Arise legislative update: May 13, 2024

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.

Arise legislative update: May 6, 2024

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.

Summer EBT funding is a big win for Alabama’s children

The Alabama Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to appropriate $10 million for Summer EBT administrative funding from the 2025 Education Trust Fund budget. Alabama Arise hunger policy advocate LaTrell Clifford Wood released the following statement Tuesday in response:

“Every child needs and deserves healthy meals throughout the year. That’s why Alabama Arise is excited that the Senate’s education budget committee voted to include Summer EBT funding in the 2025 education budget. We hope that every legislator will support this important investment in child nutrition, and that Gov. Kay Ivey will sign it into law.

“Summer EBT will help reduce food insecurity for more than 500,000 Alabama children. This program will provide every eligible school-age child in a low-income household with $120 in food assistance each summer starting in 2025. These benefits will help ensure that children can continue getting the nutritious food they need when school meals are unavailable. This ultimately will help kids stay healthier and be better prepared to learn.

“Summer EBT also will provide an important economic boost for communities across our state. After the state provides a few million dollars to help cover administrative costs, Alabama families will receive tens of millions of dollars’ worth of Summer EBT benefits, which are 100% federally funded. That will spur around $100 million of economic activity every year across Alabama.

“This investment will bring a meaningful improvement to the lives of Alabama’s children for generations to come. We appreciate Sens. Vivian Figures, Garlan Gudger and Rodger Smitherman for championing Summer EBT funding in the Senate, and Reps. Barbara Drummond and Laura Hall for their support in the House. We thank committee chairman Sen. Arthur Orr for adding this funding to the education budget. And most of all, we are grateful for Alabama Arise members and other advocates from every corner of our state who relentlessly called, emailed and spoke out in support of Summer EBT.”

Arise legislative update: April 29, 2024

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 legislative update: April 22, 2024

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.

Summer EBT for 2025

A $15 million appropriation for Summer EBT would reduce hunger by providing eligible Alabama children $40 per summer month for food.

1 in 4 Alabama children are food insecure.

Hundreds of thousands of Alabama children don’t know where their next meal will come from. And a disproportionate amount of food insecure children come from communities of color. The Summer EBT program has been shown to help alleviate this problem by reducing hunger and supporting healthier diets among children.

545,000 Alabama children will miss meals this summer.

Providing funding for Summer EBT would ensure that hundreds of thousands of Alabama children don’t have to go hungry next summer. In recent years, 94% of Alabama’s children who received free or reduced-price school meals during the school year did not have access to these meals over the summer.

Summer EBT could spur around $100 million in economic activity.

This program would require an initial appropriation of $15 million yet will deliver a substantially higher return on investment. This appropriation could come from either the Education Trust Fund or the General Fund. Also worth noting: The costs of operating this program would decrease in future years.

Call center* – $5 – 8 million
EBT cost* – $4 – 5 million
DHR expenses* – $500,000
Application administration** – $9.5 – 15.5 million (website design, interface, hearings, QC, notices)
Department of Education expenses* – $1 million

Total = maximum of $30 million
State share = 50% | maximum of $15 million

* Cost estimates are based on Alabama’s experience with similar characteristics of Summer P-EBT cost from 2020-2024
** Cost estimates are based on new criteria in Summer EBT rules and similar vendor cost provided from other states participating in 2024

Summer EBT key points:

  • Summer EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) provides eligible children $40 per summer month ($120 total).
  • 1 in 4 Alabama children are food insecure, with a disproportionate amount coming from households of color.
  • 94% of Alabama children who receive free or reduced-price meals do not have access to them over the summer.
  • Summer EBT is a $15 million state investment in child nutrition, with a $1 for $1 federal match, that could spur around $100 million in economic activity annually across Alabama.
  • The Summer EBT program could reduce hunger and support healthier diets for more than half a million (545,000) Alabama children.

