Category: State Budget

State budget has small key wins for AZ children & families, BUT more needs to be done

Children's Action Alliance's annual legislative agenda is designed to assure the necessary community conditions exist so all Arizona families have equitable access to high-quality education, health care, child well-being, services, and economic opportunities. Our agenda is advanced through funding in the 2023-2024 state budget.  Last week, Governor Hobbs passed and signed the budget, and there were some small but key wins for Arizona children and families including:

  • KidsCare Program Expansion: The budget expands KidsCare eligibility within Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) to 225% of the federal poverty level, providing healthcare to an additional 12,000 children. Children's Action Alliance advocated for a higher threshold of 300% of the federal poverty level.
  • Strong Families AZ Home Visiting System: The budget allocates $2.5 million to support the Nurse-Family Partnership in the Strong Families AZ Home Visiting System.
  • Reducing financial barriers for youth attempting to exit the Juvenile Justice System:  The budget allocates $250,000 to offset the loss of revenue from the elimination of some fees and fines that often create financial barriers for young adults.
  • Positive Parenting Program Pilot: The budget establishes a pilot program for the Positive Parenting Program, focusing on post-permanency placements.
  • Emergency Shelter and Transitional Living: Funding is increased to provide better emergency shelter and transitional living options for children and youth in foster care.

While acknowledging the importance of these investments, more is needed to determine how these programs will be implemented.  And much more is needed to allow all Arizona families to thrive.

These are Children’s Action Alliance’s legislative priorities that still need to be addressed: 

Early Childhood 

  • State investment to increase child care provider reimbursement rates. 
  • Increased access to high-quality early learning settings such as Head Start, child care, and preschool. 
  • Expansion of mental and behavioral health support in care and education programs. 

 Children and Family Health 

  • Comprehensive dental care for adults covered by Medicaid. 
  • Streamlined enrollment and uninterrupted AHCCCS coverage for children. 
  • Extended AHCCCS eligibility for non-citizen children and pregnant individuals. 

 Child Welfare 

  • Establish a coordinated and collaborative statewide effort to review and reform Arizona’s mandated reporting system. 
  • Ensure foster children placed with kin receive the same level of support as they would get in a community foster home. 
  • Increased access to services for kinship families not formally involved in the child welfare system. 

Concerns Surrounding the Budget 

Children's Action Alliance has some concerns about the recently passed budget, considering the crucial need for increased investments in Arizona's children and families. One major concern is the potential shortfall in actual state revenues or higher-than-projected expenditures. 

The budget relies on a small ending balance that could quickly diminish. The projected ending balance for fiscal year 2024 is $7.8 million – less than 1% of projected revenue. Should revenues fall short of projections, it is very likely the budget will become unbalanced. While $1.4 billion is available in the Rainy-Day Fund, those dollars would provide a one-time solution. If it is determined that ongoing spending exceeds ongoing revenue, the legislature would have two choices: (1) Permanent cuts to spending or (2) Permanent increases to revenue. 

The budget fails to adopt any controls on the growth of the Universal Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program.  In the eight months since applications for universal ESAs opened up, enrollment in the ESA program (including the categories that previously existed) has grown from 13,200 to 56,134 students as of May 15, increasing by nearly 1,000 in one week. Enrollment is expected to increase as the new school year approaches. The cost to the state’s General Fund depends not only on the number of ESA students but also on whether those students had previously been enrolled in a public school (and therefore at least partially funded through the state’s General Fund). The absence of a cap or any other limiting criteria, such as an income limit, means participation in the ESA program could far exceed available funding. Learn more about ESAs here:  https://azeconcenter.org/arizona-school-vouchers-explained/  

The budget provides only one-time funding for issues that appear to be ongoing. The budget process requires the legislature to identify projected ongoing revenues and expenditures for the two years following the year being appropriated. One-time expenditures are not included. While capital projects, highway construction, and repairs are clearly one-time expenditures, other spending that has been categorized as one-time appears to really be ongoing. This includes $12 million in the Department of Child Safety to replace federal and other funds that will no longer be available and $60 million in the Department of Corrections for increased contract costs. While the Statement of Revenues and Expenditures reports more than $700 million remaining at the end of the fiscal year 2026, that number would shrink if even a portion of the nearly $3 billion identified as one-time expenditures for the fiscal year 2024 is actually ongoing. 

