Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet
Vote ‘No’ on SB 84: Junk health plans are not the solution for Alabama’s health coverage gap
Junk health plans lack basic consumer protections. SB 84 would allow a “nonprofit agricultural organization” to offer unregulated health plans to its members in Alabama. The bill explicitly says these benefits would “not [be] provided through an insurance policy.” Unlike health insurance sold by other carriers, plans like the ones offered under SB 84 could [...]
Fact Sheet
HB 89 and SB 102 would improve maternal health, save money and save lives in Alabama
Presumptive eligibility allows doctors and other providers to determine Medicaid eligibility for expectant mothers who are likely to be eligible. This allows women to begin receiving Medicaid coverage in the first trimester without having to wait for the agency’s official eligibility decision. More than 50% of expectant mothers in Alabama are eligible for Medicaid coverage [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s death penalty system remains unusually cruel
Overview Alabama took an important step toward death penalty reform in 2017, but the state’s system remains broken. That year, Alabama finally outlawed judicial override in capital cases. That means judges no longer can impose the death penalty when a jury recommends life without parole. But the ban was not retroactive, and dozens of people [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s parole system is still broken. How can we fix it?
Overview Alabama’s parole system has fallen far short of even its own standards for success over the last five years. These failures have worsened the shortcomings in our criminal justice system. Alabama’s three-member parole board granted parole in only 26% of cases in 2024, even though its own guidelines recommended parole in 81%. Alabama has [...]
Fact Sheet
Expand voting rights to right past wrongs and safeguard democracy in Alabama
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
Fund public transportation to improve life for all Alabamians
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
Paid parental leave improves life for Alabama workers
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
Remove tax incentives for companies that break child labor laws in Alabama
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
School breakfast for all: What Alabama can do to help feed all of our kids
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
What are the benefits of a universal school breakfast program in Alabama?
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 [...]