The past year has been an exciting one for Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families (AACF). The year marked the completion of our eight-year health care outreach project as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Covering Kids and Families Initiative, one of the most successful initiatives in our organization’s history. 2005 also saw another major […]
Widgets, Inc. has the hottest New Gadget to hit the market in an age. Widgets has stores in Louisiana, Illinois, New York, and Georgia, but has not yet opened a “bricks and mortar” store in Arkansas. Mr. Hitech lives in Jonesboro and the New Gadget is at the top of his wish list. He doesn’t […]
Today Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) released an in-depth analysis of what occurred during the expansion process of the quality preschool program. The report “Quality Pre-K Expansion in Arkansas: Lessons Learned,” details the successes and challenges of expanding access to the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success programs for an additional 7,000 eligible […]
During the special session in 2004, the Arkansas General Assembly passed landmark legislation, greatly expanding access to ABC programs. Act 49 created the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success programs, a state-funded quality preschool program for at-risk 3 and 4 year old children estimated to cost $100 million per year when fully implemented. During the […]
A report released today by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) describes how Arkansas families are faring after the recession and subsequent economic recovery that have gripped the U.S. for the first half of the decade. The 2005 State of Working Arkansas analyzes these recent economic trends and details how Arkansas families are faring […]
The last six years have been an unpredictable rollercoaster ride for the Arkansas economy, Arkansas workers, and families. During the last part of the 1990s, a thriving national economy led to near record employment (by recent historical standards), growing wages for most workers and families, and flush tax revenues for most state governments. This was […]
Congress was still in session late in December, 2005 debating the USA Patriot Act, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and how to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year. Congress is rarely still in session that late in December – a telling sign, not only of the importance of the issues […]
If you are elected to a state public office, you will make hundreds of decisions about public policies impacting children and families – decisions that can either make life harder for families or ones that can improve their lives. This guide provides data, information, and policy options to candidates on some of the greatest challenges […]
In 1999, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 1005, legislation cutting the Arkansas capital gains tax. Since that time, recent events have dramatically altered the fiscal landscape at both the federal and state levels. In response to an Arkansas Supreme Court mandate, the Arkansas legislature enacted a large sales tax increase in 2004 to fund […]
The Check Cashers Act of 1999 classified the charge for borrowing from a payday lender as a “fee” rather than as interest. As a result of this legislation, Arkansas now has more payday lenders (281) than McDonald’s restaurants (127). These lenders make an estimated 880,413 payday loans per year at an effective interest rate of […]