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With the Alabama Legislature set to convene on Feb. 4, Alabama Arise is outlining its priorities for the 2025 session, advocating for policy changes aimed at fostering dignity, equity, and justice across the state. The nonprofit, which has long championed issues affecting low-income Alabamians, is pushing for Medicaid expansion, voting rights protections, public transportation funding, and other critical reforms.
Health Care: Closing the Coverage Gap
Alabama remains one of just 10 states that has refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without health coverage. Despite the economic and public health benefits of expansion, state leaders have allowed political posturing to overshadow practical solutions. Alabama Arise is renewing its push to close the coverage gap this session, citing the cost in lost federal dollars, job opportunities, and lives.
Grocery Tax: Finishing What Lawmakers Started
Alabama remains one of the few states that still applies a full sales tax to groceries, a policy that disproportionately burdens lower-income families. In 2023, lawmakers finally acted to cut the state’s portion of the grocery tax in half, following years of advocacy. Alabama Arise is pressing to remove the remaining tax in a responsible way that ensures adequate funding for public schools.
Public Transportation: A Missing Link in Workforce Participation
With one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the country—just 58% as of November 2024—Alabama faces a severe workforce crisis. According to a study commissioned by the governor’s office, 31% of job seekers cite a lack of reliable transportation as a primary barrier to employment. Yet Alabama remains one of only three states that provides no direct state funding for public transportation. Advocates argue that investment in transit infrastructure is not just an economic issue, but a necessity for thousands of workers.
Voting Rights: Restoring Access and Preventing Suppression
Since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted federal preclearance protections in 2013, Alabama lawmakers have repeatedly passed measures that restrict voting rights. Last year’s passage of SB 1 further complicated the process for those assisting with absentee voting. Alabama Arise is pushing for legislative measures such as the Alabama Voting Rights Act to restore protections, ensure absentee ballot access, and simplify voting rights restoration for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Maternal and Infant Health: Proving Alabama Cares About Families
Alabama has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the nation, yet policy solutions to address the crisis have been slow to gain traction. Advocates are urging lawmakers to prioritize investments in maternal health care, expand provider access, and extend coverage for postpartum care.
School Breakfast: Fighting Child Hunger
A $16 million investment in universal school breakfast could help combat child hunger, reduce absenteeism, and improve student outcomes. Alabama Arise is calling on lawmakers to ensure every district maximizes federal meal program funding and provides no-cost breakfast to all children.
Death Penalty Reform: Addressing a Broken System
With increasing national opposition to capital punishment, Alabama’s death penalty system remains under scrutiny. The state made a modest reform in 2017 by banning judicial overrides of jury sentencing decisions, but that change did not apply retroactively. Alabama Arise is pushing for broader reforms, including making the override ban retroactive and addressing systemic flaws in the state’s capital punishment system.
Parole System: Fixing a Broken Process
Alabama’s parole system remains mired in dysfunction, with racial disparities and excessive denials keeping many incarcerated individuals behind bars long past their eligible dates. Arise is calling for increased oversight of the parole board, more transparency in decision-making, and a guarantee that incarcerated individuals have the right to attend their own parole hearings.
Paid Parental Leave for State Employees
If Alabama leaders want to claim they are pro-family, advocates argue they should start by ensuring paid parental leave for teachers, social workers, and other state employees. Alabama Arise is urging lawmakers to implement this policy to provide stability for working families while improving recruitment and retention in key state roles.
As the legislative session approaches, the debate over these issues is set to intensify. Alabama Arise and its supporters are hoping to see meaningful progress in 2025—but whether lawmakers will act remains an open question.
