The political environment in Arkansas is changing. As talk of tax cuts and cut-backs rise above the din, making a strong argument for investments in our state’s children and families is more important than ever. With that in mind, AACF developed a new strategic plan in 2013 that will guide us over the next four […]

The 89th General Assembly faces a clear choice this year: deny coverage to more than 250,000 Arkansans who qualify for Medicaid services or allow all Arkansans access to coverage they deserve. Right now, the only way working Arkansans qualify for Medicaid is if they are very low-income parents or disabled workers. The only exception is […]

The gap between the rich and poor in Arkansas is growing, and it is hurting all of us. Increasing inequality in Arkansas holds back economic growth, damages the democratic process, and keeps many low income and minority families stuck in poverty. But it can be fixed. Arkansas will be a stronger state if we correct […]

What is the Private Option? A new kind of affordable, private health coverage for up to 250,000 Arkansans who lack health insurance. A market-based, fiscally responsible model of covering low-income adults. A law passed by a bipartisan supermajority of Arkansas legislators in 2013. The best way to give Arkansans the economic security of health coverage […]

Arkansas’s Current Minimum Wage Is Inadequate A fair and adequate minimum wage is critical to a strong economic system that both supports the economic well-being of workers and their families and meets the labor needs of businesses. Unfortunately, although there have been periodic increases in the federal minimum wage over the past four decades, the […]

This is a quick and simple way to see where funding for Arkansas P-12 education comes from, how it’s used, and AACF’s recommendations for how to support low-income students effectively (Please feel free to share this image. It prints out best at a 11 X 17 size).

While a comprehensive plan for improving the Arkansas tax system is beyond the scope of this brief, there are some obvious changes that Arkansas could make to (1) strengthen the revenue foundation for the services needed to improve the well-being of the state’s children and families and (2) improve the system’s fairness for low and […]

Arkansas is home to one of the largest populations of Marshallese individuals in the world — people who were born in the Republic of the Marshall Islands but moved here for employment and to have a better life. They are free to travel, work, attend school and live in the United States under a Compact […]

People from all over the state – who have interests as varied as the counties from which they come – routinely ask us how they can make a difference. This question has several answers, but every one of them contains a common theme: learn about the tax and budget system. Understanding these basics provides you […]

Now that the dust has settled from the 2013 legislative session, it’s a good time to take stock of the impacts of tax policy changes made by the Arkansas General Assembly. By any objective standard, the tax changes passed this year fail to make the fundamental changes that Arkansas needs to create a fair, adequate, […]