Arise’s Jennifer Harris provides an update on bills to expand access to maternal health care, postpartum care and paid parental leave in Alabama. She celebrates the progress on HB 89 and SB 102, which would remove barriers to Medicaid enrollment for expectant mothers, as well as SB 191 and HB 322, which would improve access to care for mothers facing postpartum depression. Lawmakers also are advancing HB 327 and SB 199 to ensure paid parental leave for teachers and state employees.

Jennifer also shares the good news that both Republicans and Democrats are working to continue reducing Alabama’s state sales tax on groceries. HB 386, which would reduce the state grocery tax from 3% to 2%, could be up for a House vote when lawmakers return March 18.

Hello. I am Jennifer Harris, senior health policy advocate at Alabama Arise, and I’m excited to share legislative updates from the State House this week on maternal health and family supports.

First up, HB 89 and companion bill SB 102, presumptive eligibility. Medicaid covers almost half of all births in Alabama, but unfortunately, for many of those moms, the paperwork process can take up to 60 days. This bill removes those barriers and allows moms to schedule their first prenatal appointments during the approval process. Prenatal health care for the entire pregnancy is a key factor in ensuring we have healthier moms and infants. These bills continue to move successfully through both chambers with bipartisan support.

Next up, SB 191 and HB 322. These bills seek to address postpartum depression in new mothers. They ask Medicaid to create a screening tool that helps physicians identify postpartum depression symptoms, provides for adequate treatment, and creates educational material to share with mothers, families, and providers.

In continued support for new and expanding families, SB 199 and HB 327 provide paid parental leave for new parents with eight weeks of paid leave. These bipartisan bills lead the Southeast in supporting working families.

And lastly, Alabama Arise worked to lift advocate voices and successfully champion a state grocery tax cut. This tax cut was implemented as a two-step process, with the first step beginning in 2023. HB 386 was introduced last week to continue our work to ease financial burdens for Alabama families. Look for updates to come on this exciting development.

The legislative session will be on break this week, but you can stay up to date by visiting our website, alarise.org, to sign up for our email list and action alerts. Be sure to follow us @AlabamaArise on all social media platforms and share with your friends and family.