Take Action: Expand the Young Child Tax Credit!

California continues to face an affordability crisis and as the federal government proposes drastic cuts to programs like SNAP and critical tax credits like the EITC and Child Tax Credit, we need our state leaders to act now to protect the countless working families that are struggling to make ends meet across the state. ​​

With looming threats from the federal government, California has an obligation to be a stop gap to economic challenges ahead for all its working families. We cannot predict what will happen to the Federal EITC but we can take steps to ensure we reach as many eligible families as possible in California. California has an opportunity to lead by expanding access to its Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) which currently has a cut off when children reach age six even though the financial challenges of raising a child far extend past that age.

Expanding access to the YCTC through AB 397 would help these struggling households cover basic necessities, keeping families out of deep poverty. Studies show 91% of low-income families use these funds to pay for necessities like food, clothing, housing, and utilities.

When the expansions to the federal Child Tax Credits ended, we saw poverty rates surge and 1.6 million children and their families were forced back into financial hardships. California must act to protect our most vulnerable families by providing the support they need to thrive. AB 397 would do this by expanding the YCTC to all children! It’s currently before the Assembly Tax and Revenue Committee, and we need to make sure they take action, so please show your support to the Committee Chair, Assemblymember Mike Gipson.