The number of uninsured children in Arkansas has declined over the past year, now totaling only six percent. Thanks to ARKids First and Medicaid, the percentage of children without health insurance has dropped from 22 percent to just six percent over the past 16 years.

Arkansas senators joined their counterparts in the House of Representatives and decided to make health coverage affordable for more Arkansas citizens. The "Private Option" will allow the state to use Medicaid dollars to buy private insurance plans for low-income Arkansans, thus providing an affordable health coverage option to 250,000 people. Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families would like to publicly thank our lawmakers for voting for this very important measure.

Has the 2013 legislative session left you wondering "What the heck just happened at the Capitol this year?" Are you thinking: What's coming next?  What does all of it mean? What went wrong? What went right? Our AACF Post Legislative Conferences will answer these and other questions.

Juvenile Justice in Arkansas: Building on Success describes how far Arkansas has come in reforming the juvenile justice system and lays out a plan for moving forward. The state's laws, regulations, and practices must align with its commitment to a system of juvenile justice that will effectively serve youth for the long term. A thoughtful, engaged, and community-driven approach can reduce the incarceration of low- and moderate-risk youth. Reinvesting state savings in proven-effective, community-based alternatives is the most promising way to ensure that our continued successes builds on what we've accomplished thus far.

According to an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), House Bill 1585 would target personal income tax relief to Arkansas taxpayers who make over $155,000 per year (the top five percent of earners). This group would receive one-half (50 percent) of the total benefits resulting from the tax cut. That's compared to those who make $29,000 or less per year, who would get nothing.

The number of Arkansas youth locked up in correctional facilities went up 20 percent from 1997 to 2010, bucking a national trend, according to a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The number of young people in correctional facilities dropped more than 40 percent nationally over the same period of time with no measurable decrease in public safety.

More than 150,000 Arkansans work every day, earn less than $32,000 per year, and do not have health insurance. These workers qualify for Medicaid under new federal guidelines set to take effect in January. The last remaining hurdle is approval by the 89^th General Assembly. 

Cost-sharing and copayments reduce access to health care for low-income families who already struggle to make ends meet. In the debate to extend Medicaid to 250,000 adults, the idea of using some form of cost-sharing or copayment system has come up again and again. The federal government allows considerable state flexibility with implementing cost-sharing. However, a new report by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) says copayments can create barriers to access to care.

More than 150,000 Arkansans work every day, earn less than $32,000 per year, and do not have health insurance. These workers qualify for Medicaid under new federal guidelines set to take effect in January. The last remaining hurdle is approval by the 89^th General Assembly.

Black students in Arkansas schools are more likely to be suspended and receive corporal punishment than their white counterparts, according to a new report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF). In 2012 black students were given out-of-school suspension more than five times as often as white students, in-school-suspension almost three times as often, and corporal punishment almost twice as often.