Our State Budget Priorities
State law requires that Arizona pass a budget by June 30 of each year. As the clock ticks towards this deadline, Children’s Action Alliance continues to advocate for priorities that will help grow strong and healthy children in Arizona.
We’ve laid out our priorities for children and families, and we’re seeing some positive investments in the bipartisan budget that the Senate Appropriations Committee passed yesterday. This budget framework was negotiated between Governor Hobbs, Senate Republican legislators, and Senate and House Democratic legislators.
Investing in Child Care/Early Care – Child care in Arizona remains too expensive for too many families. CAA has made the elimination of the child care assistance waitlist a priority, so that eligible families in Arizona can receive the help they need to afford child care. Our ask is $120 million to help children get off the waitlist. The budget proposal doesn’t provide the full amount, but it does include an allocation of $45 million from the General Fund to cut the waitlist in half. This investment dwarfs any state investment in child care in the last decade, and is a must-pass item.
Preventing Child Hunger through School Meals – As the costs of groceries continue to rise, school meals are an especially important anti-hunger tool for children. The budget proposal includes $3.8 million to ensure that copays are not an obstacle for eligible children to eat meals at school. This is good news for Arizona’s children.
Protecting Access to Health Care and Nutrition – Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit Arizonans of all ages and benefit our state’s economy. This budget prevents cuts to these programs and recognizes that Arizona has already implemented safeguards in the eligibility process and avoids adding new red tape and costly administrative burdens. This budget preserves strong health and nutrition services, which is a smart policy for Arizona.
Funding K-12 Schools – The vast majority of children in Arizona attend public K-12 schools, and our budget process should prioritize funding schools as required by the state Constitution. While Arizona still lags behind much of the nation in funding public schools for students, this budget proposal funds key provisions that are critical to quality schools, including poverty-weighted/opportunity funding for schools in communities with a high level of families with low incomes, and additional district assistance.
Supporting Youth Impacted by Foster Care and Kinship Caregivers – As youth transition to adulthood, supports that help them build economic stability are crucial, especially for youth who experienced foster care. This budget proposal solidifies $6.4 million in ongoing funding for young adults through Extended Foster Care services, promoting stable housing, career and educational advancement, and overall well-being. CAA also continues to seek greater support for kinship caregiver providers, including restoration of stipends for relative caregivers who are raising children outside of the foster care system.
Arizona’s state budget should be about making Arizona stronger for its children and families. These budget proposals are important steps in the right direction.
