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Child Advocates In Connecticut Want The COVID Child Tax Credits To Be Permanent

Image by Cheryl Holt from Pixabay

A Connecticut child advocacy group wants a permanent expansion of the federal tax credit that gives direct payments to eligible low income parents.

A report released early this year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Connecticut’s slow recovery from the Great Recession meant that low income families in the state fared poorly throughout the period encompassing the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauren Ruth is with Connecticut Voices for Children. She said that could be turned around if Congress were to make the expanded child tax credit permanent.

“It’s shocking that we are one of few states that the child poverty is actually increasing. And so this is another reason why we are advocating to expand the federal tax credit and make it permanent but also a state level child tax credit,” Ruth said.

The expanded child tax credit was championed by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut as part of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief package.

It increased the federal child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child — and $3,600 for children under 6.

Copyright 2021 WSHU

As WSHU Public Radio’s award-winning senior political reporter, Ebong Udoma draws on his extensive tenure to delve deep into state politics during a major election year. In addition to providing long-form reports and features for WSHU, he regularly contributes spot news to NPR, and has worked at the NPR National News Desk as part of NPR’s diversity initiative.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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