Alabama Arise believes in dignity, equity and justice for all. We believe in an Alabama where everyone's voice is heard and everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. And we believe better public policies are the key to building a brighter future for our state.

Below, we'll share some details of that vision with you before the Alabama Legislature’s regular session begins Feb. 6. Today's email will focus on four crucial legislative priorities on our 2024 roadmap to change: closing the health coverage gap, removing the rest of the state grocery tax, advocating for dedicated public transportation funding and protecting voting rights. Later this week, we’ll discuss our other vital priorities.

Arise 2024: It’s time to close Alabama’s health coverage gap

For nearly a decade, Alabama has been outside looking in on a good deal. While hundreds of thousands of Alabamians continue to struggle without health insurance, state leaders have failed to expand Medicaid. A few loud voices have politicized an issue that never should have been political. And our state has paid the price in lost dollars, lost jobs and lost lives.

Alabama is one of 10 states that has yet to expand Medicaid. That inaction has left hundreds of thousands of Alabamians in a health coverage gap. We’re advocating to make this the year when our state closes that gap.

Arise 2024: Finish removing the state grocery tax

Alabama’s state sales tax on groceries is a cruel tax on survival, and Arise is committed to eliminating it. We were thrilled to see lawmakers pass legislation last year to cut the state grocery tax in half after decades of persistent advocacy by our members. And we’ll continue advocating to remove the rest of the tax sustainably and responsibly. We’re grateful to serve on a state commission that is studying policy pathways to end the state grocery tax while protecting vital funding for public schools.

Arise 2024: Increase workforce participation by investing in crucial worker supports like public transportation

Alabama’s labor force participation rate is among the nation’s lowest. Only 57% of working-age adults reported they were actively working or looking for jobs as of December 2023. Our state also has nearly 100,000 more job openings than workers available to fill them. Yet 31% of Alabama job seekers cite transportation issues as the reason they are unemployed or underemployed, according to a study commissioned by the governor’s office.

Unfortunately, however, Alabama is one of only three states that has no state funding set aside to support public transportation. Alabama Arise will advocate for that to change during this legislative session.

Arise 2024: Alabamians deserve greater access to the polls, not less

Voting rights are the foundation of our democracy, and we should do everything we can to protect them. However, in recent years, the Legislature increasingly has attempted to pass harmful legislation that would create unnecessary barriers to voting rights in Alabama. Some lawmakers unfortunately are looking to return to that mindset with SB 1.

SB 1 closely mirrors legislation that we and other advocates fought against and defeated last year. The bill would make it a crime to assist others in the absentee ballot application and submission process, except under very narrow exceptions. We will be working to ensure that lawmakers hear from our members again about how important it is to reject this legislation.