Resource: Fact Sheet

Expand voting rights to right past wrongs and safeguard democracy in Alabama

By Dev Wakeley

Overview

Alabamians who want to exercise their fundamental right to vote often face numerous hurdles to exercising that right. These barriers – both physical and procedural – reduce civic engagement and election turnout.

Alabama does not allow early voting and has a complicated process for people who seek to vote an absentee ballot. And recent legislation has made voting more inconvenient for many Alabamians and built even more administrative hurdles to participatory democracy. But lawmakers have a range of policy options to reverse that trend and make it easier for Alabamians to make their voices heard through the democratic process.

Recent policy changes made voting harder in Alabama

The Legislature has passed several laws in the last decade to make voting more inaccessible. These laws have made a historically inequitable process even more burdensome, particularly for older adults, people with disabilities, and Black and Hispanic people.

These laws’ enactments came after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder overturned the part of the Voting Rights Act requiring preclearance in some jurisdictions. This provision had required the U.S. Department of Justice to review and provide advance approval for proposed voting law changes in Alabama and many other states with a history of racial discrimination in election procedures.

Shortly after the decision, Alabama began enforcing a 2011 law requiring certain forms of photo voter identification. Policymakers in 2015 also closed or reduced service hours at driver’s license offices in dozens of counties. The state later reversed those cutbacks, which had caused disproportionate harm in Black communities.

Lawmakers created another barrier to voting in 2021 by banning curbside voting. Curbside voting, used successfully in Mississippi and other states, would make it easier for many older adults, pregnant voters and people with disabilities to access polling places.

Another limitation on civic participation came in 2024, when the Legislature passed a law that makes it a felony to receive or provide funding knowingly for certain forms of assisting voters with absentee ballot applications. The threat of criminal penalties likely will have a chilling effect on organizations and people who are trying in good faith to assist voters who need help.

Other proposals in recent years have sought to create further limits on Alabamians making their voices heard. These bills have included attempts to remove election officials’ ability to respond to declared emergencies by extending voting hours or accommodating voter needs.

Pro-democracy policies would build a better Alabama

Alabama has a painful history of dismantling systems that ensure democracy if doing so would help those in power. But our state can and should pursue a better path by lifting barriers to civic participation and making it easier for all Alabamians to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Here are a few policies that would strengthen democracy in our state:

  • Register voters automatically through driver’s license offices unless they choose to opt out of registration. Automatic voter registration increases voter turnout, and it has worked well in states like Georgia and West Virginia.
  • Remove the modern poll tax that requires repayment of fines and fees before many people convicted of a criminal offense can regain voting rights.
  • Allow an early voting period for voters who cannot make it to the polls on Election Day.
  • Create a same-day voter registration process.
  • Remove the ban on curbside voting to increase accessibility for voters with disabilities and for older voters.
  • Eliminate the burdensome photo ID requirement for voters to cast ballots.
  • Allow absentee voting without requiring voters to provide an excuse.
  • Make Election Day a state holiday.

Bottom line

Hostility to democracy and civic engagement is a longstanding and shameful characteristic of Alabama’s racist and discriminatory past. And recent new voting limitations unfortunately have demonstrated that the anti-democratic mindset remains a powerful presence in our state.

Pro-democracy policies like early voting and automatic voter registration would help move Alabama away from its shameful past. Removing policy barriers to voting in Alabama would help build a more equitable future where our policymakers are responsive, inclusive and justice-serving, and where every Alabamian can stay engaged in the policymaking process.

Former Arise senior policy analyst Mike Nicholson contributed to this fact sheet. 

Fund public transportation to improve life for all Alabamians

By Dev Wakeley

Overview

Inadequate funding for public transportation keeps thousands of people across Alabama from meeting basic needs. Unreliable bus systems cause people to be late for work, risking the loss of their jobs. If parents have a car that breaks down in rural Alabama, their children may miss doctor’s appointments, school and other activities because public transit options are booked well ahead of time. Without reliable rides, people needing medical care miss check-ups and treatments, worsening Alabama’s rural health crisis.