Arizona's Voters Deserve a Say in the State's Budget

The voices of voters are once again being silenced. After several moves that are undemocratic, lacking in transparency and clearly an attempt to rush through billions of dollars of taxpayer money with almost zero input from the public, the final floor vote is set for tomorrow morning.   

 At 5pm yesterday evening, the state legislature introduced its slate of budget bills publicly. The budget details, negotiated between the Governor’s Office and Republican Leadership, were released and committee hearings were held less than 24 hours later. The public had little to no chance to review the content, synthesize the material or share their feedback on an approximately $17 BILLION budget. This budget is made up of tax dollars paid for by you, the citizens of Arizona. This is a continuation of the pattern of silencing the voices of voters in recent years. 

 Worse, the House Appropriations committee, in a partisan move, immediately combined all 17 bills into one vote. And then limited members ability to ask questions of staff about the content. They allowed zero public comment on the measures. This even though members of the public had taken time to be present to testify. 

 Questions and concerns from Representatives as well as stakeholders and other members of the public had begun to bubble up, in particular about the long-term budget ramifications of the failure to place a cap or any meaningful oversight on the out-of-control expansion of Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA’s).

Rather than hear or work to address those concerns in the only public forum the citizens have once budget bills are released, Committee leadership chose to close ranks and shut out dissent. 

 Children’s Action Alliance and the Arizona Center for Economic Progress believe strongly that citizens should take every opportunity to participate in the process of government and have their voice heard and that lawmakers have a duty to listen to those they represent, even the ones they disagree with.   

 *CAA and the AZ Center will have additional analysis of the budget proposal in the coming days.   

Arizona poised to end seizure of benefits owed to foster children

Arizona is one of a growing number of states considering proposals to prohibit child welfare agencies from seizing foster children’s federal benefits. Nationwide and in Arizona, roughly 5% of all children and youth in foster care qualify for Social Security Administration disability and survivor benefits. They qualify for these benefits because they are disabled or have lost their parents. But most foster children never see these benefits, or even know that are receiving them. That is because the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) intercepts the funds and applies them to the costs of the child’s own foster care. This longstanding practice, known as “benefits mining,” has come under scrutiny following a 2021 investigation by the Marshall Project and National Public Radio. The investigation estimated that in 2018 alone, child welfare agencies across the US seized $165 million dollars owed to foster children and used the money to pay for the costs of their foster care placements. During the 2022 Arizona State Fiscal year, DCS seized an average of $764 a month from nearly 700 foster children, totaling $6.25M in revenue.   

Legislation to end Arizona’s practice of "benefits mining" is currently working its way through the state legislature. House Bill 2559 (Montenegro) will prevent DCS from using children’s federal benefits to pay for the cost of their own care while in DCS custody and require that the benefits be accounted for, protected, and saved for the children’s own use when they exit foster care. The fate of HB 2559 will depend on whether it survives state budget negotiations as a General Fund appropriation will be needed to make up the dollars that DCS will lose.   

While the funds DCS “mines” from foster children represents just a tiny fraction of the agency’s budget, for a child who has experienced foster care they represent the ability to pay for college, a car, a house, or even food and other necessities. For a young adult who may not have another safety net after aging out of care, these funds can be the difference between surviving and thriving.  

Learn More 

Win for Prop 208 and the Voters of Arizona

PRESS STATEMENT 

June 23, 2022 

$800 Million in New Ongoing Funding for Public Education is a Win for Prop 208 and the Voters of Arizona 

(PHOENIX, AZ) When nearly 1.7 million Arizona voters passed Proposition 208 in November 2020 they sent a clear message that they wanted to substantially increase funding for K-12 public education and they supported raising taxes on the wealthiest Arizonans to do so. While the Supreme Court’s heavy-handed decision striking down Prop 208 went against the will of the voters, the Supreme Court could not erase the strong message that voters had sent: that they were tired of Arizona having the most underfunded schools in the nation and they would no longer tolerate the state legislature’s failure to properly fund public education.

So make no mistake about it, the more than $800 million in new ongoing funding for public education included in the new state budget would not have happened without all of the Arizona voters who supported Prop 208, and all of the teachers and other community volunteers who worked so hard to make it happen. Initial budget proposals did not include anywhere near the amount of new public education investments that made it into the final budget. But lawmakers could no longer ignore the will of the voters. That is why the new budget includes new annual investments in our public schools that are nearly equivalent to the amount of annual funding that would have been raised by Prop 208.

