News Releases

Public policy barriers prevent far too many Alabamians from getting ahead. Our duty is to speak out against those barriers and identify solutions to give everyone an opportunity to reach their full potential. Check out our news releases and press statements about our research, organizing and advocacy for policies to make life better for Alabamians who are struggling to make ends meet.

News Releases

Advocates visit Alabama lawmakers to urge support for Medicaid expansion

[caption id="attachment_7830" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Alabama Arise board member Kenneth King speaks at Cover Alabama's advocacy event outside the State House in Montgomery on March 21, 2023. King shared his story of living in Alabama's health coverage gap and urged lawmakers to support Medicaid expansion.[/caption] More than 80 Alabamians gathered outside the State House in Montgomery [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
March 23, 2023
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

Alabama’s death penalty system still in need of reforms to end injustices

Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden released the following statement Friday in response to Gov. Kay Ivey’s announcement that an internal review of executions in Alabama has ended: “All Alabamians deserve equal justice under the law. Unfortunately, the Department of Corrections’ internal review of the state’s execution process did not resolve many of the injustices [...]
Issue
Criminal Justice
Date
February 24, 2023
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

Death penalty moratorium is a chance to end injustices in Alabama’s capital punishment system

Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden released the following statement Monday in response to Gov. Kay Ivey’s request for a pause on executions in Alabama: “All Alabamians deserve equal justice under the law. Gov. Kay Ivey’s call for a temporary halt to executions is a welcome and necessary move toward ending many of the injustices [...]
Issue
Criminal Justice
Date
November 21, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

Public transit, healthy food access among key pathways to increase economic opportunity in Birmingham area, new report finds

Greater Birmingham has experienced a resurgence in economic growth and civic engagement in recent years. But the benefits of this prosperity are not widely shared among everyone living in the region – and a new comprehensive report that Alabama Arise and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) released Thursday shows that people across Jefferson County [...]
Issues
Housing, Public Transportation, Safety Net, Economic Opportunity
Date
November 17, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

52 Alabama groups urge Shelby, Tuberville to support Child Tax Credit, EITC improvements this year

U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby and Tommy Tuberville should support expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in year-end budget legislation, 52 organizations across Alabama wrote in a letter sent to the senators Tuesday. Alabama Arise is among the groups that signed the letter. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) temporarily [...]
Issues
Safety Net, Tax Reform, Economic Opportunity
Date
November 15, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

Alabama Arise unveils 2023 roadmap for change in Alabama

Expanding Medicaid and ending the state sales tax on groceries will remain top goals on Alabama Arise’s 2023 legislative agenda. More than 400 members voted on Arise’s issue priorities in recent days after the organization’s annual meeting Saturday. The seven issues chosen were: Adequate budgets for human services like education, health care and child care, [...]
Issues
Budgets, Criminal Justice, Health, Payday & Title Lending Reform, Public Transportation, Tax Reform, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion
Date
September 29, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

20+ Alabama community groups call on Hyundai to stop alleged use of child labor at suppliers

The Alabama Coalition for Community Benefits issued an open letter on Thursday to Hyundai Motor of North America calling on the company to stop any use of child labor and to negotiate a community benefits agreement. The letter from community leaders in Alabama comes as the U.S. Department of Labor continues to investigate widely reported [...]
Issues
Economic Opportunity, Tax Reform
Date
September 23, 2022
Author
Alabama Arise
News Releases

New Census data reveals how good policy choices can cut poverty, keep Alabamians healthier

People-friendly federal policies reduced poverty and made it easier for people to get health care in 2021, U.S. Census figures released this week show. Perhaps the most eye-opening improvement was a dramatic reduction in child poverty nationwide. The recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion alone kept 5.3 million Americans above the poverty line. The one-year [...]
Issues
Budgets, Health, Tax Reform, Economic Opportunity, Medicaid Expansion
Date
September 15, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

Inflation Reduction Act will make Alabama a healthier state

Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden released the following statement Monday in response to the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday: “The Inflation Reduction Act will help build a healthier future for people across Alabama. This plan will make health coverage more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Alabamians and millions [...]
Issues
Tax Reform, Medicaid Expansion, Budgets, Health
Date
August 8, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

82 Alabama groups urge Ivey, legislators to fund public transportation using ARPA funds

Lawmakers should jump-start public transportation across Alabama with an allocation of $20 million from the state’s remaining federal COVID-19 relief money, according to a letter that 82 churches and organizations across the state sent Wednesday to Gov. Kay Ivey and legislators. Alabama Arise is among the groups that co-signed the letter. The organizations asked Gov. [...]
Issues
Budgets, Public Transportation, Coronavirus
Date
June 22, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders