Issue: Economic Opportunity

Know your rights: Alabama’s new paid parental leave benefits for educators and state employees

By Alabama Arise

It’s a new day for Alabama families. As of July 1, 2025, if you are an employee of the state of Alabama, a local education agency, the Alabama Community College System or any of its institutions, you have new protections to help take care of your child and maintain your economic security under SB 199. Below is more information on what this law will mean for you.

What does SB 199 do?

  • SB 199 provides paid parental leave to state employees and employees of a local education agency, the Alabama Community College System or any of its institutions.
    • Mothers may receive eight weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child that occurs on or after July 1, 2025. 
    • Fathers may receive two weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child that occurs on or after July 1, 2025. 
    • The bill also allows eligible employees to take eight weeks of paid parental leave for the legal adoption that occurs on or after July 1, 2025, of a child who is aged 3 or younger at the time of placement with the eligible employee.
  • Eligible employees will receive 100% of their regular salary during this leave.

Am I covered?

  • The law covers eligible employees in Alabama who have been employed for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the occurrence of a qualifying event. 
  • The following employees may be eligible:
    • Certified or uncertified employees of a local education agency (including the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind),
    • Legislative personnel, officers and employees,
    • Court officials and employees of the Unified Judicial System,
    • Employees of the Alabama Community College System or any of the educational institutions under its authority and control, and
    • Certain other specified categories of workers.

What constitutes a qualifying life event?

  • The birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child or the legal adoption of a child who is aged 3 or younger at the time of placement with the eligible employee constitutes a qualifying life event for paid parental leave.
  • The paid parental leave must be taken either within 365 days of the qualifying event or within 365 days of the eligible employee first taking parental leave for a qualifying event, whichever occurs sooner.
  • Paid parental leave may be taken only once in a 365-day period, no matter how many qualifying events you may experience in a year.
  • Any unused paid parental leave cannot be carried over for future use during subsequent qualifying events or be otherwise paid out to the eligible employee.
  • Covered employees may elect to take paid parental leave intermittently to bond with their child over a more extended time period, as long as this agreement is in place with their employer prior to starting leave. The eligible employee must maintain a continuing parental role with any child whose birth or adoption was a qualifying event.

If both parents are eligible employees, can they each take paid parental leave?

  • Yes. If both parents work for the state, a local education agency, the Alabama Community College System or any of its institutions, they each may be able to take the applicable amount of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of their child. (See above.) In the case of legal adoption, if both parents are eligible employees, one parent may take eight weeks of paid leave and the other may take two weeks, regardless of sex.

How do I request paid parental leave benefits?

  • You should contact your supervisor or the employing entity to request paid parental leave in writing with a plan of your intended use and any other leave you intend to take. 
  • You also must agree in writing to the employing entity that you agree not to separate from employment for at least eight weeks following the conclusion of any leave taken in connection with the qualifying event. However, this may be waived in circumstances where you are unable to return to work due to a serious health condition or you are caring for an immediate family member’s serious health condition.

Can this leave be used for my pregnancy-related health needs prior to giving birth?

  • It depends. Paid parental leave can be used in connection with the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of your child or the adoption of a young child in certain situations. Here are some examples: 
  • Attending prenatal appointments or other visits to a health care provider due to the expected birth of a child.
  • Being hospitalized in expectation of the birth or due to a condition caused by or related to the expected birth.
  • Requesting leave that is otherwise required due to a health care provider’s order to limit physical activity prior to the expected birth.
  • Meeting with an attorney regarding the adoption of the child, or hosting in-home visits necessary for the completion of the adoption.
  • Attending judicial proceedings or counseling sessions regarding the adoption.
  • Submitting to a physical exam as it relates to the adoption.
  • Traveling to another country to complete an adoption.

 

  • You may be able to use other forms of accrued time off or request time off or other accommodations under federal laws such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) or Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). Learn more at abetterbalance.org/states/alabama.

How does paid parental leave interact with FMLA and Alabama unpaid family leave?

  • If you qualify for FMLA and unpaid family leave under Alabama state law, paid parental leave will run concurrently with FMLA and Alabama unpaid family leave.

Do I have to use sick or vacation days beforehand?

  • No. Under this law, paid parental leave is provided in addition to any accrued paid or unpaid sick, vacation or medical leave. 
  • You do not have to use your vacation or sick days before taking paid parental leave.

