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Three bills don’t pass the test

The poorest Arkansans may be forced to submit to intrusive drug tests before receiving TANF or SNAP benefits because of three new bills (HB1924, HB1785, and SB600). Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a program that helps pregnant...

Tax cuts for the super-rich could return

The wealthiest Arkansans might be bringing home a little more tax-free money thanks to Representative Shepherd’s bill (HB1402) that would reinstate the 2013 capital gains tax cuts benefiting mostly wealthy and upper-income taxpayers. Earlier this session, Governor Hutchinson’s Middle...

AACF Weekly Legislative Update Vol. 8

Despite another week of snow and ice, it was an eventful week at the Capitol. With Monday’s filing deadline for non-appropriation bills fast approaching, a number of bills are being filed that we are reviewing. HEALTH: The effort to allow...

Hard times ahead for Arkansas families?

People who are between jobs could face harder times ahead because of a bill that threatens to cut public benefits. Honest folks who are still struggling to find work in a weak job market could have their unemployment benefits...

February revenue above forecast

Growth in net general revenue collections for February and the year as a whole could allow policymakers to boost funding for education, healthcare, and other services. Revenue from February was higher than this time last year by about $6.2...

Reducing youth incarceration in Arkansas

In April 2014, when Desha County Sheriff Jim Snyder read a newspaper article about AACF’s report “Why Detention is Not Always the Answer”, he called to let us know this was something he knew about first hand. As a...

AACF Weekly Legislative Update Vol. 7

HEALTH: Next week, the bill to allow local municipalities to determine the fluoride levels of their water system is expected to be presented to the Senate Public Health, Welfare, and Labor Committee.  This bill, HB1355, establishes a maximum not...