The additional funding includes:

  • More than $500 million increase to the funding formula
  • $100 million for the new opportunity weight
  • $100 million increase for special education
  • $50 million for more school safety officers and counselors

“We are pleased to see that Arizona’s public schools will be getting close to the same level of investments that Prop 208 would have provided,” said David Lujan, President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance, one of the organizations behind Prop 208.

But if we are painting the complete picture, while the new investments for public education are certainly a bright spot in this budget, the budget package also contains millions of dollars in new tax cuts and tax credits that will threaten the sustainability of this new education funding in the future, and will make it virtually impossible to make the additional investments that would be needed to get Arizona closer to the national average in education funding. Even with these new investments, Arizona will still remain in the bottom 10 nationally in per pupil funding. Continuing to drain future state revenues through tax cuts will likely lead to big budget cuts when the next recession arrives. Expanding school vouchers will also divert even more public tax dollars away from public schools to private schools with no accountability.

Arizona still has much work to do to ensure all of Arizona’s public school students have the resources they need to succeed. We need to make sure we are electing state legislators who both support new investments in our public schools and who will put an end to the annual practice of draining future state revenues by doling out tax breaks to big corporations and the rich. That is why it is so important for Arizona voters continue to have their pro-public education voices heard this November.

Budget Proposal Shortchanges Arizona Children and Families

The Arizona legislature is considering a new state budget proposal this week as they seek to avoid a state government shutdown with only 8 days remaining before the deadline. While we wish we could praise this budget proposal for including some new investments that we have been seeking for many years, unfortunately, those new investments do not outweigh the fact that overall this is a budget that shortchanges the future for Arizona children and families.

State lawmakers have an unprecedented $5 billion revenue surplus on-hand as they work to craft the state budget. The revenue surplus provides an opportunity to make much-needed new investments for things that have been underfunded for years, like K-12 public education, children’s access to health care, and early childhood education. It also requires lawmakers to make fiscally responsible decisions that will avoid huge budget cuts the next time there is an economic downturn.

Unfortunately, the budget proposal being considered this week both misses many opportunities to make the meaningful new investments that are necessary, and it includes fiscally irresponsible tax cuts and funding shifts that, when the next recession hits, will jeopardize future funding for the resources that children and families count on.

Read our summary of the budget proposal covering what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s missing or not enough.

The Good

Kinship care stipend increase – Increases the stipend paid to grandparents and other relatives who are caring for children family members placed with them through the foster care system from $75 a month to $300 a month. 52% of the children currently in Arizona’s foster care system are placed with relatives, yet non-relative foster homes receive considerably more ($641 a month) than the relative foster providers.

Healthy Families – Invests $15 million to fill the funding gap for Healthy Families, a nationally accredited, evidence based voluntary home visitation program for new parents that sets the foundation for a healthy start to their child’s life.

Postpartum AHCCCS coverage – Expands AHCCCS coverage (Arizona’s Medicaid program) for one year after pregnancy ends to pregnant people earning less than 156% of the federal poverty level who also meet residency and citizenship requirements. Currently, eligibility is reevaluated 60 days after their pregnancy ends.

AHCCCS eligibility for foster youth – Appropriates funding to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic procedures, and align Arizona law with federal law allowing former foster youth to stay enrolled in Medicaid until age 26.

The Bad

Property tax cuts – Eliminates a $344 million annual funding source for public education by repealing a state property tax. By eliminating this state property tax, it will place a greater responsibility to fund public schools on the state. This loss of revenue will be felt during future economic downturns, making public education more susceptible to future budget cuts.

Expands private school tax credits – reduces state revenues by $2 million this year, with that amount growing annually, to expand the amount of public tax dollars being redirected to private school tuition organizations leaving fewer dollars available to invest in public schools.

Expansion of private school vouchers – While not in the budget itself, it is widely believed that a budget deal is contingent on a major expansion of private school vouchers. Even though Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected private school vouchers at the ballot box, lawmakers continue to want to divert public tax dollars away from underfunded public schools to private schools.

Missing or Not Enough

Not enough for K-12 public education – The budget proposes $540 million in new ongoing investments for K-12 public education. With Arizona ranked 49th in per pupil funding, and with a growing teacher shortage crisis, it would be inexcusable to not use more of the unprecedented $5 billion surplus to make significant new investments in our public schools. Arizona voters passed Prop 208 in 2020, only to have the Supreme Court strike the measure down earlier this year. Prop 208 would have provided nearly $1 billion in ongoing funding for public education annually. The legislature can and should provide at least the amount of new ongoing funding that Prop 208 would have provided.