Questions? Call A Better Balance’s free, confidential legal helpline at 833-NEED-ABB (833-633-3222) to speak with an attorney about your workplace rights.

¡Hemos mejorado vidas en toda Alabama!

By Alabama Arise

La sesión legislativa de 2025 se terminó oficialmente, y fue atareada y productiva. El personal, los socios y los miembros de Arise trabajaron arduamente para mejorar la vida de gente que llega justo a fin de mes, mientras se protegían también los derechos de los alabamienses atacados por personas con agendas políticas retrógradas.

Hicimos un gran progreso hacia una Alabama mejor y más inclusiva. Y, aunque no ganamos todas las batallas, juntos nos mantuvimos firmes para quienes son más vulnerables. Militamos con éxito por leyes nuevas que mejorarán vidas. Estas políticas harán lo siguiente:

  • Hacer más asequibles los productos básicos para todos los alabamienses al reducir el impuesto estatal a los alimentos (¡otra vez!)
  • Aumentar el acceso a los alimentos en las escuelas al asegurar mayor financiación en nuestro presupuesto educativo para programas de desayuno gratuito en las escuelas públicas.
  • Facilitar que las personas embarazadas en Alabama obtengan pruebas prenatales al quitar obstáculos relacionados con la regla de “elegibilidad presunta” de Medicaid.
  • Asegurar que más padres y madres puedan atender a sus nuevas familias al asegurar una nueva política de licencia por maternidad/paternidad para maestros, trabajadores de programas universitarios de dos años y empleados estatales.
  • Disminuir el costo de vida para las familias al eliminar los impuestos de venta estatales para artículos esenciales como pañales, suministros para bebés, productos de higiene menstrual y ropa de maternidad.

La lucha no termina aquí. Debemos aprovechar esta energía a medida que nos dirigimos a la sesión de 2026. ¡Visite alarise.org para sumarse a la lucha y hacer oír su voz!

We’ve improved lives across Alabama!

By Alabama Arise
Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden speaks in support of untaxing groceries during Arise’s annual Legislative Day on March 20, 2025, in Montgomery. (Photo by Julie Bennett)

The 2025 legislative session is officially over, and it was busy and productive. Alabama Arise staff, partners and members worked hard to improve the lives of folks living paycheck to paycheck while also protecting the rights of Alabamians under attack by people with regressive policy agendas.

We made major progress toward a better, more inclusive Alabama. And while we didn’t win every fight, together, we held the line for vulnerable people. Download a one-page handout on Arise’s advocacy successes in 2025 here.

We successfully advocated for new laws that will improve lives. These policies will:

● Make groceries more affordable for all Alabamians by reducing the state grocery tax (again)!

● Increase access to food in schools by securing more funding in our education budget for no-cost school breakfast programs in public schools.

● Make it easier for pregnant Alabamians to get prenatal screenings by removing red tape around Medicaid’s “presumptive eligibility” rule.

● Ensure more parents can care for their new families by securing a new paid parental leave policy for teachers, two-year college workers and state employees.

● Decrease the cost of living for families by ending the state sales tax on essential items like diapers, baby supplies, menstrual hygiene products and maternity clothing.

The fight doesn’t stop here. We must build on this momentum as we head toward the 2026 session. Become an Arise member today to join the fight and make your voice be heard!

Alabama Arise praises new maternal health, paid parental leave laws

By Chris Sanders
Gov. Kay Ivey sits behind a wooden desk with her nameplate on it and U.S. and Alabama flags in the background. Smiling people stand behind and to both sides of her. Behind her is wooden paneling and walls with a gray and white pattern. The patterned carpet is dark red and orange.
Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden (fifth from right) and worker policy advocate Dev Wakeley (sixth from right) participated in Gov. Kay Ivey’s bill signing ceremony for SB 199 on May 1, 2025, at the State Capitol in Montgomery. SB 199 will ensure paid parental leave for teachers, two-year college workers and state employees. (Photo courtesy of Office of the Governor)

Tens of thousands of Alabama families will benefit from two new laws removing barriers to health coverage and increasing the availability of paid parental leave. Gov. Kay Ivey held a ceremonial bill signing Thursday at the State Capitol in Montgomery for both bills: SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, and SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile. The governor officially signed both bills into law last month.