Even when the transit system works, it falls far short of meeting public needs. No public transit system in Alabama operates past 11 p.m., even on weekends, and many rural lines operate by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Alabama must do more to meet the challenge of connecting its people to jobs, services and education.

A 1952 amendment to Alabama’s constitution (Amendment 93) prevents using state gasoline tax revenues for purposes other than roads and bridges. As a result, the most logical source of state funding for public transit, a source all our neighboring states use, remains off limits in Alabama. Without dedicated state funding, Alabamians will continue to lack transit options that residents of other states enjoy. Building this modern public transit infrastructure would provide a job-creating boost for economic development.

The Alabama Public Transportation Trust Fund (PTTF) was created in 2018 to help fix our transit issues, but the Legislature has never funded it. The return on transit investment makes allocating money to the PTTF a wise use of public funds. Every million dollars invested in transit creates 50 full-time jobs, which are long-term jobs with good pay. A $50 million General Fund appropriation could enable federal matching up to $200 million for capital improvements and could double the investment for operations expenses.

Bottom line

Alabama’s public transit systems need state investment to provide the same services as our neighboring states. Now is the time to invest in public transportation to ensure all Alabamians can participate in our economy and get where they need to go.

Support legislation to fund public transit, increase workforce participation and improve lives

  • Alabama is late to the table on state funding for public transit, and it’s time to catch up. All four of our neighboring states fund public transportation.
  • Our state leaves millions in federal matching funds on the table every year. The federal matching rate for capital improvements is 4-to-1 – or up to 400% of state investment. For operations, federal grants can double state investment.
  • Every million dollars spent on operations creates 50 jobs. These jobs provide good benefits and an average operator’s salary of more than $70,000.
  • Alabama’s public transit options are limited because of lack of funds. No public transportation service in our state operates past 11 p.m., even on weekends.
  • Companies and workers identify transportation needs as one of the biggest current barriers to workforce participation.

What would SB 11 do if passed?

  • SB 11, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would create a $5 vehicle tag fee to provide a dedicated funding source for public transit needs across Alabama. This would provide about $25 million in state funding each year to the Public Transportation Trust Fund (PTTF), which the state created in 2018 but has not yet funded.
  • With federal matching funds, this investment would fuel up to $125 million worth of transit projects every year. These investments would create stable, high-quality jobs and help build our state’s infrastructure to support Alabamians’ workforce participation.

The PTTF’s flexibility would empower the state to help stabilize struggling rural counties while also supporting infrastructure needs in fast-growing regions.

Paid parental leave improves life for Alabama workers

By Dev Wakeley

Overview

We all benefit when new parents are able to dedicate more time to bonding with their children. Paid parental leave is a crucial policy to promote stronger families, and it also helps more people remain in the workforce and continue to contribute to our economy. Alabama lawmakers should embrace the opportunity to ensure paid parental leave is available for all state employees and teachers.

Paid parental leave’s benefits for Alabama children and parents are clear and broad. Babies have better outcomes across the board when their parents can stay with them in the crucial weeks after birth. Fewer babies are born with dangerously low birth weights when mothers have paid leave to address medical issues throughout pregnancy. Paid leave also cuts the risk of rehospitalization in half for mothers and infants following birth.

From an economic perspective, paid leave also makes sense for employers because it reduces employee turnover. This policy can help employers save the equivalent of 50% to 200% of a worker’s salary on hiring and training a new worker to replace one who otherwise might have to quit to meet caregiving duties. Paid parental leave is a common-sense, pro-family policy that will result in a better, healthier future for all of us across Alabama.

Paid parental leave is growing across the South

Since 2020, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee have implemented paid parental leave for new groups of public-sector workers. After enactment, Georgia doubled its initial parental leave duration. Municipalities, too, are beginning to recognize the benefits of paid leave for workers. Birmingham implemented 12-week paid parental leave coverage for its city employees in 2023.

