LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - It isn't making headlines at the State Legislature yet, but Medicaid could be the topic most talked about behind the scenes there. Lawmakers will soon decide whether Arkansas expands its Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act.

In a state where 40 percent of working families are still considered poor, it's a concern at churches as well as at the State Capitol. To the Reverend Steve Copley, executive director of the Arkansas Interfaith Alliance, this debate should focus on people instead of politics.

"I am hopeful that in the end, all legislators - regardless of party - see the need to assist those who are on the margins, those nearly 250,000 people who, many times, they're working hard and playing by the rules and still, it's just not enough," Copley said. "The check just doesn't stretch that far."

In his State of the State speech, Gov. Mike Beebe pointed out that 95 percent of Arkansas companies have fewer than 50 employees. So, even when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented, they won't be required to offer health insurance to workers.

The Reverend Velda Bell, a Methodist minister, estimates that three times a week, someone comes to her church asking for help with daily living expenses. She says often they have prescriptions in hand for medicine that they need but can't afford.

"Especially with our senior citizens," says Rev. Bell, "I have seen so many people who have to make a choice between buying half a dosage of their medication so that they can also get food that week. And so, I think we need to make it possible for people to get the kind of care they need."

Rev. Copley says the faith community statewide has already stepped up its efforts to help those who are struggling, but it can't handle the increased needs alone.

"It really requires both solutions, that the faith community be involved and government be involved. There are limitations on what the faith community can do," he says. "Many churches, their budgets are stretched. In fact, many times they're not even able to meet their budgets."

The Arkansas Interfaith Alliance says it supports the need for budget savings and a more efficient state government, but believes government-run programs are also necessary to give people in need a hand up instead of a handout.



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The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas says it is monitoring protests at college campuses, after almost 60 students protesting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were arrested during a demonstration at the University of Texas in Austin.

State troopers on horses and in riot gear were called in to control the crowd. ACLU Staff Attorney Brian Klosterboer said students planning to participate in peaceful protests should know their rights.

"We encourage everyone to follow the guidance of law enforcement even if they believe that law enforcement might be violating their First Amendment or constitutional rights," said Klosterboer. "It's important that people try to stay safe. Remember, they also have a right to remain silent. You can ask if you are free to leave."

Charges were dropped against the protesters in Austin. Students also held a sit-in at the University of Texas in Dallas and a walkout was held at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Following the arrests of the protesters, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on the social media platform X that the students belonged in jail, and accused them of hate speech.

Klosterboer said when state officials attack free speech, they undermine the core of democracy.

"Texas public universities were specifically designated by Gov. Abbott as traditional public forums," said Klosterboer. "That's where students and others who are engaging in any kind of speech, whether it's passing out Bibles and religious literature or engaging in protests for human rights. That's where free speech is at its apex."

He added that if someone feels their civil liberties have been violated, they can file a complaint on the ACLU website.

The demonstrations in Texas are part of nationwide protests calling for a ceasefire between the Israeli forces and Hamas.





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The Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed class-action lawsuit challenging a measure barring people from listing a gender on their birth certificate other than the one they were born with.

Montana lawmakers passed Senate Bill 280 in 2021, which requires a court order to change gender on a birth certificate. A state court issued an injunction against the measure but now the state health department has put a total ban on changes to sex designations on birth certificates.

Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, called the measure part of a "concerted and unrelenting attack" on the civil rights of people who identify as transgender.

"We've previously sued on the birth certificate issue," Deernose pointed out. "Once again, we're seeing the state implement laws and rules and policies that unfairly target transgender people."

On the other side, some people argued birth certificates contain vital statistics and should be based on the facts at the time of birth. The suit awaits action in state court.

Deernose noted beyond privacy rights, the birth certificate measure has the potential to force a person to declare themselves to be someone other than who they are, based on their declared identity.

"And who they know themselves to be," Deernose observed. "That puts them at risk of discrimination and also forces them to out themselves every time they share those identity documents."

The suit also challenges a motor vehicle department policy forbidding changing sex designations on driver's licenses.

New York state lawmakers have appointed members to the Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, created through legislation Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in 2023.

Its goal is to examine the legacy of slavery and its continuing impacts on black New Yorkers. The commission will develop a report outlining recommendations for addressing these inequities.

Linda J. Mann, co-founder of the African American Redress Network, said there is one problem facing the commission: a lack of funds.

"It is absolutely imperative that funds for these types of task force, because of the amount of research that's going into it, is an imperative," Mann emphasized.

While the bill had plenty of Democratic support, it drew the ire of Republican lawmakers.

Many areas of the country are determining how to redress past disparities Black people face. A recent report found philanthropies have received millions in funds stemming from depriving Black people of opportunities to build wealth similar to those of their white counterparts.

The New York commission will have to present its findings in 2025.

A 2021 Pew Research survey showed three-quarters of Black Americans surveyed support reparations, while only 18% of white Americans support it.

Along with the U.S., countries worldwide are navigating reparations, with Mann noting they are not always compensatory.

"We're not talking about just altering economic wellness," Mann pointed out. "There's other ways in which historical harms have led to disparities in education, in health, in housing."

Beyond New York, California is the only other state to have created a reparations commission. California's reparations task force recommended some compensatory reparations based on factors such as health harms, mass incarceration and over-policing, housing discrimination and the devaluation of African American businesses. But, it wasn't certain how much all of this would amount to.