News Round Up: November 22, 2021

Top Story: The House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better plan, which if passed by the Senate would extend the expansions to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to better support low-income workers without children. A new blog post from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) examined these benefits to families and workers. (ITEP

  • The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and ITEP released statements praising the Build Back Better plan for its efforts to make the tax code more equitable through extending and expanding the CTC and EITC and called for the Senate to approve the legislation. (CBPP and ITEP)
  • A new Q&A with Stanford Law School (SLS) professor and economist Jacob Goldin discussed his support for the expanded CTC and efforts to organize economists in advocating for the credit’s continued expansion. (SLS)
  • California will likely have a $31 billion budget surplus next year, and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) indicated interest in using some of the funding to further expand the state EITC. (The Sacramento Bee)
  • Connecticut State Rep. Sean Scanlon (D) advocated for creating a state CTC during this legislative session in a recent op-ed, emphasizing the positive impact the credit would have on lower- and middle-income families. (CT Post)
  • New Jersey’s State Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation to expand the state Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) to make the credit refundable and more than double the income limit, as well as other expansions. (Tap into Hillsborough)
  • Pennsylvania State Rep. Melissa Shusterman (D) introduced legislation to create a CDCTC in the state worth $350 for one eligible dependent and $700 for two or more dependents. (Pennsylvania House Democrats)