Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet
Automatic voter registration: Streamlining a basic right
Voting rights are a flashpoint in Alabama’s history. The long denial of those rights to African Americans led to Bloody Sunday in Selma, the march to Montgomery and eventually passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the half-century since, our state has taken a few steps that increase voting access for communities of [...]
Fact Sheet
Public transit is an investment in Alabama’s future
It’s time to jump-start public transportation in Alabama. Our lack of state support for this vital service is hurting people, communities and the broader economy. Many Alabama seniors, people with disabilities, and people with low incomes rely on public transit to go to work, get to the doctor and run essential errands. Yet unlike almost [...]
Fact Sheet
Medicaid work requirement hurts struggling families
Alabama Medicaid is trying to take health coverage away from our state’s poorest parents struggling to make ends meet. Gov. Kay Ivey has to get federal permission to make this harmful change. Here’s why that shouldn’t happen: The work requirement creates a no-win, catch-22 situation. It targets 75,000 of the poorest Alabamians. It’s a trap: They [...]
Fact Sheet
New revenue for a stronger Alabama
What makes a state strong? We likely all could agree on a few answers: healthy people, a dependable workforce, a stable government, safe streets and vibrant communities. But without new revenue to address a huge General Fund budget shortfall, Alabama will face devastating cuts to education, health care, public safety and other vital services that make [...]
Fact Sheet
Proposed Alabama Medicaid changes are ‘a catch-22 that forces people into the coverage gap,’ Alabama Arise tells officials
Alabama’s proposed new Medicaid work requirement waiver would be costly, counterproductive, ineffective and harmful to thousands of families who live in deep poverty, Alabama Arise wrote in official comments submitted to state Medicaid officials on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. “Threatening loss of health care in an attempt to force work efforts, without providing the supports that [...]
Fact Sheet
Payday lending reform: Ending a debt trap in Alabama
Payday loans allow borrowers with a bank account to use a check dated in the future (usually two weeks later) as collateral for a cash loan. To qualify, all a person needs is proof of income (a pay stub or verification of government benefits). Research shows the payday lending business model is designed to keep [...]
Fact Sheet
Proposed new SNAP work requirements would harm struggling families across Alabama
Congress is considering legislation that would impose harsh work requirements on participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP, also known as food stamps, is part of the U.S. Farm Bill that must be reauthorized by Sept. 30, 2018. The version of the Farm Bill that has passed the House Agriculture Committee contains harmful and [...]
Fact Sheet
Why SNAP and the Farm Bill matter to Alabama
The Farm Bill is a federal law that funds and governs many food and agricultural programs. It must be renewed about every five years and is up for reauthorization now. The largest program in it is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP provides vital food assistance to people with very low incomes. It also plays [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama Arise submits comments in opposition to Alabama’s ‘flagrantly cruel’ Medicaid work requirement proposal
Alabama’s proposed new Medicaid work requirement waiver would be costly, counterproductive, ineffective and harmful to thousands of families who live in deep poverty, Arise wrote in comments submitted to the Alabama Medicaid Agency on Thursday, March 22. About 1 million Alabamians – mostly children, seniors, people with disabilities, and pregnant women – have Medicaid coverage. [...]
Fact Sheet
SB 55: Allowing ALEA to issue hardship driving permits makes sense for Alabama
Update: SB 55 is now law! Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill on March 22, following votes in the Alabama House (95-1) and Senate (26-1) to pass a conference committee version of the bill on March 15. Earlier, the House voted 88-5 for a similar version on March 1, while the Senate voted 26-1 for [...]