Missing is any fix to the constitutional school spending limit – Any new investments in public education will be meaningless if schools cannot spend those dollars. That will almost certainly be the case next year and every year thereafter unless the legislature refers a measure to the November ballot to either repeal or modernize the outdated school spending limit in the state constitution. Currently, the school spending limit is outdated based on what it cost to educate students in 1980.

Missing are any new investments to expand eligibility for children’s heath care - KidsCare is Arizona's Children's Health Insurance Program. It provides low-cost care to children under 19 who live in households earning between 133-200% of the federal poverty limit. Arizona has the fourth-highest rate of uninsured children in the U.S., and more than 16,000 - 10% of all uninsured children in our state - live in households earning slightly too much to qualify for KidsCare. A $12 million appropriation would expand eligibility to thousands of Arizona children.

Missing are any new investments to make child care more affordable – Child care is crucial to Arizona’s economy. For the past decade, Arizona has eliminated almost all state funding for resources to make child care more affordable for Arizona families.

 

Break the school funding cycle

The legislature has successfully addressed one of the most important issues this session by lifting the school spending limit for this school year. This allows Arizona’s public schools to spend the money they had already received and budgeted for, and avoid $1.2 billion in devastating cuts. But the threat remains. Arizona’s public schools will likely face a similar crisis next year (and probably every year thereafter) unless the legislature refers a measure to the ballot to either repeal the school spending limit permanently or, at the very least, modernize it to reflect what it costs to educate students today.

The current school spending limit is based on what it cost to educate students in 1980. While the limit is adjusted annually to account for inflation and student growth, it does not account for all of the changes that have occurred over the past four decades in how schools educate students. For example, in 1980, schools did not have computers and other technology. The need for additional school safety measures is much higher today than it was in 1980. And Arizona did not have charter schools in 1980. But the clearest evidence that Arizona needs to modernize the spending limit is that Arizona is last in the nation in funding our public schools despite already well-exceeding the spending limit. Therefore, before Arizona can increase funding for public education, we must first raise or eliminate the school spending limit. Because the school spending limit is in the state constitution, the legislature cannot make permanent changes to the spending limit – only voters can. But the legislature can refer a measure to the ballot for voters to do just that, as soon as this November’s election.

Let your state legislators know that you want them to refer a measure to the ballot this year to fix the school spending limit so that we don’t have to do this all over again next year.

2022 Governor's Budget Hits & Misses

Each year, Arizona’s legislative session begins with the Governor’s State of the State speech and the unveiling of his or her annual priorities and proposed budget. This session presents Governor Ducey a rare opportunity in his final year in office to provide much-needed help to children and families in Arizona. Despite the lingering pandemic, Arizona’s revenues have reached historic highs in large part due to the multiple federal economic rescue packages and temporary unemployment insurance expansion. Arizona currently has $1 billion in ongoing and $2.1 billion in one-time revenues. This is in addition to billions of dollars in unspent federal COVID relief dollars.

Also at the beginning of each year, Children’s Action Alliance publishes its list of legislative priorities. It is our hope each year that the Governor's priorities align with ours. This year, while we did see a few bright spots that address longstanding needs, that largely did not happen. Take a look at a comparison of where the Governors priorities and ours find common ground, and where opportunities missed the mark or weren’t addressed.

On mobile? View our printable PDF.

Early Childhood

Secure state general fund investment in child care assistance  

Not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Increase Arizona Early Intervention Program provider rates  

Nearly 11,000 children under the age of 3 who have disabilities or developmental delays receive therapies and other support from the Arizona Early Intervention Program.  Current rates paid to providers are significantly below comparable rates paid by the program that provides services to children over age 3. The Governor’s budget proposal adds $18.6 million per year starting in fiscal year 2024 to bring the rates in line with rates paid by other programs.  A temporary rate increase will be funded in fiscal year 2023 using federal dollars.

Secure state investment in Healthy Families home visitation program  

The Governor’s budget provides $10 million, of which $7.5 million is new funding and $2.5 million replaces funds that will no longer be available. Healthy Families currently serves 4,000 families. The Governor’s budget would add an additional 1,500 families. The Governor’s budget also includes a total $15 million for fiscal years 24 and 25 which would increase the program’s ability to serve 8,000 families.

Fight any use of state funds appropriated for online early education  

Not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Education

Prevent a $1.2 billion cut to public schools by authorizing an annual exemption to the K-12 expenditure cap for this school year by March 1 

If the legislature does not override the education spending limit by March 1, 2022, Arizona’s district schools will be required to cut their current year budgets by $1.2 billion.  This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Refer a measure to the ballot to update or eliminate the outdated K-12 expenditure authority.  

Not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Expand access to affordable higher education and prevent increases in student debt 

The Governor’s budget proposal increases the Promise Grant funding by $12.5 million for a total $20 million.  These additional dollars will serve an additional 3,300 students.  The Promise Grant program covers the balance of tuition that remains for students who are fully eligible for Pell grants.  

The Governor’s budget, however, continues to suspend $10 million of the statutorily required deposit into the Student Financial Aid Trust Fund. This issue is not addressed preventing tuition increases.

Reduces inequities in school funding  

The Governor’s proposal increases results-based funding for excelling schools by $60.8 million for a total $129 million.  The Governor’s proposal also includes moving this funding into the Basic State Aid appropriation where it will lose its separate identity.  Schools continue to receive results-based funding as long as they meet the criteria.  For struggling schools the Governor’s proposal includes $58 million to create the Operation Excellence program which provides $150 per student for three years.  

Family Health

Extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months (currently 60 days) 

Approximately 15,000 to 18,000 pregnant adults could benefit from extended AHCCCS coverage. This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State. 

Comprehensive adult dental coverage through Medicaid

Currently only a maximum of $1,000 annually of emergency services are available for most adult populations.  This issue is not addressed in the Governor’ budget or the State of the State.

Streamline Young Adult Transitional Insurance (YATI) re-enrollment for former foster youth 

Young adults who “age out” of foster care at age 18 are automatically eligible for enrollment in AHCCCS, the state’s Medicaid program.  If they do not respond to redetermination notices or requests for additional information, often because AHCCCS does not have an accurate address, they are disenrolled.  More than 5,200 young adults are currently enrolled through YATI.  This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Children's Health

Waive the Medicaid five-year residency requirement for otherwise eligible pregnant people and kids who are lawfully present immigrants 

Between 7,000 and 11,000 Arizona children are ineligibility for the state’s health insurance program because they have not been in the US for at least five years.  This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State. Adopting the Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) option would allow the state to provide high-quality health coverage to these children and to receive a higher federal reimbursement for their care. 

Provide 12-month continuous enrollment for children participating in AHCCCS or KidsCare 

More than 850,000 Arizona children are enrolled in Arizona’s Medicaid or CHIP programs. Though children who qualify are eligible for 12 months, families who experience income volatility may lose coverage due to a temporary or one-time increase. This has a negative impact on children’s health outcomes and presents an administrative burden to both AHCCCS and the families who lose coverage. This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Eliminate three-month wait period for KidsCare enrollment  

Arizona’s KidsCare program requires a child cannot be covered by any health insurance for three months prior to enrollment.  This presents a barrier to enrollment.  Even short lapses in health insurance coverage have a negative impact on children’s health outcomes.  This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice

Increase kinship foster care stipend

The Governor’s proposal quadruples the unlicensed rate from $75 to $300 per month and also increases the daily allowance that pays for clothing, school supplies, etc. This increase adds $19.8 million for a total $24.8 million for kinship placements. 

Reduced barriers to licensure for foster care and kinship care providers

Licensed foster care providers receive more than $600 a month compared to the current $75 for unlicensed kinship providers.  The Governor’s budget proposes removing barriers to licensure for kinship caregivers while maintaining home life and safety standards.

Increase the independent living subsidy provided for youth in extended foster care  

Currently, 651 former foster youth between ages 18 and 21 receive the independent living subsidy.  Currently the maximum subsidy is $715 and is reduced by $50 every six months. Neither the Governor’s budget nor the State of the State address this issue.

Reduce or eliminate juvenile court fines and fees  

This issue is not addressed in the Governor’s budget or State of the State.

Arizona’s legislators missed a unique opportunity this legislative session

Arizona’s legislators had a unique opportunity this legislative session. The pandemic did not result in state revenues falling to the $1 billion deficit that was expected. Instead, analysts projected there was more than $1 billion in ongoing, unobligated revenues plus nearly $3 billion in one-time cash. These funds could have been used to invest in Arizona’s future. From public schools to health care to state highways, many opportunities exist to make improvements that would have long-lasting impacts on our state. Instead, the legislature squandered this opportunity and passed record-breaking tax cuts that reduce revenue so much the tax cuts cannot be fully phased in until after fiscal year 2024.

