Child well-being is strongly related to higher state taxes and robust entitlement programs, according to a study published Wednesday by The Foundation for Child Development.

 Utah ranks 4th for child well-being (Deseret News, 1-17-12)

School board • Proposed standards are meant to prepare Utahns for kindergarten and beyond.

Education leaders are considering implementing standards outlining what children should know before they enter kindergarten in hopes of helping them be better prepared, but some say the state is creeping into an area where it does not belong.

 Utah looks at giving kids a boost before kindergarten (Salt Lake Tribune, 1-13-12)

Since the onset of a recession rocked the Southern Utah economy three years ago, economists have been anxious for signs of recovery.

Slowly, those signs are starting to appear. Budget analysts with Gov. Gary Herbert’s office announced in November 2011 that they anticipate more than a $400 million surplus in revenues in 2011, forecasting improvement in four major key economic areas — employment, unemployment, wages and retail sales — in 2012, and an even bigger jump in 2013.

 Shaking off the effects of the recession (thespectrum.com, 1-4-12)

State spending • Advocates for the poor say earmarks rather than aid hurt flexibility.

Unveiling his budget for next year, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert last week bemoaned the growing share flowing to Medicaid.

The health insurance program for low-income people consumes 17.6 percent of Utah’s budget, hurting the state’s ability to fund other priorities such as public schools, said Herbert, sounding a theme popular among conservatives.  Click on link below to read more.

 Utahs budget debate transportation and Medicaid (Salt Lake Tribune, 12-20-11)

A growing number of custodial parents fell below the poverty line in 2009 as fewer received the full amount of child support owed to them. 

A new Census Bureau report showed that nationwide, 41.2 percent of noncustodial parents received the full amount of child support owed them in 2009, down from 46.8 percent in 2007.  To read more, click on link below.

Bad economy is taking toll on custodial parents (Deseret News, 12-11-11)

New Report Highlights Billions of Lost Revenue to States

A comprehensive new study that profiles 265 consistently profitable Fortune 500 companies finds that many of these enjoyed overall effective state income tax rates far below Utah’s statutory five percent rate. Dozens of these companies that operate in the state paid effective rates of one percent or less from 2008 to 2010, even while making hundreds of millions of dollars in profits. Click on link below to view press release.

 Corporate Tax Dodging in 50 States 2008-2010 (12-7-11)

Related article...

 Some say corporate tax-dodging hurts public school (Salt Lake Tribune, 12-8-11)

The businesswoman at the center of the Supreme Court case challenging federal health reform has closed her auto-repair shop and filed bankruptcy, raising questions about whether she still has standing to sue, The Wall Street Journal Reports.  Click on link below to view entire article.

 Utah's health reform lawsuit at risk (Salt Lake Tribune, 12-5-11)

Sen. Stuart Reid's recent op-ed "Policymakers should shift priorities and resources to children" (Nov. 27) is timely in light of Utah ranking highest in the nation for the second year in a row by Forbes magazine for "Best States for Business and Careers."  To view entire opinion piece click on link below. 

 Utah's top priorities (Deseret News, 12-5-11)

A report released today by Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center for Children and Families shows that during the recession, nationally the number of children in poverty increased significantly, yet the number of uninsured children decreased nationally from 6.9 million in 2008 to 5.9 million in 2010.  The study examined trends from 2008-2010. While this is certainly good news for kids across the country and in Utah, there are still some troubling trends in Utah concerning children’s health care. Utah ranked 43rd in the nation for the percent of kids without coverage, and 25^th nationally in reducing the number of uninsured children. Utah’s rate of uninsured children is higher than the national average.  Click here to read the report. A copy of our press release can be viewed here.

Click on links below for related articles.

 Utah lags behind other states in covering kids (Salt Lake Tribune, 11-29-11)

 Red tape fever - Editorial (Salt LakeTribune, 12-1-11)

Voices for Utah Children issued a statement November 7, regarding a new Census report that looks at how public programs protect people from and lift people out of poverty. To read the full statement, click here .