Arizona state Representative Rebecca Rios’ dedication to public service is derived both from her experience as a social worker, specifically with disadvantaged youth, and from her family’s role in giving back to the community. "It was after working in a system that lacked adequate resources and under policies that did little to offer long-term improvements to the families it sought to help that I ran for office, intent on making laws that empowered these people."
Improving the quality of life for welfare recipients through education and work has been one of her major achievements. Rios was very involved in Arizona’s Welfare Reform legislation and was able to amend the committee bill to include daycare funding, and a definition of "emotional abuse," which would allow victims of domestic violence an extension of benefits if necessary.
Rios focuses her time in the Arizona Legislature on speaking out about the impact of social
service legislation. "Too often there have been legislative changes made or attempted that have had the effect of severely undermining those least able to defend themselves," said Rios. She is most vocal on Child Protective Services issues, specifically the continuous attempt to limit the protection of children by not adequately funding the system, the attempt to limit services the family can receive and the destruction of child abuse reports on the central registry.
Through her community role, Rios has pledged to improve education in Arizona, particularly for Latino children. Rios actively participated in CPA’s Arizona Roundtable to promote and improve Arizona’s commitment to bilingual education and dropout prevention. She is also working hard to reform education funding and create a more equitable means of funding Arizona’s schools.
"Ultimately, politics is social work on a macro level," states Rios.
