In public debates on taxes, it is often forgotten (or ignored) that the poor pay taxes just like everyone else. Not only do low-income working families pay a vast array of taxes—from payroll to sales taxes and from property taxes to driver’s license fees—but as a percentage of their income, they also pay far more […]
Even during the August recess, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has been closely following Congress as it continues to develop legislation that will have a profound impact on Arkansas children and families. Newly released 2009 federal budget deficit projections underscore the need for healthcare reform, which will continue to dominate discussion in both the […]
The Task Force recommends that Arkansas take the following actions to support expanded access to quality after-school and summer programs across the state. Promote quality by: Using the framework for quality standards and all of its elements in program expansion, evaluation, and training for after-school and summer programs. Expanding the capacity of state agencies to […]
Half of 3,700 Arkansas children recently surveyed said they were unsupervised after school on a regular basis, according to a new report by students from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. The report on the demand for after-school programs in Arkansas public schools also found that a majority of the children surveyed […]
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, ending welfare as we had then known it for several decades. The Act replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with an employment-oriented program with time limits for eligibility, known as the Transition Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) […]
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families is closely following Congress as it continues to develop legislation that could have a profound impact on Arkansas children and families. Healthcare reform and climate change dominate discussion in both the Senate and the House.
Arkansas’s Transition to Employment Assistance (TEA) program is a safety net for children and families in poverty. TEA provides short-term cash assistance to families in financial crisis, with the long-term goal of moving them from poverty and dependence to economic self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, Arkansas’s poverty rate has only risen since the TEA program was created, with […]
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families applauds our leaders in Washington for making health reform a priority in 2009. Vulnerable children and families deserve equal access to quality, affordable health care in their communities. With momentum and urgency for federal health reform growing, AACF encourages child advocates to keep children and families at the center […]
The economic stimulus program of the Obama administration, ARRA, is intended to save jobs and increase consumer spending during the worst economic downturn billion—will provide toward tax cuts and support a wide spectrum of government services, including health, education, energy, housing and many other areas. One important part of ARRA that will benefit many Arkansas […]
You’ve heard it a thousand times: “The only thing certain in life is death and taxes. We’ve all complained and joked about taxes for so long that we often forget how critical they are in supporting the common good. Whenever you drive to work, your taxes are keeping you and your kids safe by providing […]