Arise legislative update: October 6, 2021

Alabama legislators passed a reentry reform bill during last week's special session, but they declined to approve sentencing reform. Lawmakers also allocated $400 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds to new prison construction. Arise's Dev Wakeley breaks down what 2021's first special session meant for the future of Alabama's corrections system and talks about how we'll continue our criminal justice reform work in 2022 and beyond.

Associated Press: Alabama lawmakers weigh using virus funds to build prisons

Federal COVID-19 relief funds were intended to "help everyday Alabamians in their lives, and to smooth out the recovery," Arise's Dev Wakeley told the Associated Press before the special session. The money spent on new prison construction could have helped address Alabama's unmet needs in health care or child care instead.

Alabama Arise: Alabama Arise testimony on distribution of rental assistance funds

Criminal justice reform wasn't our only focus at the State House last week. Arise and several partner organizations highlighted the urgent need to speed up distribution of federal rental assistance dollars during testimony before the Legislative Oversight Committee for the Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA). "An eviction is not just an inconvenience or temporary hardship," Dev told lawmakers. "Evictions ruin people financially."

AL.com: Alabama gave out just 8 percent of federal money meant to help renters

The AHFA oversight hearing and our recommendations for change attracted statewide news coverage, including this story on AL.com. "We ask the AHFA to seize this opportunity to make process efficiency improvements that could keep thousands of Alabamians housed as winter approaches while the pandemic rages throughout the state," Dev told legislators.

Washington Post: Alabama spends more than a half-million dollars a year on a Confederate memorial. Black historical sites struggle to keep their doors open

The discriminatory origins of Alabama's 1901 constitution continue to shape our state's policy landscape in numerous ways today. One of those ways is a provision that has resulted in a dedicated state revenue stream for a Confederate memorial. The state constitution "contains quite a few of these segregationist and racist policies that we are just now beginning to get rid of," Arise's Carol Gundlach tells The Washington Post.

Alabama Arise: Alabama Arise unveils members' 2022 roadmap for change

Expand Medicaid. Reform sentencing policies. Protect and expand voting rights. These are just a few key goals on Arise's 2022 roadmap to a better, more just Alabama. Learn more about our full slate of priorities for the coming year.

Bills we watched

The Alabama Legislature's first special session of 2021 began Monday, Sept. 27, and ended Friday, Oct. 1. Legislators passed one bill to help reduce prison overcrowding: HB 2 by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, which will require supervised release of people who are ending their sentences. But they declined to vote on Hill's HB 1, which would have allowed people convicted under the state's Habitual Felony Offender Act to file resentencing motions for offenses no longer covered under the act.

As expected, lawmakers also passed three bills by Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, funding the construction of new prisons:

HB 4 authorizes a bond issuance for prison construction and renovation.
HB 5 appropriates $400 million in federal American Rescue Plue Act funds to build new prisons.
HB 6 appropriates $135 million in state money to build and renovate prisons and $19 million to purchase and renovate a privately owned prison in Perry County.

Alabama Arise tracks legislation related to our members' interests. You can find our Bills of Interest here. For status updates on bills in the special session, scroll to the bottom of the list or search for "special session."

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Alabama Arise

P.O. Box 1188, Montgomery, Alabama 36101

(334) 832-9060 · [email protected]

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