AR Coalition Successfully Urges State Task Force on Poverty to Adopt Half in Ten Goal

After months of planning, meeting, and talking to citizens statewide, the Arkansas Task Force on Eliminating Poverty and Promoting Economic Opportunity released its findings on November 29. Joined by State Sen. Joyce Elliott (D-Little Rock) and Task Force members, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, or AACF, joined the chorus of those clamoring for a real strategy to reduce poverty. The Task Force recommendations include our ambitious goal of cutting poverty in half in 10 years. This comes directly from the Half in Ten campaign!

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has been busy releasing data in advance of the coming legislative session. One release of note exposed the fact that many schools are not spending money dedicated to helping children in poverty close the achievement gap. AACF hopes to correct this problem in the General Assembly.

AACF also hosted a pre-legislative meeting in Little Rock in December. More than 100 activists, advocates, and community leaders participated in the day-long event with workshops ranging from tax and budget issues to children’s health care. On the same day, AACF released a finding that showed the state’s SCHIP program—ARKids First—has not received the funding promised in a 2009 tobacco tax increase. ARKids First ensures that all children below 200 percent of the federal poverty line have access to health care coverage.

Finally, AACF released a paper on December 15 citing the disproportionate impact a capital gains tax cut would have on wealthy Arkansans. The cut would do nothing for low-income families while cutting off revenue the state needs for critical services. Rep. Ed Garner (R-Maumelle) has pre-filed a bill that would eliminate the state’s capital gains tax completely. Arkansas already provides a very generous 30 percent exemption on all capital gains.