The American Rescue Plan is a historic and much-needed response to a global pandemic. In the short term, the federal relief will help many of us recover from months of lost wages and overdue rent. Here are some benefits...
As the Delta variant continues to spread and caseloads continue to rise, we can’t lose sight of the fact that too many families in our communities continue to face significant ongoing hardship. And children are paying a steep price....
More than a thousand bills were passed during the 2021 General Assembly. Do you know how they will impact kids? From positive changes for immigrant families in Arkansas to increasing teachers’ salaries, and to defending the state’s Medicaid expansion program,...
Arkansas’s 93rd General Assembly has the chance to provide $50 million in tax cuts for the lowest-wage Arkansans who need it most, and the smartest way to target that tax relief is through a state Earned Income Tax Credit...
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...
The Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means committee, Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) has filed legislation that would repeal the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes that was put in place by the Tax...
Today the U.S. Census Bureau published its annual release of national-level statistics on income, poverty and health insurance coverage. As we wrote in our previous blog post, these statistics are based on the Current Population Survey, which is useful...
by John Cook, Ph.D., M.A.Ed., Research Scientist and Principal Investigator, Children’s HealthWatch; Richard Sheward, MPP, Deputy Director of Innovative Partnerships, Children’s HealthWatch; Bruno Showers, Senior Policy Analyst, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families; and Eduardo Ochoa, Jr., MD, Principal Investigator,...
Note: This blog is first in a series of posts covering the findings in the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2019 KIDS COUNT® Data Book. Read our press release about the Data Book here. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2019 KIDS...
The number of Arkansas children living in poverty has continued to improve, according to data released today in the annual Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT® Data Book. The number of Arkansas children living in poverty decreased by 9,000...