These steps forward contribute greatly to better quality of life for the workers covered by the new policies. Paid parental leave eases economic stresses for new parents and helps mothers in particular to remain in the workforce.

Beyond the benefits to workers, state agencies also benefit from providing paid parental leave. Workers who have more stable economic situations and feel valued as people are less likely to leave a job. And employee churn is expensive for agencies. The average cost of replacing a worker is between six and nine months’ salary. For technical employees, filling an open position can cost employers double the worker’s salary.

Great momentum for paid parental leave in Alabama

Alabama has an opportunity to take the same step forward as many of our neighboring states. Bills to provide parental leave for both state employees and teachers made significant progress in the 2024 legislative session. Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, sponsored a bill that passed the House and came one step from Senate passage last year. Shaver will file the bill again in 2025. As introduced, this bill would provide eight weeks of paid parental leave for state employees, covering childbirth and adoption.

Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, sponsored a bill to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for teachers in 2024. This bill won Senate committee approval, and it was combined with the state employees’ bill on the Senate floor before time ran out on the last day of the session to iron out details and secure passage. Covering teachers is important with regard to retention because better compensation policies can overcome some of the factors that contribute to teachers leaving the profession.

Best practices for paid parental leave in Alabama

Alabama has an opportunity to implement a paid leave policy that will lead the South. A first-class parental leave policy should meet these standards to ensure the highest benefit to both workers’ quality of life and agencies’ retention rates:

  • Sufficient duration. At least 12 weeks of parental leave at full replacement rate should be available to workers.
  • Broad coverage. Both parents should be covered to support bonding and recovery of both mothers and infants.
  • Flexibility. Workers should be able to use parental leave at a time they decide would best benefit their families in the first year of a child’s life.
  • Inclusivity. Workers should be able to use parental leave for adoptions, childbirth, long-term foster care and new family caregiving duties.
  • Availability after adverse outcomes. Leave should be available in case of a child’s death during the first year or of a miscarriage after the first trimester.

Bottom line

Like any employer, our state should ensure its workers have jobs that support their ability to care for their families. The teachers, social workers and many other state employees who help look after our children and who build up Alabama for all the families in the state should be able to create and grow their own families without scrambling to pay the bills.

Paid parental leave is a common-sense policy that helps workers care for their families while maintaining their careers and financial well-being. State officials often have said Alabama is pro-family. Ensuring that teachers and state employees have paid parental leave is an important step to prove it.

Remove tax incentives for companies that break child labor laws in Alabama

By Dev Wakeley

Overview

Companies that accept public money through economic development incentives should be held accountable when breaking laws that protect workers. 

But because Alabama’s historical development model caters to big companies at the expense of workers, consequences for bad actors are too light. 

The state’s development philosophy is heavy on tax breaks and light on accountability for companies that accept them.

These tax incentives can climb to hundreds of millions of dollars per company. But policymakers too often don’t demand good wages, fair treatment of workers, or worker input into decisions when handing out incentives. 

Further, the state doesn’t take public money away when companies and their subsidiaries break labor laws, including laws that prohibit employing children in dangerous work.

The scourge of child labor violations in Alabama

Child labor scandals have plagued the state recently, and the number of children illegally employed nationally has increased significantly in recent years. Bad employers often seek out cheap labor to maximize profits, and that profit-above-all mentality can result in worker abuses.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor sued multiple companies in the Hyundai supply chain for violations occurring at a facility in Luverne. The lawsuit alleged that Hyundai, its subsidiary SL Alabama and temporary worker agency Best Practice Service jointly employed a 13-year-old to work 60-hour weeks in auto manufacturing. 

Hyundai received more than a quarter of a billion dollars in tax incentives for the initial plant buildout, and the company has received millions more since then in expansion incentives.

At the same time Alabama has refused to force accountability on companies for breaking child labor laws, the state has stripped incentive eligibility from companies that voluntarily recognize unions. 

