Sign a Letter Supporting Child Tax Credit Help for 13 Million Children

Email from The Coalition on Human Needs:

"Deadline: Wednesday, January 28


This is a time of new beginnings. The nation needs recovery and renewal very badly, and we have high hopes that the new Obama Administration and the 111th Congress will help us get there.

A House proposal to increase the Child Tax Credit for families with very low earnings would help more than 13 million children - and helping them will produce jobs and boost the economy. But there are reports the Senate's version will help fewer children. If you are authorized to do so, please sign your organization's name to a letter that urges Congress to help more poor families with children in the economic recovery legislation it will soon enact.

To view and sign your organization's name to the letter go to: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1812


The House economic recovery bill, soon to reach the floor, takes the very important step of ending the current minimum earnings requirement to receive the Child Tax Credit.

This really matters.

Here's an example of how much more help the House bill provides:
A family with two children and full-time minimum wage earnings ($14,500) would receive the full $2,000 CTC under the House plan ($1,000 per child), but only $900 under current law. That extra $1,100 will do a lot to help families struggling in the recession.

We need many organizations from every state in the nation to sign this letter. Congress needs to see that when they propose significant support for poor families, service providers, religious organizations, policy experts, consumer and advocacy groups will care and weigh in. The Child Tax Credit improvement is one part of a very large economic recovery bill that we believe takes the right approach in targeting much aid to the low-income people who need it most - not only because it prevents hardship, but because economists tell us such aid does the most to create jobs. For more information about the proposals so far, see CHN's Human Needs Report (at http://www.chn.org/humanneeds/090116a.html). We want the final legislation to be as strong as possible - signing this letter will help. It will be sent to every Representative and Senator.

Who should sign the letter? Organizations (agencies, groups, congregations, businesses, unions, etc.) - local, state, or national in scope - who care about the needs of low-income people. Please only sign if you are authorized to represent your organization. If you're an individual and not representing a group, you can send your own letter to Congress.

Individuals can help too! To sign an individual letter that will be emailed to your Representative and Senators, click here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26454

Thanks! And take strength from new beginnings!"

For state by state estimates of the number of children this bill will help go here.