News

Celebrating Karen McLaughlin's Dedication to Arizona's Well-being!

We are grateful to Karen McLaughlin as she retires after dedicating her career to public service and the well-being of Arizonans. Karen began her career at Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) working on state budget and fiscal issues in July 2005 after having worked for the state of Arizona for 31 years. She worked for several state agencies including the Governor’s Office for Strategic Planning and Budgeting, Department of Health Services, Department of Revenue, and Arizona State University. Prior to retirement from State service, she was the Financial Services Administrator at the Department of Economic Security, overseeing the agency’s budget and fiscal work.

Karen was one of the original staff in the Arizona Center for Economic Progress when it was created in 2016. She helped create what is now Budget 101, an explanation of how Arizona state government is funded, how the funds are spent, and the implications of tax policy on everyday Arizonans. We invite you to share her Budget 101 with concerned citizens in her honor.

We will have a formal send-off for Karen coming up, but on her last official day we give her our great thanks for all that she has contributed to the people and State of Arizona.

Most Sincerely,

January Contreras

CEO and President

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News

How Did Your Representative Vote on the Harmful Budget?

Early this morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill. This bill includes significant cuts to health care that will result in eligible Arizonans losing their health insurance coverage through AHCCCS and the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. It also jeopardizes assistance…

News

3 Days to Stop Budget Cuts that Hurt Children

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Events

Head Start Turns 60: Honoring Its Legacy and Fighting for Its Future

On Sunday, May 18th, Head Start celebrates 60 years as a federal early care and education program serving over 800,000 young children across the nation, 17,000 of whom are in Arizona. The Arizona Head Start Association and Children’s Action Alliance held a presentation and panel discussion in Eloy,…