Our February 2025 Legislative Update provides an overview of our 2025 Policy Priorities. These priorities are reflective of our shared commitment to ensuring that all communities have the opportunity to thrive.

2025 Policy Priorities

Our policy priorities have been thoughtfully refined to focus on areas where we can achieve the greatest impact and address the most pressing challenges facing communities across the South. They are also rooted in the experiences of Southern communities and shaped by the ongoing work we’re doing in this region. They reflect not only data and research, but the voices of those most impacted. Our foundational report, Divided By Design, helped us understand the barriers in the South, and the conversations we’ve had with community members since then have only reaffirmed the necessity of our work.

The following policy policy priorities align with core Southern values like hard work, prosperity, opportunity, and democracy. They also serve as a launching pad for addressing the barriers that have long held back the region’s full potential.

If you’ve been following our work, you’ll note that we have streamlined our priorities this year into seven interconnected focus areas centered around our universal values and needs: economic security, education, infrastructure and housing, housing, health, public safety, civic participation, and environment. This allows us to deepen our engagement with these areas and monitor trends more effectively to provide the tailored resources and support to our leaders and stakeholders. By emphasizing widely held values such as hard work, quality education, public safety, and community well-being, we can serve as a bridge to connect with broader audiences and communities.

This evolution reflects our organization’s commitment to increasing impact and adaptability in an ever-changing environment to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts while ensuring our work remains deeply rooted in access to opportunity. Throughout the year, we will provide more detailed resources about each of these priorities, the current landscape in the South, barriers faced by the region, progress in these areas, and 2025 legislative measures related to each priority.

Economic Security and Opportunity for All

Economic security is foundational to thriving communities. People want financial security and the opportunity to work hard and get ahead. A Pew Research Center survey indicates that nearly ¾ of Americans (73%) consider strengthening the economy a top priority for the government.

In 2025 we will focus on policies that create fair economic opportunities for all workers. By ensuring fair wages and strong job training programs, we can help families build prosperity and contribute to a thriving Southern economy.

Shared Values: Hard work, prosperity, financial stability

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact economic security and opportunity, both positively and negatively, including:

• Workforce Development: Tracking policies that expand or restrict access to training programs in high-demand and transitioning industries, ensuring workers are equipped for economic shifts.

• Small Business Support: Evaluating legislation that either strengthens or limits small business resources, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

• Fair Wages & Worker Protections: Assessing efforts to raise or suppress wages, strengthen or weaken worker protections, and ensure economic stability for all.

• Predatory Lending Practices: Monitoring bills that either safeguard consumers from exploitative lending or exacerbate financial instability.

Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation

Education is the foundation for opportunity, and a strong education system is essential for economic mobility and civic participation. Parents, teachers, and communities all want strong schools that equip children with the skills they need to succeed. The Pew Research Center found that a significant percentage of Americans place a high priority on improving education, reflecting that there is wide support for educational initiatives. Likewise, investing in workforce readiness and strong public schools benefits everyone. Research focusing on Houston Independent School District graduates revealed that obtaining a postsecondary credential significantly increases the likelihood of earning a living wage.

Our priorities in 2025 focus on ensuring access to quality education for all students. Unequal funding and curriculum restrictions are limiting children’s ability to compete in an evolving workforce. The modern labor market is rapidly changing, and students need a holistic education including not only academic knowledge but critical thinking, problem solving, and adaptability in order to keep up with these changes.

Shared Values: Knowledge, opportunity, investing in children’s futures

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact education access and opportunity, both positively and negatively, including:

• Career & Technical Education (CTE) Programs: Tracking policies regarding career and technical education (CTE) programs that prepare students for high-wage, in-demand jobs, ensuring all students have access to pathways that lead to economic mobility.

• Fair School Funding: Evaluating legislation that equally distributes resources across all schools, identifying efforts that either strengthen or weaken funding fairness.

Infrastructure, Housing, and Safe Communities

Infrastructure is the backbone of thriving communities, ensuring access to housing, transportation, and essential services that promote safety and well-being. A strong infrastructure system fosters economic growth, supports public health, and enhances overall quality of life. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, many Southern states receive poor grades for their infrastructure, with aging roads, bridges, water systems, and housing stock. Likewise, access to safe, affordable housing is foundational for stability and upward mobility, yet Southern states continue to experience some of the nation’s highest eviction rates, housing cost burdens, and environmental vulnerabilities.

Our priorities in 2025 focus on investing in infrastructure, expanding access to affordable housing, and advancing policies that promote public safety without exacerbating disparities. A comprehensive approach that integrates infrastructure, housing, and community safety is essential to creating sustainable communities.

