State and federal leaders have taken action to help struggling Alabamians stay healthy and make ends meet amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but they must do more. Arise’s Robyn Hyden gives a video update on the coronavirus’ implications for Medicaid expansion, public health funding, food assistance, unemployment insurance, paid family and medical leave, prisons and jails, and other concerns.
Issue: Budgets
COVID-19: 7 policy changes that would help protect Alabamians
The World Health Organization has labeled COVID-19 a global pandemic. And state officials announced the first confirmed case of the disease in Alabama on Friday. As the virus strains our health systems, schools and economy, we must ensure the most vulnerable Alabamians have the medical care, social supports and other protections they need to weather the crisis.
The Alabama Legislature will be on spring break for the next two weeks. We hope our state lawmakers and members of Congress will take time to examine the situation developing in their communities. And we hope they will act quickly and courageously to address these critical public health needs.
Here are seven actions that policymakers should take now to protect the well-being and security of all Alabamians:
1. Gov. Kay Ivey should expand Medicaid.
Medicaid expansion would extend health coverage to more than 223,000 uninsured Alabamians with low incomes. It also would ensure coverage for another 120,000 who struggle to afford the insurance they have.
Expansion would take several months to implement, but it would prepare us for the big challenges ahead. In the short term, Medicaid could take numerous other steps to protect families. Examples include streamlining enrollment, covering new mothers for one year after delivery and increasing our “bare-bones” income limit for parents.
Email Gov. Ivey to ask her to expand Medicaid and help address the coronavirus threat. Or if you’d prefer to reach out by phone, click here to call Gov. Ivey’s office.
2. Lawmakers should increase funding for public health to ensure adequate testing, preparation and prevention.
In addition, state and local agencies should take the lead on proactive policies and procedures to protect those who are most vulnerable to this virus. Read State Health Officer Scott Harris’ report to the Senate Health Committee.
3. Congress should authorize emergency food assistance increases.
Boosting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would help children get the food they need while they’re out of school. It also would promote food security for seniors, people who lose their jobs and other people at risk of hunger. Read additional recommendations to address critical food security issues from our partners at the Food Research and Action Center.
4. Policymakers should remove barriers to social support services.
Medicaid, SNAP, WIC and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) save and improve lives. Red-tape barriers to these services make it harder for struggling families to get the help they need during a crisis. Read Arise’s fact sheet to learn why state lawmakers should abandon efforts to reduce access to safety net programs.
5. State lawmakers should remove the state sales tax on groceries while protecting education funding.
As many people prepare for social distancing by purchasing enough food to last for several weeks, the grocery tax imposes the highest tax burden on the people who can least afford it. It’s yet another illustration of why this cruel tax must end. Click here to urge state legislators to untax groceries and replace the revenue by supporting SB 144.
6. Policymakers should look at options to extend paid medical and family leave to every worker.
States including Washington and Massachusetts have created affordable buy-in plans so that even smaller employers can provide extended medical or family leave. Read how paid family and medical leave was made affordable and available to every worker in the state of Washington. Then read more about federal discussions to provide short-term relief for paid leave.
7. Alabama should expand unemployment protections to mitigate the effects of job losses for individuals and communities.
Closures and layoffs in the coming months will leave many workers without essential income. Public officials must act now to reduce the financial toll on people who struggle to make ends meet. Read recommendations from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) about potential improvements to unemployment insurance coverage.
Looking ahead
The conversation about the best policy and social responses will continue to evolve over the coming days and weeks. And additional needs and solutions are likely to emerge. Throughout this crisis and beyond, Arise will continue to speak out for dignity, equity and justice for all Alabamians.
Arise legislative recap: March 6, 2020
Arise’s Jim Carnes discusses how the coronavirus outbreak and the closure of Pickens County Medical Center showcase Alabama’s need for Medicaid expansion. Also, in the wake of the recent execution of Nathaniel Woods, Jim talks about HB 359, which would forbid the death penalty in capital cases where the jury does not agree unanimously to impose it.