Many lawmakers voted to strip incentives from companies that choose to support workplace democracy. But the Legislature so far has not extended the same financial consequences for companies that break child labor laws.

Hyundai’s supply chain is not alone in violations of child labor laws. Alabama’s agricultural industry, particularly chicken processing plants, has a recurring problem with employers exploiting child labor in dangerous work settings. 

And child labor violations can be deadly for workers victimized by bad employers. As one example, Apex Roofing paid a $117,175 fine in 2024 after a 15-year-old boy in Cullman County fell to his death on his first day illegally working to install a roof on an industrial building.

Not all companies with child labor problems have gotten generous state incentives like Hyundai has received. But common sense dictates that Alabama shouldn’t be using public money – much of which ironically is diverted from the Education Trust Fund – to subsidize companies that illegally employ children in dangerous work.

How Alabama lawmakers can fix this problem

SB 22, sponsored by Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, would be an important step toward corporate accountability in Alabama. This bill would allow removal of tax incentives from companies that violate either state human trafficking laws or child labor provisions in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

This bill would provide an important enforcement avenue for basic standards of human decency from employers and important protections for Alabama’s children.

Bottom line

Companies that break child labor laws shouldn’t receive public money while they’re doing so. The people of Alabama deserve good jobs and responsible employers. Economic development does not require that we accept bad actor companies taking dangerous, illegal shortcuts. Bad employers harm their workers and the overall economy, and they shouldn’t be rewarded for exploitative business practices.

SB 22’s removal of tax incentives from child labor law violators would help protect Alabama children from dangerous economic exploitation. And it would force companies to act more fairly toward workers and communities across our state.

School breakfast for all: What Alabama can do to help feed all of our kids

By Alabama Arise

By Carol Gundlach, senior policy analyst, and LaTrell Clifford Wood, hunger policy advocate | January 2025

Overview

Alabama can and should do more to equip our children and our schools for success. One big step would be to provide school breakfast for all our children. And our lawmakers can make major progress toward that goal this year with a modest allocation from the Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget.

Alabama Arise is recommending an ETF appropriation of $16 million to support public schools, including public charter schools, that wish to provide breakfast to all their students. 

From this amount, each of the 1,459 Alabama schools participating in the National School Lunch Program would be eligible to receive a $5,000 base grant to upgrade their food service capacities.

The remaining $8.7 million could be distributed to eligible schools to bring their breakfast service reimbursements to the maximum possible federal level.

The benefits of school breakfast

Children who start the day with breakfast learn better, participate more in class and are less likely to skip school than are kids who don’t get breakfast. But tight family budgets, busy mornings and before-daylight bus routes can mean many children arrive at school hungry. School districts across the country have found that breakfast for all children, served after the first bell, reduces hunger and helps kids learn.

It’s time for Alabama’s school districts to join their peers nationwide in feeding breakfast to all of our kids. Here are just a few of the benefits:

School breakfast reduces child hunger across our state. In Alabama, 23% of school-age children are food insecure, meaning they do not always have enough to eat or know when they will get their next meal. That rate is even higher among children of color. School breakfast could guarantee a morning meal for all Alabama children during the school day. School breakfast for all kids also allows schools to experiment with food delivery services like grab-and-go kiosks or breakfast in the classroom that increase participation and make sure kids are ready to start the day.

School breakfast reduces chronic absenteeism. Nearly 1 in 5 Alabama children have been chronically absent from school, and 53% of Alabama schools have high absenteeism rates. Research has shown that students who get breakfast at school have improved attendance and decreased tardiness, according to the Food Research and Action Center. 

School breakfast improves standardized testing and math scores. Alabama ranks 48th in average math ACT scores. Academic achievement improves, especially for math, when breakfast is available for school-age children.

School breakfast reduces behavioral problems. Child hunger contributes to impulsivity, hyperactivity, irritability, aggression, anxiety and substance abuse, according to the National Institutes of Health. Reducing hunger would reduce these behaviors.