Shared Values: Stability, opportunity for all

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact infrastructure, housing, and safe communities, both positively and negatively, including:

• Infrastructure Investments: Tracking policies that prioritize infrastructure improvements in historically disinvested areas, including rural communities and low-income urban neighborhoods, ensuring federal and state infrastructure funds address long-standing disparities.

• Affordable Housing Development & Protections: Evaluating policies that expand access to affordable housing, strengthen tenant protections, and address rising eviction rates while ensuring responsible land use and sustainable development.

• Public Safety & Justice Reform: Assessing legislation that impacts public safety, ensuring a balanced approach that prioritizes violence prevention strategies, community-led safety initiatives, and alternatives to over-policing in marginalized communities.

Healthcare Access and Family Well-Being

Healthy families make strong communities. Ensuring access to affordable healthcare – especially in rural areas – means that hardworking people can stay healthy, productive, and financially secure, making it a workforce, economic, and community stability issue.

Across the South, barriers to healthcare access continue to disproportionately impact low-income families and rural communities. Many Southern states have not expanded Medicaid, leaving millions without affordable coverage, while rural hospital closures further limit healthcare access. In addition, mental health services remain underfunded, despite the growing need for behavioral and crisis care. In 2025, we will monitor legislative measures that affect healthcare affordability, rural healthcare access, and mental health services in the Southern states.

Shared Values: Health, personal responsibility, strong families

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact healthcare access and well-being, including:

• Medicaid Expansion & Affordable Healthcare: Tracking policies that expand or restrict access to Medicaid and other affordable healthcare options for working families, ensuring more people can receive essential medical care without financial hardship.

• Rural Healthcare & Telemedicine: Evaluating legislative efforts that strengthen or weaken rural healthcare networks, hospital funding, and telemedicine services to determine whether states are effectively addressing healthcare disparities in underserved areas.

• Mental Health & Substance Abuse Treatment: Assessing policies that increase or cut funding for mental health services and substance abuse prevention programs, ensuring that communities have the resources needed to support mental well-being and crisis intervention.

Public Safety

Public safety policies should protect all communities. Our priorities in 2025 focus on advancing policies that promote justice, accountability, and evidence-based public safety solutions.

Shared Values: Justice, fairness, community well-being

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact public safety and justice reform, both positively and negatively, including:

• Sentencing and Criminal Justice Reform: Tracking policies that address sentencing disparities, eliminate excessive penalties, and expand alternatives to incarceration that focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

• Police Accountability & Community-Led Safety : Evaluating legislation related to policing practices, ensuring transparency, accountability, and investments in community-led initiatives proven to enhance public safety.

• Juvenile Justice & Rehabilitation: Monitoring policies affecting juvenile justice, advocating for rehabilitation-focused approaches that reduce youth incarceration and provide second chances.

Democracy and Civic Participation

A strong democracy relies on fair access to voting, civic engagement, and public participation in decision-making processes.

Our priorities in 2025 focus on protecting voting rights, strengthening civic participation, and ensuring that elections remain fair and accessible to all eligible voters. We will work to support measures that expand voter access, modernize election systems, and combat disinformation that threatens trust in democratic institutions.

Shared Values: Fairness, participation, representation

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact democracy and civic participation, both positively and negatively, including:

• Voting Rights & Election Accessibility: Tracking policies related to voter registration, early voting, and access to the ballot, ensuring that all eligible voters have the ability to participate in elections without unnecessary barriers.

• Redistricting & Fair Representation: Evaluating legislative efforts related to redistricting and gerrymandering, ensuring that political maps fairly represent communities.

• Civic Engagement & Participation: Monitoring efforts to promote civic education and engagement, ensuring that communities have the resources and opportunities to be active participants in democracy.

Clean Energy and Environmental Stewardship

Environmental sustainability and clean energy are critical to the health, safety, and economic well-being of communities.

Our priorities in 2025 focus on advancing policies that promote clean energy adoption, environmental justice, and sustainable development. We will work to support policies that expand clean energy opportunities, protect communities from environmental hazards, and address the legacy of environmental disparities in Southern states.

Shared Values: Sustainability, resilience, environmental justice

Policy Focus: We will closely monitor legislative measures that impact clean energy and environmental stewardship, both positively and negatively, including:

• Clean Energy & Renewable Investment: Tracking policies that support solar and wind energy adoption, energy efficiency programs, and incentives for renewable energy development.

• Environmental Justice & Community Protection: Evaluating policies that address pollution, toxic waste sites, and industrial hazards that disproportionately impact vulnerable communities.

• Climate Resilience & Disaster Preparedness: Monitoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure against climate-related disasters, ensuring that communities have access to resources and protections to withstand extreme weather events.