Arise is a coalition of 132 religious, community, and civic groups that promote state policies to improve the lives of low-income people.



At the 2004 Annual Meeting, Arise member groups affirmed the following 15-year and 3-year policy outcome goals:



The 15-year outcome goals identify large-scale changes in state law and policy that will benefit low-income Alabamians. The six goals are:



· A fair, adequate, transparent and simple state tax system

· A restorative criminal justice system rather than a punitive one (including abolition of the death penalty)

· A new state constitution that reflects Arise’s core values

· A state budget that provides equitable and adequate services (education, child care, health care, transportation, etc.) for low-income people

· Wages, benefits and policies that provide economic security for all working people in the state

· Safe, affordable, accessible and adequate housing for all Alabamians



The 3-year outcome goals provide benchmarks for achieving the long-term goals. In order of priority, the six goals we want to reach within 3 years are:



--Tax Reform: Low-income Alabama taxpayers pay twice the tax rate paid by the wealthiest taxpayers. Alabama imposes the highest income tax in the nation on a family of 3 at the poverty line. In September 2004, 400,000 Alabamians voted to reform this unfair system. Momentum is building for real change.

--Adequate Funding - for health care (Medicaid, ALL Kids), child care and education

--Public Transportation - state funding for public transportation.

--A Landlord/Tenant Law: Alabama is one of only two states with no law to define rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants. Without regulation, rental properties can be unlivable.

--Moratorium on Executions: Alabama should put a three-year hold on killing death-row inmates while it reviews the fairness of the capital punishment system.

--Unfair Lending Practices: Arise will work for reform in one kind of predatory lending (mortgage loans, refund anticipation loans, car-title pawns, etc.).