How Alabama lawmakers can help feed children

The Alabama Legislature can help schools offer school breakfast for all children.  The Legislature can help feed Alabama’s schoolchildren by appropriating ETF dollars to match federal funds for school breakfast. Schools that choose to offer breakfast to all their children can use these matching funds to give all their students breakfast at the start of the school day. Thirty-five other states are considering similar legislation, and eight states have approved some form of school meals for every child.

How is school breakfast funded now? Many schools already provide breakfast for all children, but other schools need state help. Some Alabama schools offer breakfast to income-eligible children under the traditional federal School Breakfast Program, administered by the Alabama State Department of Education. 

Schools with a significant number of low-income children can receive the maximum federal reimbursement for all meals served. But some Alabama schools can’t make the federal reimbursement rate work for them without additional state or local dollars. And some Alabama schools would like to offer breakfast for all their children but don’t want to deal with federal regulations that might impact their Title 1 distribution to local schools.

Bottom line

Providing school breakfast at all public schools would be an important step to improve child nutrition and student success. An ETF budget appropriation of approximately $16 million would allow Alabama schools to be made whole if they can’t receive the maximum federal reimbursement for these meals. This support for school breakfast for all would help children grow, thrive and learn across Alabama.

What are the benefits of a universal school breakfast program in Alabama?

By LaTrell Clifford Wood

Alabama should do more to equip schoolchildren and teachers for success. Our state consistently ranks among the bottom five states for educational outcomes. And one essential school supply missing from several Alabama schools would immensely improve said outcomes: universal school breakfast. Below are a few of the positive effects that universal school breakfast would have for children across Alabama.

Reduce child hunger across our state. In Alabama, 23% of school-age children are food insecure, with a disparate impact among children of color. Universal school breakfast could guarantee a morning meal for all Alabama children during their required school day.

Address chronic absenteeism. In recent years, nearly 1 in 5 Alabama children have been chronically absent, with 53% of Alabama schools experiencing some form of high to chronic absenteeism. Decades of research has shown that students who participate in school breakfast see improved attendance and decreased tardiness, according to the Food Research and Action Center. 

Improve adolescent mental health. Young adults who reported experiencing food insecurity during childhood also reported greater psychological distress in adulthood, according to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.

Improve standardized testing and math scores. Alabama ranks 46th in average math ACT scores. Student academic achievement increases, especially for math, when accessible breakfasts are made available to school-age children.

Reduce the long-term cost of closing the health coverage gap. Given the chronic health conditions associated with hunger, like diabetes and heart disease to name a few, a state subsidy for universal school breakfast is a form of preventative care that could have a long-term impact on the projected cost of closing the coverage gap in Alabama.

Alleviate behavioral problems. The behavioral effects of hunger include impulsivity, hyperactivity, irritability, aggression, anxiety and a greater propensity to using rewarding narcotics, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health. Reducing hunger would reduce these behaviors.

Aid Alabama’s teachers in regulating their classrooms. Attrition rates among teachers have surged nationwide and statewide in recent years. Teachers spend roughly $300 per year of their own money to feed hungry students in their classrooms.

Address educator attrition rates. Nearly 40% of teachers who left the profession said they had better material support in their current roles when compared to teaching, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Education Sciences. Universal school breakfast is a simple but powerful way to provide material support for Alabama’s teachers and students.

For questions regarding the implementation, impact and general importance of universal school breakfast, please contact Alabama Arise’s LaTrell Clifford Wood at latrell@alarise.org or Carol Gundlach at carol@alarise.org.

Universal school breakfast helps Alabama children learn and thrive

By Carol Gundlach

School breakfast helps kids learn: Children who start the day with breakfast learn better. They have better classroom participation and are less likely to skip school than kids who don’t get breakfast. But tight family budgets and stressful mornings mean many children arrive at school hungry. School breakfast can help fill this gap.

School, bus and family schedules make it difficult to serve breakfast before the school day begins: School breakfast participation declined nearly 8% nationally after pandemic-era free breakfast ended. Only half of the children who get lunch at school also get breakfast.

