February 18th 2011
On Thursday morning, two bills were delivered to Governor Beebe that will greatly improve the oral health of children in Arkansas by reducing their chances of having tooth decay. Senate Bill 42 will allow dental hygienists to perform procedures for people in public settings without the direct supervision of a dentist. This will allow more children to get beneficial treatments like preventative oral care, fluoride treatments, and dental sealants. Since Arkansas has about 2471 people for every dentist in the state, many children do not even have access to proper oral health care. Dental hygienists are currently performing all these procedures; this bill will just allow them to perform them without a dentist present and at area health centers and schools. Senate Bill 43 will increase children's access to a fluoride varnish by allowing physicians and nurses to apply the varnish after appropriate training and instruction. Physicians are often the first and sometimes only health professional that children see and this will allow doctors to give much needed preventative care.
February 17th 2011
ALERT: Tell your state senator to vote for people
No on Cap Gains cuts, yes for low-income parents.
Next week your state senator will have two important votes to make. Help us make sure they are votes that support working Arkansas families. Call 501-682-2902 today and tell your senator to:
February 15th 2011
The capital gains tax presents the state with enormous budget concerns. According to the state Department of Finance & Administration, eliminating the capital gains tax stands to cost the state $65 million in revenue. That means less investment in Arkansas's future.
February 15th 2011
Our NWA office is featured in this week's "Doing Good" segment on KNWA, the NBC affiliate. Each week, the station takes a look at an organization or a person working to improve the community.
February 15th 2011
Arkansas continues its struggle to overcome the recession. We've all debated what should be done to bring in new jobs, promote economic development, and ensure a bright future. Sadly, rather than focusing on the most pressing needs of our citizens and improving the long term quality of our workforce, the major focus of this legislative session appears to be cutting taxes for upper income taxpayers and corporations in a misguided attempt to promote economic development in the state. The idea is that if you cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations the state will attract new jobs and grow. But in reality, these kinds of tax cuts are expensive and inefficient for a state to take on. It also discounts many important factors related to economic development, the reason a corporation would locate their business in a state, and what benefits the state receives from certain policies.
February 14th 2011
Roby Brock of Talk Business recently asked us to counter the arguments that some lawmakers have for cutting capital gains taxes.
February 14th 2011
We were delighted by the coverage our ARKids First Red Tape Rally got last week. Especially an editorial from the Fort Smith Times Record:
February 7th 2011
There have been bills filed that will hurt our most economically vulnerable middle class Arkansas families, those who have been laid off from their jobs and are receiving or applying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to temporarily meet basic needs. Multiple bills have been filed that would make it harder for hard working, middle class families to apply for and receive unemployment benefits in a timely manner (if at all in some cases).
February 4th 2011
We all want to believe that the worst of the recession is behind us. That people who have lost their jobs are finding work. Sadly, we’re not there yet. Families are still struggling and jobs aren’t readily available for all who need them. Unemployment insurance (UI) benefits have helped many families stay out of poverty while looking for work during this recession. These benefits are still helping many Arkansas families stay afloat. Why would we want to make it harder (and more expensive) for a hard working Arkansan who has been hit by these rough economic times to receive their UI benefits?
February 1st 2011
In a few weeks we'll see a flood of new data from teh 2010 survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. Since 2000, we've relied on smaller samply surveys for estimates on demographics and trends year by year.