Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet
Payday lending reform: Ending a debt trap in Alabama
On busy highways and run-down streets across the state, you can’t miss them: big, bright signs promising easy money. From payday loans to auto title pawns to anticipation loans on tax refunds, Alabamians face a dizzying array of credit services designed to trap consumers in financial quicksand. This fact sheet highlights the pitfalls of payday [...]
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. Click the "Download" button to read the full comments. About 1 million Alabamians – mostly children, seniors, people [...]
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 [...]
Fact Sheet
4 reasons why a new state tax break for private school tuition would hurt public education in Alabama
Update: Arise members stopped this plan in its tracks! After lawmakers received hundreds of emails and phone calls from our supporters opposing this bill, the Senate amended HB 251 on March 14 to remove the language that would have created a tax break for private school tuition. The House agreed to the change on March [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s legislative process: Get involved
Most people recognize the vital role that voting plays in a democracy – even if they don't vote. But fewer understand the importance of the citizen's role in influencing legislators to enact good public policy. This fact sheet explains how the Alabama Legislature works and offers a step-by-step guide to effective citizen participation in Alabama's legislative process.
Fact Sheet
‘Simply cruel’: Testimony from Alabama Arise’s Carol Gundlach against Alabama’s Medicaid work requirements plan
Arise policy analyst Carol Gundlach testified against Alabama’s proposed Medicaid work requirements waiver during a public forum on Monday, March 5, 2018, in Montgomery. Here is the full text of Gundlach’s prepared remarks: It is important for us to recognize that the people who will be affected by this proposed policy are exclusively the parents [...]
Fact Sheet
‘Alabama’s new catch-22’: Testimony from Alabama Arise’s Kimble Forrister against Alabama’s Medicaid work requirement plan
Arise executive director Kimble Forrister testified against Alabama’s proposed Medicaid work requirements waiver during a public forum on Monday, March 5, 2018, in Montgomery. Here is the full text of Forrister’s prepared remarks: When we compare Medicaid’s waiver proposal to DHR’s welfare reform proposal in 1996, what’s most striking is Medicaid’s lack of data. How [...]
Fact Sheet
Alabama’s renter protections at risk under HB 421
Just three days. If HB 421 becomes law, that’s all the time Alabama renters would get to correct a minor lease violation before landlords could kick them out of their homes. It would be a bad deal for more than 1 million Alabamians who rent their homes. HB 421, sponsored by Rep. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay, [...]