The solution – universal free breakfast: School districts across the country have found that breakfast served after the first bell increases participation and helps kids learn.

Paperwork is a barrier for hungry children: Federal funding for traditional school breakfast relies on school’s assessing students’ eligibility for meal subsidies and reporting on how many free, reduced and paid meals are served. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) can reduce the paperwork for schools that serve a high share of children with low incomes. But many schools either can’t make CEP work financially or worry about its impact on other federal grants.

What the Legislature can do: The Legislature can help feed Alabama’s schoolchildren by appropriating Education Trust Fund (ETF) money to match federal reduced and paid breakfast funds. Schools that want to offer free breakfast can use these matching funds to provide breakfast for all of their students at the start of the school day.

How this would work: The Legislature would appropriate money to match federal school breakfast grants. The Alabama State Department of Education would allow local schools to apply and would distribute these matching dollars. Schools that receive funding would report to, and be monitored by, the Department of Education.

The decision to offer free breakfast is optional: Whether to apply for matching funds would be totally voluntary for schools or systems. Those that want to participate can apply for the matching funds. Those that don’t think it will work for them can choose not to apply.

How this would interact with CEP: The Community Eligibility Provision allows eligible schools to provide free meals for all their students. But some Alabama schools that are technically eligible for CEP can’t make the federal reimbursement rate work for them. And other Alabama schools would like to offer free breakfast but don’t want to adopt CEP fully. This proposal would allow schools to be made whole if they do adopt CEP or would allow schools to offer universal breakfast without having to adopt CEP fully.

Bottom line

An ETF appropriation of approximately $14 million in 2023 dollars would allow every school in Alabama to offer breakfast to all of their students.

 

CHOOSE Act will further hurt Alabama’s public schools

By Carol Gundlach

Many Alabamians think of public education as a natural part of growing up and of community life. Public schools are at the center of hundreds of communities across our state. And their calendars often set a rhythm for the flow of the year: football games in the fall, band concerts and theater productions in the winter, proms in the spring and graduation ceremonies in May.

So it might surprise most Alabamians to know the Alabama Constitution – our foundational document – does not guarantee our children a right to public education. And despite our pride in our local schools, Alabama historically has failed to fund those schools adequately.

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia spend more in state and local funds per student than Alabama. And despite legislative boasts that Alabama education budgets have hit record high, our state funding for K-12 schools since 2009 has failed to keep up with inflation.

Now a new law will make that underinvestment even worse. Alabama’s public schools took a big funding hit in 2024 when the Legislature passed the Creating Hope and Opportunity for our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act. The CHOOSE Act will give parents a refundable tax credit of up to $7,000 per child for private school or homeschooling. Parents will be eligible for the credit regardless of whether their child has ever been enrolled in a public school. And in a few years, every parent in Alabama will be eligible, no matter how high their income may be.

Because the tax credit is refundable, parents can receive more money for private school tuition than they actually paid in taxes. The money for these “education savings accounts” – essentially school vouchers by another name – will come from sales and income tax revenues that otherwise would go to Alabama’s public schools under the Education Trust Fund (ETF).

How the CHOOSE Act became law

Lawmakers laid the foundation for the CHOOSE Act in 2013 when they hurriedly passed the Alabama Accountability Act (AAA). That law created a limited number of tax credits to subsidize private school tuition, with priority given to parents of children zoned for so-called “failing schools.” Many of these schools serve disproportionate shares of Black and Hispanic students and are located in communities with high poverty rates and a history of state underinvestment. The AAA also gave tax breaks for donations to some groups that give scholarships to pay for private school tuition. State law caps the total amount of AAA tax credits at $40 million annually, with flexibility for that amount to increase to $60 million eventually.

The CHOOSE Act will cost much more, and it is part of a broader nationwide legislative push by conservative activists. More than a dozen states have passed school voucher bills, spurred by ideology rooted in hostility to public education and a misplaced belief that competition improves education. Vouchers for private education are also a key recommendation in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.