Alabama Arise staff were proud to participate in the ceremonies for both bills. Improving health care access and ensuring paid parental leave are two key legislative priorities that Arise members advocated for during the Legislature’s 2025 regular session.

Official event photos from the Governor’s Office are available here.

Presumptive eligibility will reduce red-tape barriers to Medicaid coverage

SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, will expand health care access for thousands of expectant mothers by allowing them to receive Medicaid coverage earlier in their pregnancy. The law will take effect Oct. 1.

The new law will expand presumptive eligibility, which allows doctors and other providers to determine Medicaid eligibility for expectant mothers who are likely to be eligible. This process allows women to begin receiving Medicaid coverage and prenatal medical care in the first trimester without having to wait for the agency’s official eligibility decision.

Gov. Kay Ivey sits behind a wooden desk with her nameplate on it and U.S. and Alabama flags in the background. Smiling people stand behind and to both sides of her. Behind her is wooden paneling and walls with a gray and white pattern. The patterned carpet is dark red and orange.
Alabama Arise senior health policy advocate Jennifer Harris (fifth from right) and executive director Robyn Hyden (seventh from right) participated in Gov. Kay Ivey’s bill signing ceremony for SB 102 on May 1, 2025, at the State Capitol in Montgomery. SB 102 will expand Medicaid presumptive eligibility and allow thousands of expectant mothers in Alabama to receive health care earlier in their pregnancy. (Photo by Matt Okarmus)

“This law will save lives and money for families across Alabama,” said Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise. “For too long, Alabama mothers have faced needless barriers to early prenatal care – care that can mean the difference between hope and heartbreak. SB 102 will lift some of those red-tape barriers at last.

“The passage of this act is a life-changing victory for moms and babies in every part of Alabama. Alabama Arise thanks Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison and Rep. Marilyn Lands for their determination and visionary leadership on this legislation. We thank every Arise member who advocated for this bill and every lawmaker who voted for it. And we thank Gov. Kay Ivey for signing it into law.”

Paid parental leave law will help families, boost worker retention

SB 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, will ensure paid parental leave for new parents who work as teachers, two-year college employees or state employees. The law will take effect July 1.

The new law will provide eight weeks of paid leave to mothers after childbirth, adoption of a child aged 3 or younger, stillbirth or miscarriage. Fathers will receive two weeks of paid leave in those circumstances.

Gov. Kay Ivey sits behind a wooden desk with her nameplate on it and U.S. and Alabama flags in the background. Smiling people stand behind and to both sides of her. Behind her is wooden paneling and walls with a gray and white pattern. The patterned carpet is dark red and orange.
Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden (fifth from right) and worker policy advocate Dev Wakeley (sixth from right) participated in Gov. Kay Ivey’s bill signing ceremony for SB 199 on May 1, 2025, at the State Capitol in Montgomery. (Photo by Matt Okarmus)

“Paid parental leave helps workers create and grow their families while maintaining their financial well-being,” Hyden said. “Alabama’s new law guaranteeing paid parental leave for teachers and state employees makes our state a leader in the Southeast. And it is important progress toward ensuring every parent can care for their families without scrambling to pay the bills.

“This new law will enhance the quality of life for families across Alabama. Paid leave will help improve health for babies and families, and it will ease economic stress for new parents. This policy also will improve employee retention for schools and state agencies, and it will help mothers in particular to remain in the workforce.

“Paid parental leave is a common-sense, pro-family policy that will result in a better, healthier future for everyone in our state. Alabama Arise appreciates the leadership from the legislative champions on this issue, Sen. Vivian Figures and Rep. Ginny Shaver. We appreciate Gov. Kay Ivey for highlighting paid leave as a priority in her State of the State address and for signing this bill into law. And we appreciate every legislator who voted for this law and every Arise member who advocated in support of this important investment in healthier families in Alabama.”

Arise legislative update: Week of April 7, 2025

By Alabama Arise

Arise’s Carol Gundlach highlights a significant win from the 2025 legislative session: the enactment of paid parental leave for teachers and state employees, a top priority for Alabama Arise. This legislation represents a major advancement for parental and infant health.

Arise also continued to oppose harmful proposals last week, including junk health plans and bills that would impose barriers to Medicaid coverage and SNAP food assistance. Carol discusses how these state-level efforts are unfolding amid ongoing federal funding threats to these essential services.