Arise legislative recap: Feb. 28, 2020
Arise members showed up in force in Montgomery on Tuesday for our annual Legislative Day! Arise’s Chris Sanders gives a brief recap of the event and introduces a replay of our news conference on untaxing groceries. (Please note: The news conference footage was streamed from a cell phone and includes a few moments of adjustment.)
Arise legislative recap: Feb. 25, 2020
Today, Feb. 25, is our annual Legislative Day, and we’re excited to continue our efforts to untax groceries. Arise’s Carol Gundlach talks about steps you can take to contact your lawmakers on this issue if you can’t be there in person.
Arise 2020: Our vision for a better Alabama
Alabama Arise members have worked for more than three decades to build a brighter, more inclusive future for our state. And as the Legislature’s 2020 regular session starts Tuesday, we’re proud to renew that commitment.
Below, Arise executive director Robyn Hyden highlights some key goals for the session, including Medicaid expansion and untaxing groceries.
How you can make a difference
Together, we can turn our shared vision for a better Alabama into a reality. Here are three ways you can help:
(1) Become an Arise individual member. Numbers matter. The more members we have, the louder our voice for change is at the State House. If you’re not yet an Arise member, click here to become one today. If you’re already a member, please ask your friends and neighbors to join us as well!
(2) Talk to your legislators. Make sure your lawmakers know where you stand on our issues. Click here to sign up for our action alerts. And if you can, come meet your lawmakers in person at Arise’s annual Legislative Day on Feb. 25 in Montgomery. Click here to pre-register before Feb. 14.
(3) Spread the word about our issue priorities. The more people learn about our movement, the more support we gain. Read more about our 2020 issue priorities and share this information with your friends:
- End Alabama’s grocery tax and protect school funding
- Expand Medicaid to save lives and make Alabama healthier
- Fight harmful proposals to cut Medicaid, SNAP and TANF
- Why Alabama should fund public transportation
- Break down barriers to voting rights in Alabama
- Stop criminal justice debt from putting thousands of lives on hold
- End the injustices in Alabama’s death penalty system
- Stop the debt trap for payday borrowers
Together, we can make Alabama a place where everyone’s voice is heard and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Together, we can build a better Alabama!
Higher education cuts are undermining Alabama’s future
Shortchanging higher education is shortchanging Alabama’s future. It’s a harmful choice that’s limiting opportunity for people across our state. But better policy choices can create a more prosperous future and help all Alabamians reach their full potential.
Alabama has slashed its per-student state higher education funding more than any other state over the last decade, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Since 2008, Alabama has cut higher ed funding by 36.2%, or $4,466 per student, CBPP found. Those cuts are the nation’s worst by dollar amount and third worst by percentage.
“We are dissuading folks from pursuing their dreams,” I told WBHM reporter Janae Pierre last week. “We’re reducing campus diversity, and we’re reducing opportunity for people to get ahead and build a better life for themselves and their families.”
With state funding down, tuition has soared. Between 2008 and 2018, the average tuition at public four-year institutions in Alabama jumped by 72.9%. These massive increases have erected barriers to opportunity for people across Alabama. And these barriers disproportionately block the paths of black and Latino students.
As I told WBHM: “We are asking an entire generation of folks to take on massive debt to begin their careers, to pursue their professional dreams. … Either people aren’t able to pursue the degree in the first place or they have to begin their career with five- or six-figure debt hanging over their head.”
Check out Alabama Arise’s news release for more information on the CBPP report. And check out my full interview with WBHM for more on how Alabama can help make college accessible and affordable for everyone, regardless of income.
Alabama’s higher ed funding cuts since 2008 are the nation’s worst
Alabama has slashed its per-student state higher education funding more than any other state over the last decade, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a nonpartisan research organization based in Washington, D.C.
Since 2008, Alabama has cut state higher education funding by 36.2%, or $4,466 per student, CBPP found. The state’s cuts are the nation’s worst by dollar amount and third worst by percentage. Nationally, the average cuts since 2008 are 13%, or $1,220 per student.
