Group renews call to eliminate state grocery tax, raise minimum wage and expand county authority over data centers
Alabama Arise members have selected seven legislative priorities for 2027, including eliminating the state sales tax on groceries, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and giving counties more authority to address concerns about data center developments.
Nearly 500 members voted last week on the organization’s legislative agenda, according to Alabama Arise.
The seven priorities are health equity, hunger relief, inclusive democracy, adequate state budgets, justice reform, tax reform and worker power.
The priorities include closing Alabama’s health coverage gap for adults with low incomes, protecting access to maternity care, preserving funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and ensuring every public school can provide free breakfast to students.
The organization also supports no-excuse early voting, removing barriers to restoring voting rights for disenfranchised Alabamians, equitable public education funding, public transportation funding and affordable housing.
Other priorities include changes to the state’s sentencing and parole systems, retroactive application of Alabama’s ban on judicial override of jury sentencing decisions in death penalty cases, eliminating the state sales tax on groceries and expanding paid parental leave protections.
“Alabama Arise heard from hundreds of people across our state about the issues that matter most, and this agenda reflects those concerns,” executive director Robyn Hyden said. “From not having enough money to afford basic needs to demanding the power to shape decisions that impact their communities, Alabamians are asking policymakers to take up real solutions to everyday problems.”
Group renews push to eliminate grocery tax
Alabama Arise members have renewed their long-standing effort to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries.
The state tax rate on groceries fell from 4% to 3% in 2023 and to 2% in 2025. Alabama Arise plans to advocate for eliminating the remaining state tax in 2027.
The organization says the tax places a greater burden on people with low incomes and adds hundreds of dollars a year to the cost of food for families. According to Alabama Arise, Alabama is one of nine states that continue to tax groceries.
The group supports replacing the lost revenue by capping or eliminating the state income tax de-duction for federal income taxes. Alabama Arise says the deduction primarily benefits higher-income households.
“Reducing the state grocery tax was an important step toward repairing Alabama’s upside-down tax system,” Hyden said. “By ending the state grocery tax and limiting the federal income tax de-duction, legislators can help families keep food on the table while protecting funding for public schools. Our lawmakers should act quickly to end the state grocery tax forever in 2027.”
Alabama Arise seeks greater county authority over data centers
Alabama Arise also plans to advocate for legislation allowing counties to establish safeguards for data center developments.
Data centers house computer servers used for artificial intelligence and data storage. According to the Alabama Rivers Alliance, 15 data centers already exist in Alabama, while 22 others have been proposed or are under construction.
The organization says residents have raised concerns about the potential effects of data centers on local economies, the environment and utility costs.
Athens, Birmingham and Hoover have passed local ordinances intended to address potential im-pacts, according to the release. Cullman and Homewood have approved one-year moratoriums to allow additional time to evaluate how to proceed.
Alabama Arise says counties have fewer home rule powers than cities under state law, limiting their ability to establish safeguards for data centers in unincorporated areas.
The organization plans to support statewide legislation to give counties more authority to respond to community concerns and promote public involvement in evaluating and regulating data center projects.
Organization supports $15 minimum wage
Alabama Arise members also expressed strong support for raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Alabama follows the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which has remained unchanged since 2009. The organization says rising costs for food, health care, housing and other necessities have increased the financial pressures on workers and their families.
Alabama Arise argues that a higher minimum wage would help families move out of poverty and increase consumer spending and tax revenue in communities across the state.
The organization says Alabama is one of five states without a state-level minimum wage law. In 2016, state lawmakers passed legislation preventing local governments from establishing their own minimum wages after Birmingham pursued a local wage increase.
Alabama Arise also points to Florida, where the minimum wage is $15 an hour and adjusts annually for inflation.
The organization plans to advocate for Alabama to establish a higher minimum wage as part of its 2027 legislative agenda.
Alabama Arise is a statewide, member-led nonprofit organization that advocates for public policies intended to improve the lives of Alabamians affected by poverty. Its membership includes faith-based, community, nonprofit and civic groups, grassroots leaders and individuals across the state.
Submitted by Alabama Arise.
