Listening is both a value and process foundational to Arise’s approach to shaping and advancing policies that matter most to those marginalized by poverty.
Arise depends on what we hear to help guide our work toward a better Alabama. That’s why our virtual Town Hall Tuesdays return this year. These events are a chance for you to receive updates and share your vision for our 2025 priorities.
Join us online July 16 and Aug. 6. We’re listening! Read below to register for one or both sessions.
Arise organizers are also available to meet with groups in person. Email pres@alarise.org to get connected.
July 16, 6 p.m. – A better Alabama is possible
Our vision for a better Alabama can be realized with commitment and perseverance. Together, we are committed to policy changes that matter to those who are marginalized by poverty, and we persevere in raising our voices for change. Join this session to discuss advances we made this year and to hear from each other about potential legislative priorities moving forward. Click here to register for this session.
Aug. 6, 6 p.m. – Building toward a better Alabama
We continue to be fueled by hope in our vision of a better Alabama for all. This session is another opportunity to discuss the progress we made this year and to hear from each other about the changes you want to see next year. Click here to register for this session.
As we reflect on the recent observance of Black Maternal Health Week, it is crucial to confront the staggering realities that Black women in Alabama face concerning maternal health care. A closer examination of data and statistics reveals the urgent need for targeted interventions and systemic reforms to address the unacceptable disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Disparities in maternal mortality
Multiple official definitions of maternal mortality exist. The World Health Organization defines maternal death as “the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.” Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines pregnancy-related death as “a death while pregnant or within 1 year of the end of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy.”
In the United States, the overall maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. The maternal mortality rate for Black women is a staggering 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. In comparison, the maternal mortality rate for white women is 26.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. Even more tragic, data shows that more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
Alabama’s maternal mortality rates
In Alabama, the maternal mortality rate is 36.4 per 100,000 live births, the third worst rate in the country. Other reports rank Alabama’s maternal mortality rate even higher. For Black women in Alabama, the maternal mortality rate is significantly higher than the national average.
The maternal mortality rate for Black women in Alabama is about 100 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to a recent Milken Institute report. The maternal health crisis does not have a singular cause. Instead, multiple factors contribute to its complexity.
Barriers to prenatal care access
Access to prenatal care is a critical factor in positive maternal health outcomes. However, many Black women in Alabama face barriers to accessing timely and comprehensive prenatal care.
One major barrier is lack of health care providers and limited access to medical facilities. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, 55 of Alabama’s 67 counties are considered rural, with 62% of the total population living in Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). Additionally, many Alabama counties also are considered maternity care deserts, meaning pregnant individuals there lack access to essential obstetric services close to home.
Impact of implicit bias
Implicit bias and racism within the health care system contribute to disparities in maternal health outcomes. Implicit bias can be defined as “unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions.”
Black women are more likely to experience mistreatment (such as shouting and scolding), dismissive attitudes, and medical neglect during pregnancy and childbirth, research has shown. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) emphasizes the importance of addressing implicit bias in the health care system to improve maternal health outcomes.
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic factors, namely poverty, also play a significant role in shaping maternal health disparities in Alabama. Alabama has several rural counties in the Black Belt that are “majority-minority,” where a majority of the population is Black. In 2019, four of Alabama’s counties with the highest poverty rates were majority-minority. Poverty and its residual effects (such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, lack of transportation and more) lead to poorer health outcomes.
Another serious consequence of poverty is lack of health coverage. In 2021, one in seven women in Alabama were uninsured. Uninsured women are more likely to have poor outcomes during pregnancy and delivery than women with insurance, research shows.
Conclusion
This data and many other studies highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions and systemic reforms to address maternal health disparities among Black women in Alabama. By addressing barriers to prenatal care access, combating bias in health care and addressing socioeconomic factors, we can work toward achieving equitable maternal health outcomes for all women in Alabama.
Arise’s Akiesha Anderson gives a final update on the Alabama Legislature’s 2024 regular session, which ended last week. We closed the session with a big advocacy win: Lawmakers approved the funding needed to provide Summer EBT food assistance for more than 500,000 children starting next summer! For more information about what happened this year, please join Arise for our legislative session wrap-up on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. Register here.
Akiesha also shares the news that she will be leaving Arise later this month to accept a position with Represent Justice. We thank her for her work with Arise and wish her all the best in California!
Full transcript below:
Hi there. Akiesha Anderson here, policy and advocacy director for Alabama Arise, and I’m excited to be here to provide you with the final legislative update for the 2024 legislative regular session. Last week, we saw the Legislature wrap up the regular session after finally passing the Education Trust Fund budget. Alabama Arise and partners with the Hunger Free Alabama coalition worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to advocate for an appropriation of $10 million to $15 million to fund Summer EBT for 2025.
Thanks in large part to your help and the help of the thousands of Arise members that called and emailed legislators, we were able to end this legislative session with a huge win in the form of securing the $10 million needed to ensure that over half a million Alabama children who normally receive free or reduced lunch still receive meals that they elsewise might not might not have received due to school being out for the summer. I and the rest of the Arise staff are so tremendously grateful for your responsiveness to all the action alerts we sent out regarding this issue. It truly, truly, truly made a difference.
A few other notable happenings from last week include the passage of the General Fund budget, the passage of a child care tax credit bill, the passage of a workforce housing development bill and the passage of a bill that increases penalties for child labor violations. There was absolutely more. However, I hope that you will join me and the rest of the Arise team on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. for a much more thorough legislative wrap-up, where my team and I will talk in more depth about the highs and lows, wins and losses experienced this legislative session.
If you haven’t already received an email about how to register for that legislative wrap-up, simply email Pres Harris, our organizing director, at pres@alarise.org. That’s P-R-E-S at A-L-A-R-I-S-E dot O-R-G. You can email her for more registration information.
Lastly, it is with both deeper appreciation for you and the rest of the Arise family, along with a touch of sadness, that I share that this will unfortunately be my last legislative update video with Arise. At the end of this month, I will be transitioning to a new job with an Arise partner organization based in Los Angeles, California.
Some of you may know that my husband is from and located in Southern California and that during the legislative session, we are apart as I spend the session here in Montgomery. Well, as we prepare to try to grow our family, I have to make the bittersweet decision to transition to Southern California as well on a full-time basis.
Over the last two years, I cannot express how much each and every one of you have reminded me of how bright the future is here in my home state, where everyday people like us refuse to settle for the status quo, and where you all show up day in and day out to demand more. I hope that the fire that lights the fight within each and every one of you remains lit. We have certainly seen together — with the passage of both the grocery tax reduction, the $10 million Summer EBT allocation and so much more — what can happen when we refuse to let that fire be extinguished.
Again, I thank you for everything, and I hope to see you one final time at the legislative wrap-up taking place on May 28. Take care.
We welcome Arise’s LaTrell Clifford Wood to this week’s legislative recap to celebrate some good news: The Senate added $10 million to the Education Trust Fund budget for Summer EBT food assistance! Once the House agrees to this change with this modified budget and the governor signs off on it, the funding will start in 2025. This investment will reduce hunger for more than 500,000 Alabama schoolchildren during the summer months.
Full transcript below:
Hi everybody, my name is LaTrell Clifford Wood and I’m the Hunger Policy Advocate here at Alabama Arise. I’m excited to be here to talk to you today about two big legislative wins we’ve seen pertaining to hunger issues this session. That is Summer EBT and double up bucks.
Summer EBT will provide eligible school-age children with $40 per summer month for food in Summer 2025. While Double Up Bucks provides more fresh fruits and vegetables to SNAP recipients at select locations across the state.
Last week we saw appropriations made for Summer EBT in the Senate-passed version of the Education Trust Fund budget. This Tuesday we expect to see the budget return to the House floor where we anticipate it will move forward to Governor Ivey’s desk.
The inclusion of Summer EBT can be attributed, in part, to members like you, who’ve called, emailed and advocated for appropriation as it stands. It has amazed me to see the impact of your efforts firsthand. Summer EBT was by far our most sent action alert this session with over 2,400 emails sent to legislators. This is what collective advocacy can do.
I hope you all continue to be ready to keep the momentum as we continue to fight poverty and food apartheid across the state of Alabama. Thank you.
Arise’s Akiesha Anderson provides an update on where things stand in the final days of the Alabama Legislature’s 2024 regular session. Unfortunately, we received unfavorable news last week on public transportation funding and legislation that would discourage employers from voluntarily recognizing a union. But we also have good news: Alabama lawmakers heard Medicaid expansion success stories from Arkansas and North Carolina officials last week, and your determined advocacy for funding Summer EBT is making a difference! Check out more by visiting alarise.org and clicking on “Take Action.”
Full transcript below:
Hi there. Akiesha Anderson here, policy and advocacy director for Alabama Arise. Per usual, I am here to provide you with another legislative update. With only five legislative days left this session, there is a lot left to get done before the clock runs out. Before we get into what’s left to do, however, let’s briefly discuss what happened at the State House last week.
Last week began with Alabama Arise calling a public hearing in the Senate Finance and Taxation [Education] Committee on HB 145. HB 145 is the Education Trust Fund budget. During the public hearing that took place last week, we spoke about the importance of the Legislature including funding for Summer EBT for 2025 in the Education Trust Fund budget. Currently there is no funding for Summer EBT for either this summer nor next. Thus, we are trying to do everything in our power to ensure that next summer, the half a million kids that rely on school meals don’t go hungry during their summer break. We were grateful to be joined by several of our Hunger Free Alabama partners, including VOICES for Alabama’s Children, who testified about the importance of Summer EBT last week. And we look forward to seeing what unfolds this week regarding this issue.
Last week, we also saw HB 376 by Rep. Yarbrough pass out of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. If passed into law, this bill would allow local law enforcement to serve as a proxy for ICE and potentially target and racially profile many of our immigrant neighbors while trying to enforce federal immigrant laws.
Last week, we also saw SB 91 by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, which would have added an additional license tax fee as a mechanism to fund the Alabama Public Transportation Fund. Unfortunately, this bill received a 6-7 vote and thus failed to pass out of committee, Thankfully, however, Sen. Coleman-Madison has expressed a commitment to come back next year in pursuit of funding for public transit.
Last week, we also saw SB 231 by Sen. Arthur Orr pass out of the House. This is the bill that would strip companies of tax incentives if they voluntarily recognize their workers’ decision to form a union. This bill is one like Rep. Yarbrough’s bill that we are opposed to, and it is now slated to be back in the Senate and to potentially have a conference committee to discuss some of the amendments that were placed on it in the House.
Lastly, last week the House and Senate held a Joint Health Committee meeting, which was designed to discuss solutions for closing the health coverage gap. During this hearing, lawmakers heard from both Arkansas and North Carolina legislators or lawmakers, who shared with our lawmakers details about their quasi-Medicaid expansion plans that have been rolled out in each of their respective states.
Last week was a lot. Again, we are racing against a clock, so let’s move forward to what’s going to be on the tap for this week.
This week is slated to be a budget-heavy week. In the Senate, the General Fund, a supplemental General Fund, a cost-of-living increase for state employees, the Education Trust Fund and a supplemental Education Trust Fund will all be deliberated in committee on Tuesday.
We are optimistic that Sen. Arthur Orr will prove to be a hero to the half a million kids that I referenced earlier by ensuring that there is funding for Summer EBT in the Education Trust Fund budget this week. Also in committee this week will be SB 312 by Sen. Barfoot. This is a bill that will be deliberated by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, and if passed, it will give people in prison an opportunity to attend their parole hearings virtually.
Lastly, neither here nor there, the Legislative Council will be meeting this Wednesday afternoon to discuss the State House construction project which is currently underway.
My friends, there is quite a bit left this legislative session, quite a bit slated for this week. However, as the clock continues to tick down, I’ll be sure to be here to continue to provide you with weekly updates. In the meantime, take care.
Arise’s Akiesha Anderson brings you up to speed on all that happened last week at the State House plus gets you ready for the upcoming week. As the session is nearing an end, we still have action to take on securing public transportation funding and increasing penalties for child labor violations. We also are trying to curb anti-union and anti-immigration legislation. See more at alarise.org and clicking “Take Action.”
Full video transcript:
Hi there, Akiesha Anderson here, Policy and Advocacy Director for Alabama Arise here to give you yet another legislative update for the week of April 22.
Last week, quite a bit happened but I’m going to start with the Education Budget. So as you know, we are down to just a few legislative days left. Tomorrow when legislators go into the State House they will be on the 24th out of 30 legislative days. And it is essential that the legislature passes the Education Budget as well as the General Fund Budget. So last week we did see the Education Budget make it out of the House to be sent over to the Senate. One unfortunate reality about the Education Trust Fund budget is that unfortunately the $15 million needed for Summer EBT was not included in the House’s version of the budget. This is really unfortunate. We are still going to continue to push to see if we can get that money added to the budget in the Senate but I do want to make note that the House felt to allocate this money even despite the fact that there was a $15 million surplus or $15 million bucket of money that was set aside for Birmingham Southern back when the state intended on giving it a loan to bail it out of its financial trouble. There was $15 million that was previously allocated for Birmingham Southern that instead was allocated to a quasi slush fund for legislators basically to give out community grant money. And so Arise believes that this $15 million would be much better used ensuring that over half a million children have summer meals when school is out and so we are hopeful that we can make that argument in the Senate and we can ensure that children get fed over the summer.
Also related to budgets, last week HB 358, which is a bill sponsored by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels. This piece of legislation was a childcare tax credit bill and it passed out of the House and so that is good news. It means that women and others that occasionally are forced out of the workplace to do caregiving for children might have some alternative ways to be in the workforce and ensure that they also have child care available. Some unfortunate yet also some good movement on several bills related to workers rights was seen last week. However, I will talk about that in more detail when I talk about what we’re watching this week at the State House.
But also last week we saw quite a bit of movement on some criminal justice related bills. So the judicial override bill sponsored by Rep. England as well as a bill requiring a unanimous jury before sentencing someone to the death penalty sponsored by Sen. Hatch, these both died in committee last week. So that was really unfortunate to see that the death penalty legislation that we were watching did not make it out of committee either in the senate or in the House Judiciary Committee last week. Despite that, however, there were some good parole bills that passed out of committee. This included HB 299 by Rep. England which essentially would create an appeal process for some people whose parole is denied. There also was movement on SB 312 by Sen. Barfoot. This piece of legislation also passed out committee and this would allow people to attend their parole hearings virtually. So that was really nice to see that there is some positive traction with regard to some parole bills. However, it remains to see be seen how much time is left in session whether or not these bills can make it over the finish line. Another piece of legislation that’s quasi criminal justice related a bit more education related, however, and that does have time to make it throughout the through the whole process for certain are some pieces of legislation introduced by Sen. Smitherman as well as Rep. Collins that would provide due process rights to students in K-12 Public Schools. So essentially if these pieces of legislation pass K-12 public school students will not be able to be suspended or expelled without certain due process criteria being met, essentially allowing them to tell their side of the story before they face those really harsh consequences that the school wants to impose.
Now, moving forward to this week. There are quite a few things that we are watching.
So first and foremost on Wednesday at 9 a.m. there is a Joint Health Committee meeting in which there will be a hearing on solutions for closing the health care coverage gap. And so we are super excited about that. This is only the second time in years that the legislature has spent time actually talking about the need for Medicaid expansion or addressing the health care coverage gap that we currently have in the state of Alabama so we’re looking forward to seeing what happens at that hearing. But we will definitely be in attendance and we hope that you are there as well if not able to make it in person definitely stream it online.
Also happening this week, SB 91 will be up in Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee in the Senate at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. This piece of legislation will be deliberated and for those of you who recall this is legislation that’s designed to create a source of funding for the Public Transportation Trust Fund. So we are super excited to see that this piece of legislation is getting a chance to be heard in committee this week.
A piece of legislation that we’re a bit concerned about this week is HB 376 which is introduced by Rep. Yarbough and this piece of legislation is an anti-immigration bill that essentially allows localities to enter into contracts with the federal government to become quasi agents of I.C.E. for a lack of better terms. And so proxies for I.C.E. and so this is a piece of legislation that we are fearful will cause a chilling effect on how included, how welcomed, how included yeah our neighbors feel here in the state of Alabama. And so we are hopeful that when that bill comes up in Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday that it will not make it out of committee.
The good thing about today’s update is that time is running out to pass harmful legislation and so even if that piece of legislation does make it out of committee we are hopeful that it will not make it throughout the process with there being only seven legislative days left in the process. Time is definitely running out. However, we are closely monitoring the final weeks of session and some bills that we do anticipate being deliberated on the full House floor this week include those workers rights bills that I referenced earlier.
So SB 231 for example, which is an anti-union bill that penalizes companies for voluntarily recognizing workers that decide to unionize, that piece of legislation is first on the special order calendar in the House tomorrow which means that when the House gets ready to deliberate legislation this will be the first piece of legislation that they deliberate. And this is a piece of legislation that we strongly oppose. Another piece of legislation related to workers rights that will be on the House floor tomorrow if the legislature makes it that far is SB 119 and this is a piece of legislation that would increase penalties for child labor violations. And so that is something that we are excited to see only has one more favorable vote needed before it will make its way to the governor’s desk. And so we are hopeful that that piece of legislation passes tomorrow and also hopeful that SB 231 fails.
And so that my friends is what is happening this week, that is what happened last week and we will be sure to keep you posted on things that continue to happen at the State House for as long as the legislature is in session. Take care.
Arise’s Akiesha Anderson gives an update on where things stand in the Alabama Legislature as lawmakers begin to wind down the 2024 regular session. We still are keeping an eye on numerous bills, including the state budgets and legislation related to child care, death penalty reform and voting rights. Akiesha provides a rundown on some of the proposals we expect to see in committees or on the House or Senate floor this week. To stay up to date on bills we are watching, visit alarise.org and click on “Take Action.”
Full transcript below:
Hi there. Akiesha Anderson here, policy and advocacy director for Alabama Arise, and I am excited to be here today to give you yet another legislative update. So we are in the final stretch of the legislative session.
So as of this week, when legislators go in for legislative session this week, they will begin the week on the 22nd legislative day. So that means that as of this recording, we officially have only nine days left — nine working days left in the legislative session. That is not nine calendar days. The Legislature, you know, could be in session into May. Most likely they will be. However, in terms of the number of days that they can be on the chamber floor voting bills out to the next chamber, there are only nine of those days left.
And so last week wasn’t extremely eventful. There was some conversation and deliberation about budgets. The General Fund did pass out of the Senate and should be making its way over to the House. However, the House did not pass the Education Trust Fund yet, and so we anticipate that that budget will be deliberated in the House and will pass out of the House hopefully this week and make its way over to the Senate.
However, a few other bills that we are watching in addition to the budgets do include bills related to child care, elections, immigration and more. So I’ll just go through a list of bills that I hope you can keep on your radar along with us this week.
On Tuesday at 12:30 p.m., [House] Ways and Means Education will be meeting, and one of the bills that is on the agenda for that day is HB 358. This is a bill introduced by Rep. Daniels, House minority leader, and this piece of legislation, if passed, would provide a child care– or would provide a tax credit for companies and nonprofits and other entities that provide child care for their workers. And so that is a piece of legislation that likely would help a lot of mothers, a lot of families, etc.
Also happening Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m., the Senate County and Municipal Government Committee is meeting. They will be deliberating HB 86 among other bills. HB 86 was introduced by Rep. Pringle, and this bill essentially creates a process to where people can cure a ballot if their address has changed by the time they go to vote. And so that is a pretty straightforward bill, not something necessarily to be concerned about.
On the other hand, however, a piece of legislation that we are extremely concerned about will be heard at 9 a.m. in the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meeting in the House. And so HB 376 by Rep. Yarbrough is an immigration bill that basically, in a nutshell, allows local law enforcement to become proxies or arms for ICE — so to enforce immigration laws that local law enforcement currently cannot enforce. And so that is a piece of legislation that we are fearful could lead to targeting, racial profiling and other things and just making life a little bit more complicated and unpleasant for some of our neighbors and partners and friends.
Also happening on Wednesday at 9 a.m. is a Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee meeting. At this meeting, there will be a bill, HB 448, by Rep. Daniels. This piece of legislation essentially would address some of the claims that you may have seen in the news related to the Democratic convention happening this year, where essentially the Democratic convention takes place after the date at which a candidate must qualify to be on the Alabama ballot for the general election. Which means that President Biden could not make it onto the Alabama ballot unless we change the deadline. And so that piece of legislation is introduced as a way to change that deadline to where President Biden or whoever the Democratic nominee is for president still is able to make it onto our ballot in the state of Alabama because the deadline has not passed.
A few other pieces of legislation: In the Education Policy Committee, which will be happening Wednesday afternoon, there is SB 165 by Sen. Smitherman, as well as HB 188 by Rep. Collins. Both of these pieces of legislation are due process bills, which basically make it to where K-12 students in public schools cannot be expelled or suspended without having some sort of due process rights. And those two pieces of legislation we’re excited about seeing hopefully make it through the process before time runs out. But we’re really grateful for how far they have made it so far this session. And then lastly, House Judiciary Committee will be meeting on Wednesday, and two pieces of legislation that we will be monitoring there include HB 299 by Rep. England, which is in a nutshell a parole reform bill, but then also HB 27, also by Rep. England, which would require a unanimous jury before the death penalty can be enforced or ascribed to anybody. And that’s a piece of legislation that not only are we supportive of, but is one of our priorities, and so we definitely are hopeful that that piece of legislation makes it all the way to the end this session.
Again, we are hopefully wrapping up the legislative session soon — again, only nine legislative days left at the start of this week. And so by the end of this week, it is very possible that we will be down to only six legislative days left, just depending on how many work days they utilize this week. But either way, we will be sure to keep you posted on what is happening at the State House in these final days. Take care.
Arise held our 2024 Legislative Day on Tuesday, April 2. More than 230 supporters joined us in Montgomery to urge their lawmakers to close Alabama’s Medicaid coverage gap, invest in public transportation and fund a summer nutrition program for children. Thank you to everyone who spoke out for a better Alabama for all!
Full video transcript below:
Alabama Arise Action was thrilled to see so many people come out to our 2024 Legislative Day. More than 200 of our members attended to have their voices heard as they took our message of a better Alabama for all to the State House. The day featured a membership briefing where Arise provided updates on our policy priorities, including Medicaid expansion, funding Summer EBT, funding public transportation and supporting workers’ rights. After a news conference featuring representatives from Cover Alabama, which is an Arise-led coalition dedicated to pushing for Medicaid expansion, our members visited their legislators at the State House. We want to again thank everyone for coming and showing how important these issues are to the people of our state.
We’re excited to have more than 200 supporters here with us today at our annual Legislative Day. Give yourselves a round of applause. (*applause*) We’re here today to tell our lawmakers that it’s time to close Alabama’s
Medicaid coverage gap once and for all. (*applause*) This is an investment in Alabama’s future. It will create thousands of jobs and generate billions of dollars of economic activity. It would help rural hospitals stay open to serve everyone in their communities. And the most important thing it will do: It will save lives. (*applause*)
Closing the coverage gap is a sensible solution that will result in a healthier Alabama and reduce health care costs associated with pregnancy outcomes. Thank you for investing in healthy moms and strong babies.
And I can tell you that we are in as bad of shape as we’ve ever been. Our hospitals are at risk. It’s something to the order of 80% of our rural hospitals now have operating losses, and so they are in critical shape. It’s time to put politics aside for the well-being of our people. This isn’t about party lines or partisan agendas. It’s about doing what’s right for Alabama. (Yes.) Gov. Ivey, the time for action is now. (*applause*) We can no longer afford to delay or debate. We need concrete steps to close the coverage gap and ensure that every Alabamian has access to the health care that they deserve. Together, we can close the health coverage gap and ensure a healthier, more prosperous future for all Alabamians. Thank you. (*applause*)
Arise’s Dev Wakeley provides this week’s legislative update with a look at bills related to workers’ rights, including one that would disincentivize companies from voluntarily recognizing unions. To speak out about these bills and others that we’re tracking in the Alabama Legislature, visit alarise.org and click “Take Action.”
Full video transcript below:
Hi, this is Dev Wakeley, here with this week’s Alabama Arise legislative update. Today we’ll be focusing on workers’ rights bills.
We have several bills up this week that touch on workers’ rights. Work and labor issues have significant interest right now in our state as a result of the recent growing push for better working conditions.
First, let’s talk about Sen. Arthur Orr’s SB 231. This is an anti-worker bill designed to undercut workers’ ability to form a union by prohibiting economic development incentives from going to companies that voluntarily recognize unions. This is an attack on the voluntary recognition process created by the federal National Labor Relations Act. This bill has moved out of its assigned Senate committee on a party-line vote and is likely to be on the Senate floor this week. To help us fight this bill, if you have not already, please take action using the action alert sent out regarding SB 231 this morning or by clicking on that action alert found in the legislative update email accompanying this video.
Next is Sen. Robert Stewart’s SB 19. This is a bill to update the penalties for companies that violate child labor laws. In light of recent child labor violation increases nationally and serious abuses in our state, this bill is especially important this week. Be on the lookout for an action alert asking you to send an email in support of SB 19 to the House Judiciary Committee, which will be deliberating on this bill this Wednesday.
The third bill to watch related to workers’ rights is SB 53, also by Sen. Arthur Orr. It’s on the agenda in the House Commerce and Small Business Committee Wednesday. This bill removes the work permit that ensures 14- and 15-year-old workers are doing well in school before taking on a job. Please also take action asking your legislator to oppose this bill by clicking on the SB 53 action alert found in the email accompanying this video.
Interestingly, workers’ issues have been a significant part of the session, a reflection of the changing statewide atmosphere over the past few years. Alabama Arise is ready to keep you up to date on developments and to let you know ways to engage with your lawmakers to move them toward policies that benefit workers and all Alabamians.
Thank you for being a member, and if you’re not already, make sure you’re following us on Twitter and on Facebook. Thanks for watching.
While the Alabama Legislature is on spring break this week, Arise’s Akiesha Anderson takes some time to update everyone on what’s happened recently and what’s on the horizon when lawmakers return next week. Akiesha also talks about our upcoming Legislative Day, scheduled for Tuesday, April 2.
Full video transcript
Hi there. Akiesha Anderson here, policy and advocacy director for Alabama Arise, and I am excited to to be here today to give you another legislative update.
So to start this week, the Legislature is on a spring break, so — yay — we get a bit of a reprieve from some of the things that we have been seeing this session that just have not been ideal for, you know, us and the people that we are working for, including you and yourself.
And so some of the things that happened last week that were a bit disappointing do include the fact that SB 1, which is the piece of legislation that would make it harder for people to help others voting absentee, that bill was signed into law by the governor, and so was SB 129, which is the piece of legislation that was designed to basically get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion departments on college campuses and in other state-funded entities. And so those pieces of legislation were signed into law.
Also disappointing last week was the fact that HB 32, which was the felony murder rule legislation introduced by Rep. Chris England, that piece of legislation did die in committee last week. So that means that that piece of legislation would not move any further this legislative session. And so hopefully that’s something that we can come back to fight for again next legislative session, but it is done for this session.
Some other things that happened last week were a few pieces of bad legislation were introduced, and a lot of new pieces of legislation were introduced. So we’re still combing through a lot of the bills that were introduced last week. We’re still trying to get a grasp of what many of them do, which ones we want to bring to your attention, and we will definitely have more updates for you in the coming weeks.
But two bills that I do want to put on your radar are SB 231 and SB 232. These are two bills that we are extremely concerned about at Alabama Arise. And so SB 231, if passed, would make it harder for companies to unionize. So what this piece of legislation could do is it could penalize companies for voluntarily recognizing employers that decide to unionize. And so that is something that we are extremely concerned about. And SB 232, if passed, could provide people with access to a health insurance plan that we believe would be a “junk” insurance plan. And we refer to this as a junk insurance plan because we believe that people would be paying premiums in exchange for health insurance, only to find out when they get to the doctor or wherever medical entity that they end up at that their insurance does not cover much of what it is that they would expect to be covered in other insurance plans. And so those are two pieces of legislation that we are extremely concerned about that we did see come up last week.
Some other things that happened last week were that HB 309, which is a bill to give state employees parental leave, passed out the House. It also passed out of committee in the House, and so we are excited that that bill is moving. It hopefully will come up in the Senate as early as next week after they are back from their spring break. We also did have some really good conversations last week, and so did some of our partner organizations — Alabama Voices, SPLC and others — about Summer EBT, so we are hopeful that our budget chairs will appropriate about $15 million so that Alabama can participate in Summer EBT for summer 2025. And so those are some conversations that we have begun having that we are hopeful we can continue having and that will be fruitful.
But then also last week, we noticed that not much happened with gambling, and so that is something that we are monitoring. Although we do not have a position on gambling, we do know that a lot of legislators have put their faith in this legislation passing in in terms of whether or not they believe other budget requests can be fulfilled or can be appropriated as a result of gaming and what happens there. And so we are monitoring just to see what happens with gaming just to see if that impacts any of our legislative asks as well. And so that is pretty much in a nutshell what has happened over the last week.
Since the Legislature again is on spring break this week, there isn’t much happening this week. You all will receive some action alerts from us. We hope that you can reach out to your legislators if you receive one.
But other than that, the only other thing that I want to put on your radar is that today, March 25, is the last day to register for our upcoming advocacy day. And so our advocacy day is next Tuesday, April 2, from 10 a.m. until the early afternoon, and so we really hope that you can join us in Montgomery at the State House for this event.
We are excited about you joining us to talk to legislators about Medicaid expansion. Public transportation, Summer EBT and other workers’ rights issues are things that might be on the radar, and so we definitely hope that you can join us. Do know again that today is the deadline to register, so if you have not already, please visit our website alarise.org to go ahead and register for our advocacy day. We do need a head count so we know how many people we need to provide lunch for, etc. And there is a space limitation in the room, and so again if you’re coming, please register. But also if you have any questions about our advocacy day, please do not hesitate to reach out to our organizing director. That’s Pres Harris, and her email address is pres@alarise.org.
I look forward to hopefully seeing you next week, and I will be back to give you a legislative update in the coming weeks. Take care.
