skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Kids Advocate: More Cuts Threaten Arizona’s Recovery

play audio
Play

Tuesday, January 12, 2010   

PHOENIX - Advocates for Arizona families are troubled by recent remarks made by Gov. Jan Brewer about the state's budget crisis. In her State of the State speech, the governor announced several job creation initiatives, as well as plans for further substantial cuts in state spending.

Dana Naimark, director of the Children's Action Alliance, says more cuts to programs such as child care subsidies may actually hinder an eventual economic recovery.

"You can create all the job training programs in the world, but if parents don't have a place to take their kids while they go to job training, who is going to fill those jobs?"

State programs for children's health care and child care subsidies have already been closed to new enrollment as the result of previous budget cuts. Education has also taken a major hit, according to Naimark, who says these cuts are putting the next generation at risk.

"We have to be paying attention to how safe kids are, how healthy they are, and how they're learning. We've gone backwards in all of those areas with the budget cuts."

The state is being shortsighted in cutting children's programs when the eventual goal is a healthy economy, she adds.

"Kids' education, health care and safety really are part of economic development. We need to start thinking of it as a whole package and not as choices of either/or. Kids need to be healthy and families need to be strong in order for our economy to thrive."

Arizona faces a projected $5-billion deficit over the remainder of this budget year and the next. More specifics on the governor's plans will come later this week when she unveils her budget proposal. Naimark believes state lawmakers and the governor should consider new revenue sources and more borrowing in order to maintain essential programs for children and their families.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021