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Arise legislative update: Week of Jan. 19, 2026
Arise's LaTrell Clifford Wood focuses this week on one of our key hunger relief priorities: no-cost school meals. After the Legislature increased state funding for school meals last year, Alabama public schools served 2.8 million more breakfasts to our Alabama students in fall 2025. Greater access to school meals improves learning outcomes, and Arise is [...]
Blog
Arise 2026: How we’re working to build a better Alabama
Alabama Arise believes in dignity, equity and justice for all. We believe in an Alabama where everyone's voice is heard and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. And we believe better public policies are the key to building a brighter future for our state. Below, we'll share some details of that vision [...]
Fact Sheet
Empower workers to build an economy that works for all Alabamians
By Dev Wakeley, worker policy advocate (dev@alarise.org), and Adam Keller, Worker Power Campaign director (adam@alarise.org) Alabama has a history of anti-worker policies that prioritize the interests of wealthy corporations over those of working people. This top-down structure has led to our state falling behind in measurable standards of well-being. Alabamians have shorter lifespans, worse health [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s tax system is upside down and needs real reform
Alabama’s tax structure is among the nation’s most unfair and unjust. The state is heavily reliant on regressive sales taxes on consumer goods that account for a larger share of spending for households with low incomes. Our state continues to tax groceries, though at a lower rate than other goods after grocery tax reductions in [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s justice system should focus on rehabilitation, not cruelty
Alabama’s criminal justice system too often prioritizes punishment over evidence-based interventions. This cruel orientation has fueled heavy-handed sentencing policies and a broken parole system. And it has led to a death penalty system where state officials continue to kill prisoners against the recommendation of the juries that convicted them. In 2021, lawmakers spent $400 million [...]
Fact Sheet
An inclusive democracy is vital to building a better Alabama for all
Alabama was central to the struggle for democracy and voting rights in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. And the need for our state to do more to build a more inclusive democracy continues today. That is especially true after recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting the rights [...]
Fact Sheet
Federal SNAP cuts underscore Alabama’s need to protect and increase food access
Alabama’s food insecurity rates are among the worst in the country. More than 1 in 6 people in our state (17%) face food insecurity, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. And that share is even larger for children: Nearly 1 in 4 Alabama children (23%) live in households with food insecurity. Food assistance [...]
Fact Sheet
Closing the health coverage gap: Alabama must enact policies to save lives
By Jennifer Harris, senior health policy advocate, and Debbie Smith, Cover Alabama campaign director As Alabama enters the 2026 legislative session, Medicaid expansion and maternal health will be central to the state’s health equity conversations. Recent federal policy changes have made these conversations more urgent and more complex. Alabama Arise will continue to support health [...]
Fact Sheet
Strong investments in schools, housing and transit improve life for all Alabamians
Strong funding for public services like education and public health broadens opportunity for everyone, especially for Alabamians with low incomes. Alabama Arise members for decades have urged robust and secure state funding for these services. Arise members’ top budget priorities for 2026 include: Public school funding Lawmakers made important improvements to Alabama’s K-12 funding formula [...]
Blog
Arise legislative update: Week of Jan. 12, 2026
Arise's Robyn Hyden welcomes everyone to the Alabama Legislature's 2026 regular session. Watch to see what to expect this year and to learn more about our advocacy on school breakfast, protecting funding for public schools and other member-selected legislative priorities. Click the link below for a full rundown on our 2026 priorities. Full transcript: Happy [...]