It’s time to expand Medicaid and close Alabama’s coverage gap

  1. Nearly 300,000 Alabamians with low incomes would benefit from Medicaid expansion.

  • People in the coverage gap earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough for an affordable private health insurance plan on the Marketplace. This leaves them in the health coverage gap.
  • The vast majority of people who would gain coverage through Medicaid expansion are working. More than 100,000 Alabamians in the coverage gap hold jobs that are important but pay low wages. Thousands more are self-employed, serve as caregivers or attend school.
  1. We can afford it. Closing the health coverage gap comes with a $619 million signing bonus.

  • States that close their coverage gap will receive a 5-percentage-point increase in the federal match rate for Medicaid for two years. This is thanks to an incentive in the American Rescue Plan Act.
  • An increased federal match rate would bring $619 million to Alabama over the next two years.
  • The state’s cost to close the gap in the first two years would be roughly $423 million. That means nearly $200 million in additional federal funding would come to our state above and beyond the cost to extend Medicaid coverage up to hard-working Alabamians.
  1. Closing the coverage gap helps workers stay employed.

  • Nearly half of Alabama workers do not get employer-sponsored health insurance. Closing the coverage gap could help employees get access to the health care services they need.
  • States that have closed the coverage gap have seen a greater increase in labor force participation among people with low incomes than in non-expansion states.
  • Injuries or manageable illnesses like diabetes can get so severe for those without health coverage that they prevent people from working or leading healthy lives.
  1. Nineteen rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closing. Medicaid expansion can keep them operating.

  • Alabama’s rural hospitals are on life support, but research shows that a rural hospital being located in a Medicaid expansion state decreases the likelihood it will close by an average of 62%.
  • Expanding Medicaid will help more rural residents afford health care services and reduce the financial losses experienced at hospitals from serving uninsured patients or providing uncompensated care.
  1. 5,000 Alabama veterans have no military insurance and can’t afford health coverage.

  • It’s a common misconception that people who serve in the U.S. military automatically receive lifetime eligibility for health coverage and other benefits. In reality, veterans’ health benefits depend on their length of service, military classification, type of discharge and other factors.
  • 14.2% of veterans are employed in the service industry, while 13.7% work in construction and maintenance. These are among the professions that would most benefit from Medicaid expansion.

‘I just thought things were the same everywhere’

A close-up photo of a white woman's face. She has dark hair and is wearing glasses.
Medicaid coverage was a vital lifeline for Saraland resident Jolene Dybas as she recovered from a health emergency. But after losing that coverage during the Medicaid unwinding period, she has had to go without needed health care. (Photo courtesy of Jolene Dybas)

When I first spoke with Jolene Dybas, 2023 was coming to an end. Lots of people were attending in-person events confidently and hoping the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic was firmly behind us.

Jolene, however, was still coming to terms with a new reality after moving to Mobile from Florida in 2019.

“I barely go out,” she said. “And when I do, I don’t want people to see me like this.”

I asked her why she preferred to keep such a low profile. That’s when she shared the full story of what it’s like living in Alabama’s health coverage gap. This gap includes nearly 300,000 people who earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health coverage. Alabama’s Medicaid income eligibility limit for adults is one of the country’s most stringent.

“I’ve lived in many other states, and I never saw a person with no teeth until I moved here. I never thought that it could happen to me, but here we are,” she said in disbelief.

The toll of a medical emergency

Jolene’s story begins with good news. Her daughter was accepted to the University of South Alabama (USA) to study nursing. Jolene moved to Saraland, right outside Mobile, to help support her.

Soon after, though, a medical emergency threw a wrench in her family’s new beginning. 

Jolene woke up one day and realized something was off. When she began experiencing heavy bleeding, her fears were confirmed. She rushed to the hospital and was told she needed an emergency hysterectomy to save her life. Jolene also would need intensive treatments, and she would have to stop working while she recovered.

“I quit counting after 10 ER visits and two hospital visits,” she said, describing her new reality of living with chronic pain and recovering from surgery.

