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

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
Economic Opportunity, Housing, Public Transportation, Safety Net
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
Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion, Budgets, Criminal Justice, Health, Payday & Title Lending Reform, Public Transportation, Tax Reform
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
Tax Reform, Economic Opportunity
Date
September 23, 2022
Author
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
Medicaid Expansion, Budgets, Health, Tax Reform, Economic Opportunity
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
Budgets, Health, Tax Reform, Medicaid Expansion
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
Coronavirus, Budgets, Public Transportation
Date
June 22, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

New poll: Most Alabamians support plan to untax groceries, protect funding for public schools

Nearly three in five Alabamians (59.3%), including 56.1% of Republican voters, support legislation that would remove the state sales tax on groceries without cutting education funding, according to a new poll commissioned by Alabama Arise. Only 25.3% of respondents opposed the plan, with another 15.5% saying they were unsure or did not take a position. [...]
Issue
Tax Reform
Date
March 15, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

New poll: More than 7 in 10 Alabamians support Medicaid expansion

More than seven in 10 Alabamians (71.5%), including 65.8% of Republican voters, support expanding Medicaid when told about arguments in support of the idea, according to a new poll commissioned by Alabama Arise. The poll also showed robust bipartisan support for using a portion of the state’s funding under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) [...]
Issues
Budgets, Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
February 10, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders
News Releases

New poll: Alabamians strongly support use of ARPA funds to protect rural hospitals, increase mental health services

Alabama’s likely voters overwhelmingly support using federal COVID-19 relief funds to increase funding for mental health and rural hospitals, according to a new Alabama Arise poll released Monday. More than four in five respondents (81.1%) supported using a portion of Alabama’s funding under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to invest in rural hospitals and [...]
Issues
Coronavirus, Budgets, Health, Housing, Public Transportation, Tax Reform
Date
January 24, 2022
Author
Chris Sanders