Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet
New Online Tool Will Help More Eligible Families Claim Expanded Credit
Senators Have Championed Expanded Tax Credits for American Families
Denver – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Colorado and Ohio parents who will benefit from the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), and CTC advocates for a virtual roundtable about the expansion and its significant anticipated effects.
“I hear consistently from Coloradans that they’re working really hard, but they can’t afford some combination of housing, health care, child care, and higher education,” said Bennet. “The expansion of the Child Tax Credit is one of the single biggest investments we’ve made in American families and children in generations, benefitting 96% of families with kids. Now, we must seize the opportunity to make it permanent.”
“Thanks to the expanded Child Tax Credit, millions of Ohio parents will have more money in their pockets on July 15,” said Brown. “We know the wages of hardworking families have been stagnant for decades – this credit will finally give them a chance to keep up with the cost of living. Now we continue the fight to make this expansion permanent, because families’ expenses aren’t going away.”
As a part of the American Rescue Plan Act, starting in July, 90 percent of Colorado’s kids will benefit from monthly CTC payments of $250 to $300 per child.
As today is Child Tax Credit Awareness Day, Bennet and Brown urge all families to visit childtaxcredit.gov to learn more about how to ensure they receive the benefits for which they’re eligible.
The expansion of the CTC is based on legislation authored by Bennet and Brown and will make a massive difference in people’s lives:
- 90 percent of Colorado’s kids will benefit from the CTC expansion.
- Starting July 15, families will receive CTC payments monthly. Families who filed taxes in 2019 or 2020 will automatically receive these payments. For those who didn’t file taxes, there’s a one-page form to fill out on childtaxcredit.gov.
- The CTC expansion is expected to cut child poverty nearly in half.
- The CTC expansion expires after one year. Bennet is working with President Joe Biden, Senator Brown, and other Congressional leaders to make the expansion permanent.
Bennet welcomed Christa Jimenez to the virtual roundtable to talk about what the CTC will mean for her family. Jimenez is a working mom of two in Denver who is also a member of MomsRising, an organization working to increase family economic security.
“The Child Tax Credit means so much to our family,” said Jimenez. “When the pandemic hit, my daughters’ school closed, and I had to stop working to care for them for several months. That caused us financial strain, and this tax credit will help us as we recover. Raising children is expensive for so many families, and I hope lawmakers expand the Child Tax Credit permanently.”
Advocate Julie Van Domelen, the Executive Director of Boulder’s Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA), also joined the roundtable as a guest of Bennet. She said in her position she’s heard too many stories like Jimenez’s and the CTC will be a lifeline.
“In my role at the Emergency Family Assistance Association in Boulder, I’ve seen the many challenges low-income families face,” said Van Domelen. “The expansion of the Child Tax Credit will help many of the families we serve cover the cost of things like food, child care, housing, and reliable transportation. This is an important investment in our families and children that needs to be made permanent.”
Bennet visited EFAA earlier this year.
Brown was joined on today’s call by Ms. Myesha Crowe, a working mother of two young children in Cleveland who said without the CTC, she’s had to make impossible choices.
“I’m grateful for this tax credit because it will mean I won’t have to choose between paying a bill or paying for child care,” said Crowe. “Some people think of child care as an ‘extra’ but I believe it’s important to invest in my daughters’ futures and make sure they’re in a safe, educational environment.”
Brown also welcomed Ms. Tanese Horton, the Director of Family and Community Engagement for The Centers for Families and Children (The Centers). The Centers is a nonprofit, social service organization that provides services – including child care – for needy families in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
“The tax credit will be a blessing to the families we serve, especially since this year has been particularly difficult due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Horton. “It’s also not a one-shot-deal, but rather assistance that will help our families for at least a year.”