In her 2024 State of the State address, Gov. Kay Ivey said, “Passing an education savings account bill … is my number one priority.” The Legislature responded by passing the CHOOSE Act early in the session. Alabama Arise testified against the legislation in both House and Senate committee hearings, but lawmakers fast-tracked the bill to Ivey. She signed it into law in March 2024.

Tax credits eventually will go to all families, regardless of income

Even the wealthiest Alabamians will qualify for CHOOSE Act tax credits – and even if their children never attended public school. Beginning in the 2025 school year, eligibility for education savings accounts under the act will extend to families with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level (approximately $77,460 for a family of three in 2024). But beginning in the 2027 school year, there will be no income limits to receive the taxpayer funds for private school.

Children raising hands in a classroom. Children who have special needs, whose parents are active duty service members, or whose siblings already receive a tax credit will have priority. But the law does not require that participating families ever have sent a child to public school. So parents who are already paying private school tuition will become eligible for taxpayer subsidies for their existing private school enrollment.

And because the act places no limit on how many families can get tax credits, almost every applicant will be eligible – with one exception. Undocumented parents and their children are ineligible for the tax credits. Even if the children are American citizens, and even if the parents are paying state, local and federal taxes.

The only limit on the CHOOSE Act’s cost is how much money the Legislature is willing to spend on it. The law requires lawmakers to allocate at least $100 million a year for tax credits under the plan. But without a cap on the overall amount of CHOOSE Act credits, legislators quickly could face enormous pressure to divert much more ETF money away from public schools.

Concerns about a lack of oversight

Schools that receive taxpayer subsidies under the CHOOSE Act will have relatively little public oversight. The act requires much less accountability from private schools than is required from Alabama’s public schools.

Schools that receive funds from education savings accounts are prohibited from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. But the law is silent on their ability to discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability status. And while the act names children with special needs as priorities for education savings accounts, private schools – unlike public schools – have no obligation to admit children with special needs.

Schools that receive CHOOSE Act subsidies must be accredited. But a wide list of potential accreditation agencies exists, and the law provides no guarantee that a child will receive an education equivalent to that provided by public schools. Similarly, a standardized assessment of student progress is required, but the assessment now required for public school students is not required for private school students using education savings accounts.

Schools that receive funds under the CHOOSE Act are specifically allowed complete autonomy in designing their curriculum, including religious instruction. And the act does not explicitly forbid these schools to discriminate based on religion in employment and admission policies.

The CHOOSE Act will take money out of public schools

The CHOOSE Act will take a minimum of $100 million from Alabama’s public schools every year starting in fiscal year 2026. This would be a devastating financial blow for underfunded K-12 schools across our state.Chalkboard art with text that reads: :The CHOOSE Act will take a minimum of $100 million from Alabama’s public schools every year starting in fiscal year 2026."

That’s bad enough. But things could get much worse: The law does not cap how much can be spent on education savings accounts. And the CHOOSE Act specifically states legislators’ intent to increase expenditures whenever the demand for tax credits exceeds 90% of the allocated funds in the prior year. As accountants across Alabama begin urging their clients to pursue tax credits to help cover the cost of their children’s private school tuition, lawmakers could face intense pressure to allocate significantly more for education savings accounts.

If the takeup of these accounts is high enough, the CHOOSE Act could drain hundreds of millions of dollars each year from the ETF budget and from our public schools. That could lead to larger class sizes and less money for textbooks, technology, school maintenance and other investments in Alabama children’s educational success.

This gutting of money from public schools has played out in other states that have adopted similar programs. In Arizona, education savings accounts were forecast to cost $33 million in the first year and $65 million in the second. Actual costs were more than 10 times higher: nearly $600 million in the first year and more than $700 million in the second. In New Hampshire, costs exploded from an estimate of $300,000 in the first year to more than $8 million in the first year to $25 million in the third.

School ‘choice’ doesn’t improve student achievement

Studies of school achievement have shown that public support of private education doesn’t necessarily lead to higher student achievement or better test scores. Instead, increases in school funding, especially dollars targeted to children with the greatest needs, do improve test scores, graduation rates and post-graduation wages.

The Alabama Legislature is studying the formula by which our state funds public education, with an eye toward increasing equity and opportunity. Any diversion of money to private schools only hurts our efforts to achieve more equitable funding for public schools.

Bottom line

Alabama needs to invest in high-quality public schools focused on meeting the needs of children who live in poverty or face other educational barriers. And our state needs to reject efforts to divert public education dollars to subsidize wealthy households and benefit unaccountable private schools. The CHOOSE Act was the wrong choice for Alabama families, and lawmakers should either drastically reform it or repeal it.

Expand Medicaid to save moms and babies in Alabama

By Debbie Smith

Where you live shouldn’t impact whether you get health care. But many women face preventable barriers to obtaining maternal health care in Alabama. Closing Alabama’s health coverage gap through Medicaid expansion is an essential part of the solution.

Alabama has experienced a steady rate of labor and delivery department closures in recent years, creating several maternity care deserts in Alabama.

  • A maternity care desert is defined as a county or area with a lack of access to maternity care resources. These areas often have no obstetric providers and no birth centers or hospitals offering obstetric care.
  • More than one-third of Alabama counties are maternity care deserts, with some people having to drive up to 100 miles to reach the nearest labor and delivery department. The lack of essential delivery and prenatal care in the Black Belt and other areas worsens the state’s maternal and infant health disparities, especially for women with low incomes.
  • Since October 2023, at least four hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments.

The closure of accessible labor and delivery departments is dangerous for mothers and babies.

Expanding Medicaid would help strengthen access to maternity care providers by improving rural hospitals’ overall finances, which could reduce the number of labor and delivery department closures in the state.

Alabama has the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation. Similarly, Alabama’s infant death rates are higher than those in most other states. Alabama has the nation’s third highest infant death rate.

Medicaid expansion can help address the high maternal mortality rate and health disparities in Alabama by ensuring continuous coverage before, during and after pregnancy.

  • Medicaid expansion would provide more women with access to regular prenatal checkups, leading to early detection and management of potential health issues for both the mother and the baby.
  • Research shows that adoption of Medicaid expansion is associated with lower rates of maternal mortality, and reduction in infant mortality as well.
  • Medicaid expansion also has been found to increase preconception health counseling, folic acid intake and postpartum contraception.

Summer EBT for 2025

By LaTrell Clifford Wood

A state appropriation for Summer EBT will ensure $40 in food benefits per summer month for more than 500,000 eligible Alabama children ages 5-17.

 

An Alabama Arise flyer explaining the need for and benefits of Summer EBT starting in 2025.

1 in 4 Alabama children are food insecure.

Too many of our children don’t know where their next meal will come from. Because of systemic barriers to food access, 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 both reducing hunger and supporting healthier diets among children.

500,000+ Alabama children will benefit starting in 2025.

In recent years, 94% of Alabama’s children who relied on free and reduced-price meals during the school year have not had access to these meals over the summer. The Summer EBT appropriation in the 2025 Education Trust Fund budget will help reduce hunger for hundreds of thousands of Alabama children in summer 2025.

Summer EBT could spur $100M each year in economic activity.

This federal nutrition program required a $10 million state match for administrative and setup costs. This funding will generate substantial economic benefits, both for families and for local retailers that accept EBT benefits. Also worth noting: The costs of operating this program likely will decrease in future years.

Preparing for Summer 2025

  • Summer EBT cards will be addressed to and in the eligible child’s name.
  • Children will be automatically eligible to receive Summer EBT benefits if at least one of these is true:
    • The child’s household receives assistance under Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and/or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).
    • The child is in foster care or experiencing homelessness.
  • Applications will be required for all other eligible children.