News Round-up: February 21, 2017

News Round-up: February 21, 2017

• Last week, Georgia lawmakers introduced two separate bills to create a state-level Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The first, SB 172, would create a refundable state EITC worth 10 percent of the federal credit. The second, HB 329, is a tax reform package that includes a 10 percent nonrefundable state EITC. The Georgia Budget & Policy Institute analyzed HB 329, finding that proposed measures would provide tax relief for many low-wage workers with children, but could raise taxes on those without children (GBPI).

• Lindsay Farrell, director of the Working Families Organization, wrote a letter opposing Connecticut Dannel Malloy’s (D) new plan to permanently reduce the state’s EITC (Monroe Courier).

• Lawmakers in Utah began to consider a bill that would create a state EITC worth 10 percent of the federal credit (Salt Lake City Tribune). Derek Monson, director of public policy for Sutherland Institute, and Matthew Weinstein, state priorities partnership director for Voices for Utah Children, penned an op-ed encouraging the legislature to support the bill (Salt Lake City Tribune).

• In Illinois, the governor and members of the state legislature continued to debate the state’s budget. Lawmakers from both parties have floated the idea of creating a state-level EITC (Chicago Sun Times).