Get updates and action alerts by signing up for our email list at alarise.org and following us on all of our social media platforms!

Full transcript:

Hello, this is Carol Gundlach, senior policy analyst at Alabama Arise. Last week was a really hectic week at the Alabama Legislature, and we expect a similarly busy week this coming week.

The good news is that the paid parental leave bill, a top Alabama Arise priority, was passed by the Legislature last week and signed by the governor. This was a major victory for parental and newborn health, a model for other Southern states on workers’ rights. So we are very proud to have gotten this bill passed.

We also spent a lot of time last week speaking against some very bad bills at the Alabama Legislature. This included a junk insurance bill that was considered by the House Health Committee and two bills that would have placed administrative barriers on access to health care and food assistance for people receiving Medicaid and SNAP food stamp benefits.

This week, we’re expecting the education budget to be considered. That would include an expected major reform in how Alabama funds education for our most at-risk students. We are also, of course, working hard to make sure that schools that want to offer universal free breakfast for their students can afford to do so. And we are seeking funding to make this happen.

All of these efforts are, of course, happening in the context of federal concerns, particularly around funding and budgets for essential programs like Medicaid, food assistance, school meals and many more federal programs that are at risk for cuts, and that will make our work here in Alabama even harder.

Please check into our Alabama Arise website for both state and federal budget updates, and keep an eye on your emails for action updates. We need to work together now more than ever, so if you are not an Alabama Arise member, please join us. If you are an Alabama Arise member, please do everything you can to help advocate for essential programs at the state and federal level for our people and our members.

Thank you so much, and we’ll talk to you next week.

VIDEO: Alabama Arise Action Legislative Day 2025

By Matt Okarmus

Arise held its 2025 Legislative Day on Thursday, March 20. More than 200 supporters from across Alabama joined us in Montgomery to urge their lawmakers to continue to untax groceries and to support a plan to allow every public school in our state to provide no-cost school breakfast to all students. Our supporters also were excited to celebrate the final passage of legislation to provide paid parental leave to teachers and state employees.

Watch this video for snapshots of the event and for highlights from our news conference on untaxing groceries. Thank you to everyone who spoke out for a better Alabama for all!

New paid parental leave law improves life for Alabama workers

By Chris Sanders

A mother holds her baby while the father holds the baby's hand. Both parents are smiling. Text: "Alabama Arise news release: New paid parental leave law improves life for Alabama workers."

Gov. Kay Ivey signed SB 199 into law Wednesday. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, will ensure paid parental leave for new parents who work as teachers, two-year college employees or state employees. The law, which will take effect on July 1, provides eight weeks of paid leave to mothers and two weeks of paid leave to fathers after childbirth, adoption of a child aged 3 or younger, stillbirth or miscarriage.

Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden released the following statement Wednesday in response:

“Paid parental leave helps workers create and grow their families while maintaining their financial well-being. Alabama’s new law guaranteeing paid parental leave for teachers and state employees makes our state a leader in the Southeast. And it is important progress toward ensuring every parent can care for their families without scrambling to pay the bills.

“This new law will enhance the quality of life for families across Alabama. Paid leave will help improve health for babies and families, and it will ease economic stress for new parents. This policy also will improve employee retention for schools and state agencies, and it will help mothers in particular to remain in the workforce.

“Paid parental leave is a common-sense, pro-family policy that will result in a better, healthier future for everyone in our state. Alabama Arise appreciates the leadership from the legislative champions on this issue, Sen. Vivian Figures and Rep. Ginny Shaver. We appreciate Gov. Kay Ivey for highlighting paid leave as a priority in her State of the State address and for signing this bill into law. And we appreciate every legislator who voted for this law and every Arise member who advocated in support of this important investment in healthier families in Alabama.”

Arise legislative update: Week of March 24, 2025

By Alabama Arise

Arise’s Dev Wakeley provides updates from the first half of the Alabama Legislature’s 2025 regular session as lawmakers are on spring break this week.

In good news, lawmakers passed a paid parental leave bill on Thursday! SB 199 will introduce paid leave for new parents who work as teachers or state employees. The bill now goes to the governor for her signature. We also saw important progress on untaxing groceries last week as the House voted 103-0 for HB 386. This bill would reduce the state sales tax on groceries from 3% to 2%, building on the momentum of the 1-cent reduction that Arise members’ advocacy helped secure in 2023.

