News Round Up: May 10, 2021

Top Story: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed legislation last week to enact a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which the Washington State Budget & Policy Center estimates will benefit 420,000 households throughout the state. (TCWF)

  • A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities proposed a slate of state and local priorities for American Rescue Plan funds, including funding and training organizations that help people access tax credits and other supports. (CBPP)
  • A new book from the Tax Foundation examined the best tax reforms to provide direct relief to low-income taxpayers, determining that expanding the EITC and Child Tax Credit (CTC) is the most effective way to target low-income households. (Tax Foundation)
  • Connecticut legislators discussed at a recent event how to better support Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed (ALICE) families in the state, highlighting this legislative session’s success with increasing the state EITC and enacting a state CTC. (Middletown Press)
  • Hawaii’s lawmakers declined to extend the state EITC for five more years this legislative session – the credit is set to expire in December 2022. (Star Advertiser)
  • Massachusetts state Sen. Jamie Eldridge urged state leaders to build on the American Rescue Plan and pass its own anti-poverty omnibus legislation, including expanding the state EITC. (Commonwealth Magazine)
  • Children’s HealthWatch, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, and the Healthy Families EITC Coalition will host a town hall on Monday, May 17 to discuss advancing equity in the state by ensuring immigrant families can access tax credits like the EITC and CTC. Register here.
  • A recent event hosted by former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation discussed which EITC and CTC reforms could gain bipartisan support, such as expanding the EITC to better reach adults without dependents. (TCWF)