Voices for Utah Children Articles

  • Sticks and Stones: The Power of the Words We Use

    This month feels heavy. Because, well… it is. We celebrate Pride Month, a time to recognize and honor the LGBTQ+ community. But even as we celebrate, it’s impossible to ignore the challenges. This year, Utah became the first state in the country to ban...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Laneta Fitisemanu and Moana 'Ulu'ave
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Voices for Utah Children Statement on the Risk the Reconciliation Bill Poses to Utah’s Children

    We are disappointed in the recent passage of H.R. 1: "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" in the House of Representatives which if enacted, will result in thousands of Utah children and their families losing access to health care, food, and other support...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio & Ciriac Alvarez Valle
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Work Requirements Threaten Coverage for Thousands of Utahns on Medicaid 

    Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released its long-awaited Committee bill, and as we expected, cuts to Medicaid are on the table. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would cause 13.7 million Americans to lose their...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Healthcare Isn't the Only Thing at Risk

    Medicaid Cuts Don’t Just Hurt Health—They Weaken Utah’s Economy and Workforce Just days before Congress was set to go on recess, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the joint budget resolution (216–214), with all four members of Utah’s...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • 2025 Legislative Recap

    Was this year's legislative session good for kids? We answer this and more in our 2025 Legislative Recap! In this latest brief, we break down what happened during the legislative session, what we accomplished alongside our partners, and why staying...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Racist Rhetoric Won’t Fix Utah’s Child Care Crisis

    Voices Official Statement Condemning Rep. Nicholeen Peck’s Racist Remarks On March 6, 2025 during the House debate on SB 189, Rep. Nicholeen Peck dismissed Utah’s child care crisis, stating: “People often speak of a child care crisis, and this term is...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Voices for Utah Children
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Property Taxes Fill the Gap

    When we cut income taxes, it's property taxes that help cover our schools. Utah’s public schools serve over 670,000 kids in more than 1,000 public schools. For a long time, Utah was praised for its fair school funding system, making sure high-poverty...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne, Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog
  • A phone that has FAQs being answered on them.

    Voucher and School Privatization FAQs

    As part of our Vouchers and School Privatization in Utah Series, we’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions that may help to address key concerns—like why vouchers are so controversial and what’s really at stake. As parents and caregivers,...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas and Moana 'Ulu'ave
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How to Strengthen Utah's Child Tax Credit in 2025

    In 2023, Utah introduced its own child tax credit (CTC) marking a positive step forward. In 2024, the credit was slightly expanded. However, the credit's limited scope falls short of providing real assistance to families raising young children....

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Preserve Medicaid for Utah Families: Vote NO on SB 257

    Senator Brammer's SB 257, Medicaid Accounts Amendments, seeks to introduce a broadly defined "Medicaid shortfall," which could trigger unnecessary budget cuts to essential healthcare services. Even though the existing budget processes already allow the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Thaiss Del Rio
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Support HB 30 The Indian Family Preservation Act

    This legislative session, Utah has the opportunity to support Native children and families by passing HB 30, the Indian Family Preservation Act Amendments. This bill would allow tribes to establish foster home standards and oversee child custody cases,...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Martín C. Muñoz and Laneta Fitisemanu
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • SB 221: Stand Up for Safe Child Care

    Utah lawmakers could do many things to alleviate the child care crisis families are facing. In fact, there are 33 expert-recommended ones right here, thanks to the state’s newest child care solutions study. Endangering kids' safety by lowering...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Moana 'Ulu'ave
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Another Year, Another Tax Cut: Who Benefits?

    Key Takeaways Minimal Savings, Major Loss: Another tax cut in 2025 will remove about $100M from essential services, pushing total cuts to about $1.3B annually—funds that could strengthen schools, childcare, and healthcare. Wealthy Win, Families Lose:...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • What Happened With Child Care During the 2025 Legislative Session?

    This 2025 session, supporting families with young children remained a top policy priority of Voices for Utah Children. The urgent need to address families' critical child care needs remained at the forefront of our advocacy efforts. This session was...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The Real Costs of Erasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

    Since 2023, anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) bills have become law across multiple states. These bills typically target restricting DEI offices and staff, DEI training, diversity statements, and identity-based hiring practices. On January...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Alejandra Martinez
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Voices for Utah Children 2025 Legislative Priorities

    Looking to the 2025 Legislative Session, Voices for Utah Children remains committed to speaking out for all those Utahns who can’t vote but are greatly impacted by public policy: our kids! Despite an increasingly difficult state policy climate, we...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Vouchers 101: The Basics of Utah's New School Privatization Program

    For the first time, during the 2024-25 school year, Utah parents are able to access public taxpayer funding to enroll their child in private religious schools, or to cover home-schooling expenses. In this post, we’ll talk about the basics of how the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How the Kentucky Model Would Help Utah’s Child Care Providers Help More Kids

    This year, the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 461 with overwhelming support. Sponsored by Rep. Ashlee Matthews and Sen. Luz Escamilla, HB 461 aims to recruit and retain more child care professionals using the “Kentucky Model.” This model...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Tracking Utah's K-12 Education Funding

    It’s official: Utah returns to ranking last in the nation for per-pupil education spending. While the national average is $15,633, Utah’s spending stands at $9,552 per student, placing the state 51st for Fiscal Year 2022.[i] Let’s dive into the data to...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams, Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Bad for Kids: Important Information on Amendment A

    The well-deserved negative attention to Amendment D–ruled void by a Utah judge for being “false and misleading”–has more people asking, “What exactly is in Amendment A?” To start, there are several similarities between Amendments A and D: Voices for...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog
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