Alabama Arise believes in dignity, equity and justice for all. We believe in an Alabama where everyone's voice is heard and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. And we believe better public policies are the key to building a brighter future for our state.

Below, we'll share some details of that vision with you before the Alabama Legislature's regular session begins Feb. 4. Today's email will focus on four crucial policy priorities on our 2020 roadmap to change: payday lending reform, death penalty reform, criminal justice debt reform and voting rights. Later this month, we'll discuss other vital priorities, including Medicaid expansion, public transportation and untaxing groceries.

With your help, we can turn our shared vision for a better Alabama into reality. If you aren't yet an Arise individual member, please become one today. And if you're already a member, please encourage your friends to join our movement for change as well. Together, we can build a better Alabama!

Arise 2020: Stop the debt trap for Alabama payday borrowers

A small loan shouldn’t be a sentence to months or years of deep debt. Everyone who needs to borrow money should have a reasonable pathway to repaying a loan without excessive costs. But in Alabama, high-cost payday loans cost struggling people tens of millions of dollars every year.

The industry profits off financial desperation. Two-week payday loans with annual percentage rates of up to 456% (not a misprint, unfortunately) trap many Alabamians in debt cycles they cannot escape. Alabama’s lack of consumer protections gives those borrowers no reasonable path out of that debt trap. But by enacting the 30 Days to Pay plan, lawmakers could provide thousands of consumers some needed financial breathing room.

Arise 2020: End the injustices in Alabama's death penalty system

All Alabamians deserve equal justice under the law. But bias and inequality persist in Alabama’s capital punishment system, despite recent reforms like the end of judicial override.

Alabama can and must do better than this deeply flawed system. Numerous important reforms would help reduce racial bias and bring Alabama’s capital punishment practices more in line with those in other states.

Arise 2020: Stop criminal justice debt from putting thousands of lives on hold

Criminal justice debt shouldn’t prevent a person from building a stable, secure life. But Alabama imposes millions of dollars in fines every year without considering a person’s ability to pay them. The state also conditions many rights and privileges, often including voting rights restoration, on whether a person has repaid fines.

Alabama can build a justice system that doesn’t rely on overly punitive fines. We can build a system that doesn’t make people with low incomes pay for the actions the state takes against them. We can build a system that doesn’t take people’s property without criminal convictions.