NWLC Applauds House Legislation That Improves Tax Credits and Funding for Workers and Families

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives will consider legislation that would make much-needed improvements to tax credits for workers and families over the next two years. The Economic Mobility Act of 2019 provides for a significant expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for workers who do not claim children for the purposes of the credit. It would ensure that low- and moderate-income families with children fully benefit from the Child Tax Credit (CTC). It would give families in Puerto Rico much-needed tax relief. And it would improve the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), so that more families – but especially families with low earnings – receive tax assistance to help with the high cost of the child care they need to work. The Committee also will consider the Child Care Quality and Access Act of 2019, legislation that would enact a billion-dollar increase in mandatory child care funding – which would give as many as 183,600 additional low-income children access to child care assistance.

The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:

“We applaud Chairman Richard Neal and the House Ways and Means Committee for introducing legislation that would make critical improvements to tax credits that benefit hard-working women and families. The Economic Mobility Act of 2019 would provide a much-needed course correction for our tax code, so that it focuses on helping families make ends meet.”

“Along with the significant increase in child care funding proposed in a separate bill, the improvements to the EITC, CTC, and CDCTC would make a real difference to women doing the best they can to provide for their families. The National Women’s Law Center thanks Chairman Neal, Congressman Danny Davis, and their colleagues for their leadership in supporting women and their families.”

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For immediate release: June 20, 2019
Contact: Inés Rénique, [email protected]