Alabama’s inadequate public investment in higher education over the last decade has contributed to soaring tuition costs. And that has forced many students either to start their careers in deep debt or abandon their college dreams entirely.
Between 2008 and 2018, the average tuition at public four-year institutions in Alabama jumped by $4,489, or 72.9%. That is nearly twice the national average growth of 37% – and almost exactly matches the size of state funding cuts. These soaring costs have erected barriers to opportunity for young people across Alabama, particularly for black and Latino students.
“This is another example of how short-sighted education cuts hurt people across Alabama,” Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden said. “Pushing college students and their families into deep debt isn’t making our state stronger. We need to invest more in education at all levels to build an Alabama where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.”
Soaring tuition disproportionately harms black and Latino students
Alabama’s rising college costs have hit hardest among black and Latino students. In 2017, the average net price of attending a public four-year university accounted for:
- 35% of median household income for all families in Alabama.
- 45% of median household income for Latino families in Alabama.
- 54% of median household income for black families in Alabama.
Financial aid has not increased enough to cover higher college costs nationwide. The resulting higher prices can dissuade many students from enrolling or finishing their degrees. Tuition increases also can reduce campus diversity, especially among people of color and students from households with low wealth.
A large and growing share of future jobs will require college-educated workers. Greater public investment in higher education, particularly in need-based aid, would help Alabama develop the skilled and diverse workforce it needs to match the jobs of the future.
“All Alabamians, regardless of their income or hometown, deserve an opportunity to reach their full potential,” Hyden said. “Alabama should invest in making college more affordable for the students who need assistance the most. And ending skewed tax breaks for large corporations and wealthy households would be a good place to start.”
Affordable child care is an investment in Alabama’s future
“Anybody who’s ever paid for child care knows it’s cheaper to pay for college sometimes.”
That’s what I told AL.com’s Anna Claire Vollers about Alabama’s shortage of affordable child care. Her new article this week examines how expensive child care limits economic opportunity for struggling parents across our state.
Quality, affordable child care is essential for families seeking to escape poverty and participate in employment, education and job training. And while a federal funding increase has allowed Alabama to boost child care subsidies and expanded eligibility in recent years, there’s still much work left to do.
The AL.com article highlights Alabama Arise’s recent report on child care funding. It discusses the progress that Alabama has made in the past few years. And it illustrates many needs yet to be met, especially in rural areas and among Hispanic families.
State investment would make a real difference. As I said in the article: “Alabama is a state that puts absolutely no state dollars other than those mandated by the federal government into child care. That’s not true in most states.”
Be sure to read the AL.com article. And check out Arise’s child care report for more on how Alabama can and should invest in our children’s future.
How Alabama can untax groceries and boost education
Alabama has two intertwined structural problems that, together, keep us from meeting our people’s most basic needs. One problem is that our state’s tax system is upside down. Rich people get huge tax breaks, forcing people with low and moderate incomes to make up the difference. The other problem is that this upside-down system doesn’t raise enough money to support schools and other vital services adequately.
Two major drivers of Alabama’s regressive tax system are a sales tax on groceries that hurts working families and a skewed income tax break that overwhelmingly benefits wealthy people. Alabama Arise has a longstanding plan to address both problems: Eliminate the state grocery tax and end the state deduction for federal income taxes (FIT).
Untaxing groceries without replacing the revenue would take $480 million annually away from education, hurting our children and our future. But by ending the FIT deduction, Alabama could bring in more than $800 million a year in new revenue.
That’s more than enough to replace lost revenue from the grocery tax. It also would allow our state to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in K-12 and higher education.
Ending the grocery tax and the FIT deduction would make our state’s tax system stronger and fairer. About four in five Alabama households would get a tax cut overall. And the net tax increase for those who would pay more generally would be modest. Even for the top 1%, the average increase would be less than 1 percentage point of income.
Arise’s tax reform plan would boost education funding and help millions of Alabamians make ends meet. This would increase opportunity and shared prosperity across our state.
This blog post originally appeared as an article in Arise’s September 2019 newsletter.