Dev also warns that SB 84, which would authorize junk health plans, remains alive at the State House. We need to continue to oppose this bill and advocate instead for Medicaid expansion as a real solution to close Alabama’s coverage gap.

Full transcript:

Hi, I’m Dev Wakeley, Alabama Arise’s worker policy advocate, here with this week’s legislative update.

We got big news this week as more than 200 Arise members got together at the State House to advocate for positive policy change that benefits people who have the least resources in the state. We spoke with legislators all across the state about good bills that we want to see pass and bad bills that we want to stop. And we made some significant progress.

The biggest news from the past week was the passage of HB 327 and SB 199, which are the companion bills that will provide paid parental leave for state employees, for teachers in Alabama’s high schools, and for two-year college employees. These bills are sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver in the House and by Sen. Vivian Figures in the Senate, respectively.

This is a first-in-class bill throughout the South. It provides eight weeks of paid leave for mothers and two weeks of paid leave for fathers. It’s available for childbirth, for adoption of a child under the age of 3, and, unfortunately, in cases of miscarriage or stillbirth as well. This is the best in the South by far. It’s a great bill, and we’re really excited to see this pass.

We are going to see it signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. This is one of her legislative priorities, and this is a bill that Arise has been advocating for over a year now. Great to see that pass.

In other developments, we also saw a bill to knock another cent off the state portion of the grocery tax pass out of the House entirely. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Danny Garrett. It’s a great bill. Groceries shouldn’t be taxed, and we love to see this bill moving forward. We hope to see full passage of it.

In unfortunate developments, we’re seeing some movement by a junk health plan that will do nothing to benefit Alabamians and, in fact, will make real change via full comprehensive Medicaid expansion more difficult. That bill, SB 84, is something we’re hoping to stop. We had hundreds of our members speak with their legislators about the need to engage in real change and not allow corporations to paper over the health care problems that Alabamians are facing.

To know a little more about what we’re doing on a regular basis, please follow us on social media. Visit our website, and you too can become an Arise member and advocate for positive change in Alabama.

We’re going to keep working, and we’re going to see more wins just like the ones we saw this past week.

Thanks. I appreciate your time. See you soon.

Arise legislative update: Week of March 17, 2025

By Alabama Arise

Arise’s LaTrell Clifford Wood provides an exciting update about our progress on untaxing groceries in Alabama. LaTrell highlights HB 386 by Rep. Danny Garrett, which would reduce Alabama’s state sales tax on groceries from 3% to 2%, saving families an estimated $122 million annually. Thanks to the efforts of Garrett and the Joint Study Commission on Grocery Taxation, we are optimistic about further progress this year.

HB 386 will be up for a vote on the House floor on Tuesday, March 18. Stay tuned for updates, and join us for Arise Legislative Day on Thursday, March 20, at the State House in Montgomery as we continue advocating to untax groceries in Alabama!

Full transcript:

Hi, everybody. My name is LaTrell Clifford Wood, and I’m our hunger policy advocate here at Alabama Arise. Now, I’m sometimes endearingly known as the “Food Lady.” In my role, I sit on the Joint Study Commission for Grocery Taxation, so I’m here today to talk to you all about untaxing groceries.

Untaxing groceries is an issue that Arise and our membership have been working on since the ’90s. Now, Rep. Danny Garrett has introduced a tax package, including HB 386, that further reduces the grocery tax. HB 386 would reduce the grocery tax from 3% to 2% and save Alabama families about $122 million annually.

We are so grateful to Rep. Garrett, who has spearheaded this legislation this session, as well as those who are on the Joint Study Commission for Grocery Taxation, including Rep. Penni McClammy and Sen. Andrew Jones. Their efforts and my own were preceded by former Arise employees and legislators, including Rep. John Knight, current Sen. Merika Coleman, as well as Akiesha Anderson, who preceded me on the Joint Study Commission on Grocery Taxation.

Our members’ advocacy over many years has gotten results on this issue in 2023, and we look forward to and are optimistic that we’ll get more results this year.

Now, where are these bills going from here? Where is HB 386 going from here? The bill will be on the House floor Tuesday, March 18, and we look forward to updating our membership more during Legislative Day on Thursday, March 20. See you at the State House!