Jolene soon lost health coverage when she was no longer able to work full-time as a customer service agent. Her financial situation got so bad that debt collectors began issuing threats of wage garnishment.

“My hours dropped down to part-time. I couldn’t afford emergency medical bills,” she said. “I’m in a place where I’m no longer self-sufficient, and it is killing me.” 

When the hospital bills and prescription costs started to pile up, one of Jolene’s doctors at the USA Hospital encouraged her to apply for financial assistance through the hospital.

“I want people to know that I had a medical emergency and needed blood transfusions,” she said. “If it weren’t for USA Hospital taking up my case, I wouldn’t be here today.”

A temporary lifeline

Thanks to USA Hospital’s financial assistance programs, Jolene received assistance with her medical debt. She also learned she was eligible for a lifeline: Medicaid coverage. Since she was a parent who was too sick to work and had no income, she was one of the few working-age adults eligible for Medicaid under Alabama’s restrictive guidelines.

“Not many good things came out of the pandemic, but hey, it allowed me to get the help I needed and stay on Medicaid when I needed it most,” she said. “That all came crashing down, though.”

After the COVID-19 public health emergency ended in 2023, Jolene found out her health coverage was about to end. Like thousands of other Alabamians, she was rolled off Medicaid coverage during a process known as “unwinding,” or a return to pre-pandemic eligibility requirements.

Jolene had resumed working part-time as her health allowed – and that small amount of income made her ineligible under Alabama’s bare-bones Medicaid eligibility limits. Parents in a two-person household, for example, do not qualify for Alabama Medicaid if they make more than just $3,684 a year.

Jolene said she felt like she had just gotten to a good place managing her health, but losing Medicaid coverage left her with no other options for affordable health insurance. The worst thing about her ordeal wasn’t her surgeries or learning to live with chronic pain, she said. It was finding out she could no longer afford daily medications or dental care.

“Losing Medicaid will leave me with no choice but to go to the ER when my conditions get worse because I can’t afford my medications,” she said.

‘I don’t want them to see me like this’

Living without coverage means making more sacrifices than Jolene had imagined.

“When I lost my insurance, I wasn’t able to go to the dentist,” she said. “My teeth got worse and worse. I only have four teeth left because all I can do is get them pulled when I have a problem.”

Jolene hasn’t visited family since moving to Alabama.

“I can’t even go home to visit because I can’t show them the shape I’m in. I don’t want them to see me like this,” she said. “Where I come from, you don’t see people with no teeth in their head, but in Alabama, I can’t even afford dentures.”

Jolene has lived in several other states before, including Minnesota, Mississippi and North Dakota. She said Alabama’s refusal to expand Medicaid creates unnecessary hardship for its residents.

“If people were well in Alabama, they’d be able to work more. I know I would,” she said.

Minnesota has chosen to expand Medicaid and make other investments in its residents’ well-being. In 2021, lawmakers there passed a historic dental health package that helped ensure Medicaid participants could access dental care and eased administrative burdens for providers.

“They just don’t see things like this,” Jolene said of living in other states with more access to health care and coverage. “There’s no support [in Alabama]. I just thought things were the same everywhere.”

Jolene said living in the coverage gap in a state that hasn’t expanded Medicaid has her missing home.

“If I went home to Minnesota, there is no way I would have this problem,” she said.

‘It can be different’

Jolene’s experience has turned her into an advocate for all Alabamians facing the same problems she does.

“A lot of people in this state don’t know that it can be different. You deserve more,” she said. “Your state leaders are failing.”

Alabamians’ quality of life is suffering the longer we wait to expand Medicaid, Jolene said.

“This has got to be the most expensive place I’ve ever lived. Alabama has taught me a really hard lesson: They don’t care about us,” she said.

Living in other states has offered Jolene a window into the costs of Alabama’s failure to ensure health care access for all of its residents.

“I feel like the death rate is higher here because we all have to wait for adequate care until it’s too late,” she said. “So instead of taking care of that, we’re letting our money slip out of our hands to pay for expansion in other states.”

Jolene said she believes shifting our state’s policy priorities is crucial.

“Why does Alabama still have a grocery tax? I’ve never had to pay that before. Then, we don’t have Medicaid expansion but they’re worried about building bridges and prisons?” she said. “It’s very, very selfish.”

Taking action for a brighter future

After learning nearly 300,000 other Alabamians like her would benefit directly from Medicaid expansion, Jolene started reaching out to lawmakers urging change.

“I’ve written letters to my legislators and Governor Ivey. I’ve called TV stations. I don’t know how they can’t afford to expand Medicaid because people are desperate,” she said. “What does money matter when it’s already there and it is costing lives not to use it?”

One of the states Jolene previously lived in, Mississippi, recently saw meaningful progress toward closing its coverage gap. The Republican-led Mississippi House passed a bill in February to extend Medicaid coverage to more than 200,000 adults with low incomes. That legislation now awaits consideration in the Senate.

Expanding Medicaid is “a topic that should transcend politics,” Mississippi House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Missy McGee told reporters. “Sometimes, it’s OK to do the right thing because it’s the right thing.”

Jolene said her daughter will graduate soon, and she thinks her family’s time in Alabama is coming to an end. Jolene said the cost of waiting on our state to expand Medicaid is simply too high.

“I thought Mississippi was bad, but it’s not this bad,” she said. “I’m sick of Alabama not caring. If they can’t get their act together, I’m not staying here.”

About Alabama Arise and Cover Alabama

Whit Sides is the Cover Alabama storyteller for Alabama Arise, a statewide, member-led organization advancing public policies to improve the lives of Alabamians who are marginalized by poverty. Arise’s membership includes faith-based, community, nonprofit and civic groups, grassroots leaders and individuals from across Alabama. Email: whit@alarise.org.

Arise is a founding member of the Cover Alabama coalition. Cover Alabama is a nonpartisan alliance of advocacy groups, businesses, community organizations, consumer groups, health care providers and religious congregations advocating for Alabama to provide quality, affordable health coverage to its residents and implement a sustainable health care system.

Arise legislative update: March 18, 2024

The Alabama Legislature is coming back into session after taking off last week. Arise’s Akiesha Anderson provides updates on what’s happened most recently — including unfortunate news on anti-DEI legislation — and gets you ready for another busy week ahead. Legislation we’re monitoring this week includes a bill to reform Alabama’s felony murder rule and a proposal to remove the sales tax from baby supplies and feminine hygiene products.

 

Full video text:

Hello, my name is Akiesha Anderson, and if you’re new to these videos, I’m the policy and advocacy director for Alabama Arise. After a much needed break from the State House last week, I am back to give you an update on what happened during the fifth week of the legislative session and what we’re expecting during this upcoming week.

As you likely know, legislators were not at the State House last week. Rather, they were in their districts for a constituent work week in which they were hopefully making time to talk to you and others that they represent. However, the week prior to that workweek, a whole lot happened.

Most notably, the House unfortunately passed both SB 29, which was the anti-diversity, equity and inclusion bill, and SB 1, the bill that restricts access to absentee voting. Both of these bills will be back in the Senate, where the Senate must approve of them before they will be sent off to the governor. There were some minor changes made to both in the House, and so I do not anticipate that the Senate will put up a fight, unfortunately. But most likely, these bills will get a vote this week in the Senate and then be sent off to the governor.

Also, by the time the Legislature left to take last week off, they had officially utilized half of their allocated legislative days. This means that at the time of this recording, we are officially halfway through the legislative session. While this pace feels a bit unprecedented, it is likely that the Legislature will continue its three-day workweek this week before going on a spring break next week, and then they will hopefully slow their pace somewhat in April. I’m being told that in April they will begin utilizing two-day work weeks instead of three. Two-day workweeks are definitely a bit a bit more typical, and this will allow them to buy time to pass the budgets.

