Our improving job numbers in Arkansas are due in part to the effect that $600-per-week unemployment supplements have had as they circulated through our economy. Losing them now would be disastrous. Arkansas’s unemployment rate fell again in June to...
Prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity was a problem for over 15 percent of Arkansas households, higher than the national average of 11 percent. In fact, during fiscal year 2019, 1 in 9 Arkansans benefited...
Families across the state are facing serious hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting sharp economic decline, which likely will be severe and long-lasting. While Congress has passed a few bipartisan laws that provide some relief to families...
State governments can help with aggressive outreach About 12 million Americans — including 110,000 in Arkansas alone — risk missing out on the stimulus payments provided through the recent CARES Act if they don’t file a form to receive it, according to a...
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act included “economic impact payments” to support families and help boost the economy as we struggle with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. As many economists project a sluggish economy and...
Arkansas children who are eligible for free and reduced-priced school meals will have additional nutritional benefits coming their way soon. But it’s important for parents to be aware of the benefits and how to use them. Last week, Arkansas...
States are nearing shortfalls that could be the largest on record – totaling over $500 billion in just over a fiscal year While federal policymakers have provided a substantial amount of fiscal relief to state and local governments to...
The number of new weekly claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending in March 28th was about 6.65 million, shattering the previous week’s already record-high number of 3.3 million. That means around 10 million total newly unemployed workers...
As record-breaking numbers of Americans file for unemployment, Congressional action will bring relief to struggling families during this time of national emergency. Arkansas must also act quickly to ensure that vulnerable Arkansans can get the help they need and...
The economy has undergone a record-long expansion over the past decade, and that has lead some economists to worry that a recession is on the horizon. The coronavirus pandemic may or may not cause a recession — the Federal...