"REP. MUSHINSKY: (85^th)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very fond of this version myself, and it is not only because of the property tax relief and the installation of a more progressive income tax structure, but we finally have in this Bill a welcome tool in the fight to reduce child poverty.

This Bill helps stabilize low-wage families with the earned income tax credit, or EITC, which will assist about 180,000 low-wage working families in Connecticut.

It is pegged at 20% of the federal EITC and adding it to this Bill corrects the current problem of Connecticut under-collecting the federal EITC compared to other states.

We are about 10% below the collection rate of other states. So we are losing federal dollars without this. One reason that we are below is that, until now, there was no Connecticut version which triggered the federal EITC. So Connecticut families were unaware of their eligibility for the federal credit.

This Connecticut EITC, coupled with higher participation in the federal credit, will help both low-wage workers and the local economies in the communities in which they live. It will bring millions in unclaimed federal dollars to the Connecticut economy.

This change was recommended by the Child Poverty and Prevention Council as one mechanism to assist these parents who do work but earn a low wage.

And it assists them in stabilizing their situation, their housing, repairing their car to get to their job, or even signing up for the local community college so that they can increase their wage and have a more sustainable family economy.

So I'd like to thank Chairman Staples and the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Members for remembering to add this important recommendation to fight child poverty to the tax package.

And to all the child advocates who kept the issue going and reminded us to include this tool for fighting child poverty. Please support the Bill."