Arise 2025: How we’re working to build a better Alabama

By Alabama Arise

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. 4. We’ll focus on the crucial legislative priorities on our 2025 roadmap to change.

Graphic listing Alabama Arise's 2025 legislative priorities: Arise's roadmap to a better Alabama. The priorities are untaxing groceries, Medicaid expansion, voting rights, criminal justice reform, maternal and infant health, public transportation and death penalty reform.

It’s time to close Alabama’s health coverage gap

For more than 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.

READ MORE – An Alabama solution: Closing the health coverage gap

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 in 2023 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.

WATCH – The path forward in Alabama Arise’s work to untax groceries

Fund public transportation to improve life for all Alabamians

Alabama’s labor force participation rate is among the nation’s lowest. Only 58% of working-age adults reported they were actively working or looking for jobs as of November 2024. 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, 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.

READ MORE – Fund public transportation to improve life for all Alabamians

Expand voting rights to right past wrongs and safeguard democracy in Alabama

Voting rights are the foundation of our democracy, and we should do everything we can to protect them. However, since the U.S. Supreme Court stripped away federal preclearance of voting law changes in 2013, the Legislature has passed several harmful laws to create unnecessary barriers to voting rights in Alabama. This included 2024’s SB 1, which created a chilling effect for people trying in good faith to help Alabamians with absentee voting. Arise will advocate instead for positive steps to support voting rights, including passage of the Alabama Voting Rights Act, which would protect absentee voting and clarify voting procedures. Additionally, lawmakers will introduce bills to remove barriers to voting rights restoration for citizens released from incarceration.

READ MORE – Expand voting rights to right past wrongs and safeguard democracy in Alabama

It’s time for Alabama to prove we care about mothers and children

Healthy parents and healthy children mean a healthier future for Alabama. Comprehensive maternal and infant health care investments are crucial to ensure the health and safety of both infants and Alabamians of child-bearing age, especially postpartum mothers, pregnant women and future mothers. Lawmakers have numerous policy options to increase the number of health care providers and extend health coverage to more parents.

READ MORE – The Alabama Maternal Health Toolkit

School breakfast for all: What Alabama can do to help feed all of our kids

School breakfast for all would help reduce child hunger in Alabama, and it would go a long way toward the goal of guaranteeing a morning meal for every child in our state. School breakfast’s benefits are wide-ranging: It helps address chronic absenteeism, improves adolescent mental health, alleviates behavioral problems and improves test scores. Alabama Arise is pushing for a $16 million appropriation from the Education Trust Fund to ensure every district can pull down the maximum federal funding, and to give local schools the opportunity to offer no-cost breakfast for all Alabama children.

READ MORE – School breakfast for all: What Alabama can do to help feed all of our kids

Alabama’s death penalty practices remain unjust and unusually cruel

Americans increasingly oppose the death penalty. Gallup found that opposition to the death penalty more than doubled in the past 25 years. This may result from disturbingly high error rates in the system. For every 10 people executed since 1976, one innocent person on death row has been set free.

Alabama took an important step toward death penalty reform in 2017 by banning judicial overrides of juries’ sentencing decisions, and we will aim to work this session to make that ban retroactive. But the state’s death penalty scheme also remains broken in many other ways.

READ MORE – Alabama’s death penalty practices remain unjust and unusually cruel

Alabama’s parole system is still broken. How can we fix it?

The state’s parole system is a failure in both its design and in application of its own rules. We need to increase parole board oversight and eliminate racial disparities in parole. People also deserve to be able to attend their own parole hearings.

Arise’s suggested changes would be an important step in the direction of a more just Alabama, and they would mitigate some of the problems plaguing our state’s prison system overall.

READ MORE – Alabama’s parole system is still broken. How can we fix it?

Paid parental leave improves life for Alabama workers

Like any employer, our state should ensure its workers have jobs that support their ability to care for their families. The teachers, social workers and many other state employees who help look after our children and who build up Alabama for all the families in the state should be able to create and grow their own families without scrambling to pay the bills.

Paid parental leave is a common-sense policy that helps workers care for their families while maintaining their careers and financial well-being. State officials often have said Alabama is pro-family. Ensuring that teachers and state employees have paid parental leave is an important step to prove it.

READ MORE – Paid parental leave improves life for Alabama workers