Estimates from the Center on Poverty & Social Policy at Columbia University have found that the expanded tax credit could cut child poverty by about half.įederal unemployment insurance of $300 a week expires March 14, driving the timeline of the vote to ensure workers do not go without federal aid. The measure is considered one of the most effective ways to reduce child poverty. That means parents could get half of the 2021 credit in advance this year and half when they file their 2021 taxes next year.ĭeLauro said she wants to see the change become permanent following the passage of the stimulus package. Instead, the bill was reworded so the Internal Revenue Service distributes the funds “periodically” from July to December of this year. Initially, the administration wanted to move to a monthly option, allowing parents to access the funds through a check every month instead of one every year. Right now, families who have no tax liability after deductions can claim only a maximum of $1,400 of the full $2,000 credit. Rosa DeLauro, so low-income families who have particularly struggled to access child care this year can get the full funds. The credit would become refundable, a longtime goal of Rep. Families with children ages 6 to 17 would get $3,000 per child. The child tax credit will be expanded to as much as $3,600 per child for families with children under the age of 6, up from the current maximum of $2,000. The additional funds will help essential workers, low-wage workers and those who have experienced job interruptions as a result of the pandemic. The bill also includes $15 billion in additional funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program, which provides funding for states to subsidize child care for low-income families with children under the age of 13. Those funds would be in addition to the $10 billion Congress allocated in December. The child care industry will get a $24 billion infusion of emergency funds to help stabilize the industry, helping day care providers pay rent, utilities and payroll, plus assistance to help fulfill coronavirus guidelines around social distancing and protective equipment. The plan allocates $130 billion for K-12 school reopenings and other policies to make reopening safer, including reducing class sizes, modifying classrooms for social distancing, providing more protective equipment, enhancing school access to nurses and providing more technological infrastructure for students to address inequalities.Īnother $35 billion in funding will go to public higher education to also execute coronavirus mitigation plans, such as implementing public health protocols and distance learning plans. That package allocated $19 billion to expand the public health workforce, which would involve vaccine outreach and contact tracing - also critical areas, especially as experts worry that vaccine skepticism and misinformation could deter women from getting the injections. The administration administered 50 million shots within 37 days.īiden also wants to expand testing, allocating an additional $50 billion toward that goal, with funding for more rapid tests and more robust testing protocols at schools and within local governments. This is to work toward the administration’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. The package about $14 billion for vaccines, including a program to create community vaccination centers and deploy mobile vaccination units to reach underserved populations and people who are undocumented. Here are some of the key parts of the bill: Many of the measures in the bill will attempt to address long-standing racial and gender disparities laid bare by the pandemic. Please try again later.Ĭontained in the stimulus proposal is a plan for vaccinations, support for workers and businesses and a $1,400 check to most households. The Biden administration wants to pass the new relief package by March 14, when the benefits of the last round of relief, passed in December, are set to expire. The House still must vote again on the Senate version. A second proposal from some Senate Democrats to require large corporations to pay a higher minimum wage was also scrapped. The Senate parliamentarian advised that it did not meet the requirements outlined by the budget reconciliation process Congress is using the pass the measure, which allows it to pass with 50 votes in the Senate instead of 60 but requires that each element directly impact the budget in the short term. That proposal is not in the Senate version of the bill. The House voted a week earlier on a version of the package, which included a provision to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Senate on Saturday voted to approve the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan package from President Joe Biden’s administration, designed to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and related economic pain in a way that also furthers equity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |