Blog
Public policy should make life better for everyone, not just a select few. Throughout the year, Arise tracks a range of state and federal policy proposals and assesses what they would mean for Alabamians who are struggling to make ends meet. Our blog provides quick updates on these proposals and offers tips on what you can do to help build an Alabama where all people have an opportunity to reach their full potential.
Blog
Maternal, infant health care debuts as an Alabama Arise priority
Alabama Arise reached a new milestone in October when more than 500 members voted to determine Arise’s 2024 legislative priorities after our Annual Meeting. Nearly 100 members attended the meeting in person at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Institute in Montgomery, while almost 250 attended virtually. Outgoing board president Kathy Vincent led the meeting, which [...]
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Three strategies to boost Alabama’s workforce
Alabama leaders and policymakers are stressing about one big issue going into the 2024 legislative session: labor force participation. Alabama’s labor force participation rate is among the nation’s lowest. Only 57% of working-age adults reported they were actively working or looking for jobs as of September 2023. We also have a severe worker shortage, with [...]
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Arise legislative update: Update on Alabama’s new congressional map
Arise's Mike Nicholson gives an update on the new congressional map that the U.S. District Court approved as a remedy in Alabama's redistricting case last week. That order came after federal judges ruled that both the state's original map and the revised one that the Legislature passed during a special session in July likely did [...]
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Here’s what Alabama Arise heard from you in summer 2023!
Alabama Arise listens because we deeply value the input we get from members, partners and most importantly, those directly affected by the work we do together. We depend on what we hear to help guide our issue work and our strategies. We held three statewide online events this summer: two Town Hall Tuesdays and one [...]
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Alabama’s grocery tax reduction now in effect
Alabama has taken an important first step toward untaxing groceries. HB 479 took effect Sept. 1, reducing the state sales tax on groceries from 4% to 3%. The law will reduce the tax by another percentage point as soon as September 2024, as long as Education Trust Fund (ETF) revenues grow by at least 3.5% [...]
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Arise legislative update: Update on Alabama redistricting case
The Alabama redistricting lawsuit continued this week as a federal court struck down the state's congressional map once again. The Legislature approved the map in July after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state's original map likely violated the Voting Rights Act. But federal judges this week said the new map still failed to [...]
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An Arise tradition: the member-led agenda
Something interesting is happening in the world of policy organizations. After years of many think tanks working behind the scenes to set their policy agendas with little transparency or buy-in from regular people, many of our peer organizations are now realizing the best policies are those informed by the people closest to the problems. Research [...]
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Arise thrives on its membership
When you give to Alabama Arise, you join as a member. We're grateful for your giving: A significant percentage of our financial support comes from people like you. And we’re especially grateful for your membership. Our members are important to us because, as we often say, people are our power. This month, members are coming [...]
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Medicaid expansion would help working Alabamians
Medicaid expansion is a proven solution to help people join and stay in the workforce, a new report from Community Catalyst spotlights. States that have expanded Medicaid have seen a greater increase in labor force participation among people with incomes below 138% of the poverty line than states – like Alabama – that have not [...]
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Arise legislative update: Recap of Alabama redistricting hearing
The ongoing lawsuit over Alabama's congressional map returned to federal court this week. Arise's Mike Nicholson attended the U.S. District Court's redistricting hearing in Birmingham on Aug. 14. In this video update, Mike provides background on the case, which returned to district court after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Allen v. Milligan. He also [...]