Before sharing what’s happening this week, I do want to give you some status updates on bills that you’ve heard me talk about in prior weeks. So to begin, HB 29, which is the CHOOSE Act, and which could divert a minimum of $100 million in public education funds to private or home schools, was signed into law by the governor. SB 35 by Sen. Smitherman, which would require that history instruction be fact-based and inclusive, has passed out of a Senate committee and is waiting to be deliberated by the full Senate. HB 32 by Rep. England, which would reform and clarify Alabama’s felony murder rule, had a public hearing the week before last. Thus, we expect the House Judiciary Committee to vote on this bill this Wednesday, March 20.

HB 102 by Rep. Susan DuBose and SB 53 by Sen. Arthur Orr would both eliminate the eligibility to work form that children ages 14 and 15 are required to get signed by their schools before being employed. Both versions of this bill are expected to be considered by the full House sometime soon or at least to be in position to be considered by the full House sometime soon. The Senate version of this bill does still need to make it out of a House committee. However, it’s possible that that could happen as early as this week.

Other bills that we are watching this week include HB 188 by Rep. Terri Collins. This bill would create a uniform and improved process for the suspension or expulsion of public school students. The House Education Policy Committee has been assigned this bill, and they are expected to deliberate it this week. Also, HB 236 by Rep. Rafferty and SB 62 by Sen. Orr would both eliminate the sales tax for diapers, baby supplies, baby formula and feminine hygiene products. The Senate version of this bill is expected to be in House committee, whereas the House version of this bill is already positioned to be deliberated by the full House. That means that both or either of these bills will likely be in a position by this week to be deliberated by the full House.

And then lastly SB 31, which has been making a lot of news, will be in committee this week. And so SB 31 is a bill introduced by Sen. Waggoner. It has already made it out of the Senate and is in a House committee this week. But this is the bill that would be that is designed to get the state to give Birmingham-Southern a loan. It is also scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday, March 19, at 11:30 a.m., and that public hearing will take place in the Ways and Means General Fund Committee.

Other things to keep an eye out for this week are new bills that legislators may introduce. So for example, the child tax credit bill that has been touted in the news as well by Lt. Gov. Ainsworth and others is expected to be introduced by Sen. Gudger and Rep. Daniels as early as this week. If legislators are hoping to get any legislation passed that has not been introduced yet, it is definitely to their benefit, especially for the sake of time, to try to have those bills filed as soon as possible. This week is ideal given the fact that they will be on the spring break next week.

Now the last thing to make sure you have on your radar is Arise’s upcoming advocacy day. So if you have not already marked your calendars to join us at the State House on Tuesday, April 2, please do. We hope to have as many people as possible to talk to legislators about our various issues, so register to join us. All you have to do is visit alarise.org and click on “Get Involved” and then click on “Upcoming Events.” That will take you directly to the page that you need to utilize to sign up. We definitely need you to let us know that you’re coming so that we can make sure we have an adequate head count, enough room for everyone, as well as meals for everyone. So I look forward to hopefully seeing you there, and in the meantime, take care.

How can Alabama ensure Summer EBT for 2025?

What is Summer EBT?

Inspired by Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), Summer EBT provides $120* in SNAP benefits per categorically eligible child throughout the summer months. (*Indexed for inflation). 

What Can Alabama Do Today? 

Alabama can pull down federal matching funds in 2024 to support implementation in 2025, according to the USDA’s Interim Final Rule for the program.

This would require a $15 million  state appropriation to help refine Alabama’s application process.

Why Does it Matter? 

1 in 4 Alabama children are experiencing food insecurity. Hundreds of thousands of Alabama children struggle with hunger even more during the summer because they no longer receive free school meals.

Who Would Benefit? 

545,000 children across Alabama

What would be the Economic Impact?

$98 Million to $117 Million annually

Join Alabama Arise 

Visit alarise.org to sign up for alerts and donate to become an Arise member today!