Register for Arise's 2022 Legislative Day!

Make plans now to speak up for a better Alabama by participating in Arise's 2022 Legislative Day on Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will be held on Zoom, so you can join us virtually from wherever you are. Due to ongoing concerns about the community spread of COVID-19, we have canceled our in-person event, but we are planning a rally later in March to support efforts to untax groceries, so stay tuned. Click the button below to register for Legislative Day!

Alabama Arise: Tell your state senator: Vote NO on harmful limits to food assistance

SB 156, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, would deny SNAP food assistance to people who fail to “cooperate” or “comply” with child support orders or collection services. SB 156 would take food off the tables of already struggling families, sending them even deeper into poverty. Cutting food assistance for families behind on child support does nothing but make children hungrier. That’s why SB 156, though perhaps well-intentioned, would be a step in the wrong direction for Alabama. Please reach out to your state senator using the link below. 

Alabama Arise: New poll: More than 7 in 10 Alabamians support Medicaid expansion

Medicaid expansion is incredibly popular with Alabamians across the political spectrum, according to a statewide poll that Arise released last week. In addition to a recent report showing  that Medicaid expansion would bring thousands of jobs and billions of dollars to the state, this poll highlights just how great Medicaid expansion would be for Alabama. In the words of Arise campaign director Jane Adams, "Voters support Medicaid expansion because it is a tremendous opportunity to create jobs, protect rural hospitals and provide life-saving care." 

Further Reading:

AL.com: Medicaid expansion advocates tout Alabama Arise poll, PARCA report

Alabama Daily News: Poll shows bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion

Alabama Political Reporter: Poll: More than seven in 10 Alabama voters support Medicaid expansion

WSFA: Alabama lawmakers seek elimination of grocery tax

Alabama's grocery tax is a cruel burden for families who already struggle to make ends meet. As Arise's Carol Gundlach told WSFA 12 in Montgomery, "The grocery tax is inherently a regressive tax because it taxes the people who can least afford it." This legislative session presents a promising opportunity to end this tax while protecting funding for public schools.

Further Reading:

Alabama Daily News: Bills would eliminate state tax on groceries

WAFF: New bills would get rid of state grocery tax

Cover Alabama: Collecting postpartum stories

Arise's Cover Alabama campaign is collecting stories from Alabama mothers about their obstacles when becoming a new mom. Our goal is to gather these stories and highlight the ways that lawmakers can make life easier for new parents, including but not limited to increasing health care coverage and access to providers statewide. Please consider sharing your story with our story collector Whit Sides, especially if you had Medicaid coverage or could have benefited from it. Feel free to provide as much or as little detail as you're comfortable sharing.

Alabama Arise: LIVE BLOG: Alabama’s 2022 legislative session

Stay up to date with the 2022 legislative session. Our website has a live feed of Alabama Arise’s Twitter account, which will display information related to our 2022 issue priorities as well the latest news from our staff and members of the media.

Bills we're watching

• HB 55 by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Moody, would require every judicial circuit to establish a community corrections program. The House Ways and Means General Fund Committee will consider HB 55 on Wednesday. Arise supports HB 55.
• SB 19 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would increase the standard deduction and the income cap for the maximum dependent exemption, thereby reducing income taxes for households with low and middle incomes. The House Ways and Means Education Committee will consider SB 19 on Wednesday. Arise supports SB 19.
• SB 43 by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, would eliminate the state sales tax on groceries and replace the revenue by capping the state income tax deduction for federal income taxes. Arise supports SB 43.
• SB 78 by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, would postpone implementation of the Alabama Literacy Act until 2025. The Senate Education Policy Committee will consider SB 78 on Wednesday. Arise supports SB 78.
• SB 140 by Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, would allow hundreds of millions of dollars of state funds for public schools to be diverted to private schools and home schooling. The Senate Education Policy Committee has approved SB 140. Arise opposes SB 140.
• SB 156 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would require both custodial and non-custodial parents to cooperate with child support enforcement to qualify for SNAP food assistance. The Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee has approved SB 156. Arise opposes SB 156.