In 1997, with the enactment of Title XXI of the Social Security Act, the State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was created with strong bipartisan support. Initially authorized as a 10-year program, SCHIP has become widely regarded as one of...
There has been much discussion in this legislative session about how to provide tax relief for low-income families. Two proposals are currently being debated in the legislature. One is to immediately cut the grocery tax by 3% and gradually...
This report is the result of a collaborative effort between multiple agencies and healthcare providers in the state. These organizations share a common interest in improving the health status of Arkansas’ children. This report includes a range of data...
In February 2005, President Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 which was the result of the administration’s call to reduce federal spending by approximately $35 billion by 2010. Medicaid, one of the nation’s largest federally funded...
What is a rainy day fund? A rainy day or budget stabilization fund is similar to a savings account for a family. You put aside a little extra cash each month so that in an emergency you don’t have...
The current Arkansas budget surplus, which is expected to be between $800 and $900 million, provides a unique opportunity to have a public debate about severance tax reform. Arkansas’ severance tax is the lowest in the country. Unlike most...
According to Dr. Belfield’s economic analysis, Arkansas’ pre-k investment to date will yield $2.32 for every $1 state leaders have allocated for the Arkansas Better Chance pre-k program for at-risk children. If the program were extended to all children,...
This brief looks at evaluations of 34 academically focused summer programs in order to distill challenges and compile promising strategies for creating quality summer programs. Arkansas-specific resources and information are available at the Arkansas Out-of-School Network site www.aosn.org.
Arkansas has consistently fallen below the national average of providing Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) screens to low-income children. The national average in 2004 was 39 percent and Arkansas’ rate was 27 percent. These screens can provide...
Over the past two decades, the benefits of economic growth have been skewed heavily in favor of Arkansas’ wealthiest families. Income inequality is shown by dividing the population into five categories by income level with 20 percent in each....