big Beautiful Act shifts $176 million in SNAP costs to states
"I would make it very clear that there is an opportunity to still talk to your legislator about this," Arise's LaTrell Clifford Wood told WVTM 13 in Birmingham. |
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Alabama Reflector: Criminal justice reform advocates expect to play defense in Alabama legislative session
“We think it will be a tough year for sensible criminal justice policy for sure,” Arise's Dev Wakeley told the Alabama Reflector. “I think a lot of the election-year grandstanding is going to be an issue. It usually is. Every four years, people will come up with these bad ideas and try to advance them. It is hard to get positive movement on bills that make common sense for reforms.” |
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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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Alabama Arise
P.O. Box 1188, Montgomery, Alabama 36101
(334) 832-9060 · [email protected]
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