Children don't vote. Kids don't give big money to politicians and hire lobbyists to influence legislation. But for the past 30 years, the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families has been the voice for children in our state capitol. AACF's mission is to insure that every child and family will have all the resources they need to succeed and reach their full potential. And they've made a difference. Teaming up with other individuals, groups, and public servants of good will, they have positively influenced the direction of some of significant Arkansas legislation.

Largely because of their three decades of work, Arkansas can be proud to be "Number 1 in the Nation" in at least one thing. Arkansas led the US in reducing the rate of uninsured children during the last decade. Thanks to the ARKids First program our percentage of uninsured children has been halved, from 20% to 10%. That still means 70,000 kids in Arkansas do not have health insurance. AACF hopes to expand the successful ARKids First coverage to include children who are at 300% of poverty, or even make it available to all families who want it, regardless of income. Families in the working class of 200-300% of poverty are the fasting growing segment of uninsured parents who are currently losing their employer funded health insurance.

At age 3 and 4, children learn like sponges. It's the golden age for mental development. Tons of research shows that when some children start kindergarten behind other children, they stay behind. This past legislative session completed the $100 million expansion plan passed four years ago to fund quality pre-K education for at risk children ages 3-4. I think pre-K is the best dollar-for-dollar educational investment we can make. Arkansas Advocates has been at the front of the effort to offer pre-K opportunities for our children.

During the last session AACF worked hard to lower taxes and make them fairer for low and middle income families. Although they failed to get a refundable state earned tax credit, they were successful in working with policymakers to pass a law to exempt from state income tax Arkansans whose income falls below the poverty lines. This was an important companion piece to Governor Beebe's initiative to lower the grocery tax from 6% to 3%. This past legislative session was the first in decades to improve tax fairness for low income citizens.

It was a big year for improving the child welfare system for abused and neglected children. Our state system had not had a significant funding increase for years. This session gave an $8 million increase to the Division of Child and Family Services which will restore 75 positions to that agency. It will also fund $3 million for contracts for services, $1 million for adoption services; $1 million for foster-care board payments. Our most vulnerable children will have more chances for stability and safety.

With Governor Beebe's support and Arkansas Advocates' help the legislature created a new Commission in the Department of Human Services to improve our Medicaid health services to children who are at risk, especially to develop more family based and community based mental health care treatment for children. With first lady Ginger Beebe showing special interest in mental health issues, I'm hopeful that a groundswell of support will begin a movement to address the terrible lack of access to mental heath care in our state.

AACF's biggest disappointment last year was the failure to get legislation through the Senate to address predatory pay-day lending, although they did help stop a bill by the pay-day industry.

Future priorities include: continued tax reform -- eliminate the grocery tax and create a refundable state earned income tax credit; increased access to Pre-K education; and development of community based regional juvenal correction facilities instead of sending young offenders to the large institutional setting of Alexander Prison. They hope to expand after school and summer programs to help kids during the unsupervised times when they tend to get in trouble. And they oppose anti-family legislation that would ban gay foster parents, even when a family would appoint their own children's foster care in their wills.

If you'd like to get involved, I'd invited you to join me by signing up with the Arkansas Kids Count Coalition, a great vehicle for getting out the word about ways to support the issues affecting Arkansas' children and families.

When our legislators meet, our children need a strong, healthy voice. The Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families are the good guys. Thanks to the AACF our kids have some competent grown-ups in their corner. It's holy work.