Below is information about changes to General Fund appropriations for programs that benefit Arizona’s families. Included are some of the missed opportunities - what else could have been done for everyday Arizonans rather than the few that will receive significant tax increases. We also include information about the Department of Corrections’ budget not only because it has become the third largest state agency as far as General Fund dollars are concerned, but also because many Arizona families are impacted when a family member is incarcerated.

Note: This legislative session included a number of supplemental increases for fiscal year 2021. Because the budget wasn’t signed until June 30, it’s unlikely much, if any, of these additional funds will be spent in fiscal year 2021. However, agencies will be able to spend these funds in fiscal year 2022.

Debt Payoff - The budget pays off ahead of schedule $977 million in building project debt and $1 billion in pension payoffs for the Departments of Public Safety and Corrections.

Increased Federal Match Rate – Congress increased the federal match rate for Medicaid and related programs as part of the fiscal relief provided to states. This freed up $134 million in fiscal year 2021 and $267 million in fiscal year 2022. The budget assumes these increased rates will not continue into fiscal year 2023.

Salary Increases – The new budget includes more than $66 million for employee salary increases in six state agencies. In the Department of Public Safety, all employees will receive an increase; in the remainder, increases are restricted to certain classifications or positions. No funding is allocated for the more than 10,000 employees in other state agencies. The last general salary adjustment for all state employees occurred in fiscal year 2013, but this increase did not offset the pay cuts enacted in fiscal year 2011.

Good ideas that didn't fit the bill

The Arizona legislature set a deadline that any bills that did not receive an initial committee hearing by the end of last week cannot advance this session. Committee chairs wield a lot of power in deciding which bills receive consideration or not and with 1,823 bills introduced this session, we understand there simply is not enough time to hear every bill. But there were several good ideas that would improve the lives of Arizona’s children and families introduced this year that never had the opportunity to be considered in committee. Even though time has run out this year for those bills, we want to take a moment to highlight a few of those good ideas that merit stronger consideration in the future:

  • HB 2416: Sponsored by Representative Pawlik to appropriate $13 million for child care to raise reimbursement rates. Arizona’s child care assistance program continues to reimburse providers for care at rates that are far below what it costs to actually provide that care. Parents often have to pay the difference between the reimbursement rate and the cost, making accessing child care too expensive even for many low-income families who are eligible for the program.
  • HB 2291: Sponsored by Representative Osborne to provide comprehensive dental care to eligible pregnant women. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to developing oral health problems, which if left untreated are associated with adverse birth outcomes and increased risk of dental disease in early childhood.
  • HB 2273: Sponsored by Representative Butler to increase income eligibility for KidsCare, Arizona’s health insurance program for low-income children, from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Arizona currently has one of the lowest income eligibility thresholds for its children’s health insurance program in the nation. After years of progress toward reducing the rate of uninsured children, Arizona has taken an unfortunate turn. Between 2016 and 2019, the number of uninsured children grew by roughly 22%. In 2019, 161,000 Arizona children were uninsured – the fourth highest rate of uninsured children in the United States.
  • HB 2659: Sponsored by Senator Marsh to establish an annual conference on children and youth to identify and recommend policy solutions to the legislature that will improve the lives of children in Arizona.
  • HB 2146, HB 2147, HB 2148, HB 2283, HB 2566, SB 1098, SB 1736, SB 1737: Sponsored by Representatives Friese, Lieberman, and Bolding; and Senators Alston and Bowie. Several bills were introduced this session to provide much-needed reform to the private school tuition tax credit program which diverts public tax dollars to private schools. These bills would restrict use of these tax credits to low-income families and would limit the amount which can be used for administrative costs. The expansion of private school tuition tax credits has had a significant impact on reducing state revenues growing from a cost of $14 million in 1999 to $177 million in 2019.
  • HB 2728: Sponsored by Representative Sierra to make participation in extended foster care until the age of 21 an opt-out rather than opt-in program for youth aging out of foster care when they turn 18. Extended foster care can provide a better bridge to adulthood especially during the current health and economic crisis.
  • SCR 1017: Sponsored by Senator Quezada. A legislative proclamation identifying racism as a public health crisis affecting our entire society and avowing to support policies that reduce racial and ethnic health inequities and promote social justice.

The list above is not an exhaustive list. We are glad to see so many lawmakers introducing bills this session that will benefit Arizona’s children, and we hope many of those bills become law in the future.

Image source: ABC's Schoolhouse Rock