>>> SOME ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS ARE PUSHING FOR A PERMANENT CHILD TAX CREDIT.

THAT WOULD MEAN UP TO $700 PER CHILD FOR ELIGIBLE FAMILIES.

THOSE WHO WOULD BE ELIGIBLE ARE EARNING LESS THAN $75,000 AND SINGLE FILERS EARNING LESS THAN $50,000.

JOINING US TO BREAK DOWN WHAT THIS COULD MEAN FOR FAMILIES ARE ROBERTO VALDEZ JR., WITH HISPANIC FEDERATION.

ROSALIA, A MOTHER AND VICE PRESIDENT OF POWER PACK ILLINOIS.

AND AN ORGANIZATION THAT AIMS TO EMPOWER LOW INCOME IMMIGRANT AND WORKING FAMILIES.

AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS JR., A DEMOCRAT FROM CHICAGO.

I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY.

THANK YOU.

LET'S START THE CONVERSATION.

I WANT TO START WITH REPRESENTATIVE EVANS TODAY.

SO IF I MAY, REPRESENTATIVE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

IF YOU CAN TELL US HOW WOULD THIS WORK FOR ILLINOIS FAMILIES?

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU KNOW, I'M PROUD TO BE HERE.

I'M PROUD TO REPRESENT THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF CHICAGO.

IF ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN TO THE SOUTHEAST SIDE, IT'S A LATINO COMMUNITY, A WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY.

BECAUSE I REPRESENT THE WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY, FIGHT FOR THE WORKING CLASS, AND JUST HOW CHILD TAX CREDIT IS DOING JUST THAT.

GIVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO NOT JUST HELP THE CORPORATION, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO WORK THE HELPING CLASS, THE MOMS, THE LOW INCOME WORKING FAMILIES.

SO THIS THING WITH $500 PER CHILD BENEFITS FOR HOUSEHOLDS MAKING LESS THAN A MEDIAN STATE HOUSE OF INCOME.

SO WE'RE TARGETING WORKING FAMILIES.

THE $700 WOULD BE PER CHILD.

SO IF THE INDIVIDUAL HAS MULTIPLE CHILDREN, THEY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR $700 TAX CREDITS.

OF COURSE, THERE ARE STIPULATIONS ON INCOME AS WE'RE TRYING TO TARGET HARD WORKING FOLKS, AND JUST GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO AGAIN HELP OUT THE WORKING PEOPLE THAT THE BILL, HOUSE BILL 3950.

JUST LOOKING TO PUSH IT IN AND GET IT DONE.

>> HOW WOULD IT BE FUNDED, REPRESENTATIVE?

>> WELL WITH ANY TAX CREDIT THERE'S A COST.

BUT THE HOPE IS THAT THE BENEFITS WOULD OUTWEIGH THE COST.

WE'VE DONE A LOT OF STUDIES AND THE STUDIES ON THE CENTER FOR TAX AND BUDGET ACCOUNTABILITY TO SHOW FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT, THIS TAX CREDIT WILL GENERATE AN ADDITIONAL $2.50.

YOU CAN SAVE DOLLARS FROM THE WORKING CLASS, FROM THE LATINO MOMS, THE BLACK MOMS, FROM THE WORKING CLASS FOLKS.

THAT IF THEY'RE GOING TO USE THAT MONEY AND PUT IT WHERE IN THE LOCAL STORES, AND THEY'RE GOING TO SHIP IT THROUGH THE ECONOMY.

HELPING WORKING PEOPLE WILL HELP BOOST THE ECONOMY.

WE CAN DO SOMETHING PERMANENT.

I THINK TO HELP ILLINOIS, IT WILL BE WRONG.

>> LET'S SPEAK TO THE MOTHER, ROSALIA.

YOU'RE A MOTHER.

HOW DO YOU ENVISION THIS CAN BENEFIT FAMILIES?

>> THIS CHILD TAX CREDIT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT WOULD BENEFIT SPECIFICALLY LOW INCOME FAMILIES.

WE ARE ALSO TARGETING VERY MUCH I-10 FILERS.

WE KNOW THEY HAVE A HARD TIME, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT IMMIGRANTS IN CHILDREN GET A HARD TIME GETTING BACK WHAT THEY DESERVE.

SO WE KNOW THAT WORKING MOMS NEED THIS CHILD TAX CREDIT.

IT WOULD JUST HELP THEIR FAMILY SUCCEED, HELP THEM WITH THEIR CHILDREN.

NOT ONLY TAKE THE BURDEN OFF ALL THESE BILLS THAT THEY HAVE TO TRY TO FOCUS AND WORK ON, BUT IT WOULD DEFINITELY HELP THEM TAKE THAT BURDEN OFF AND DO THE WORK THEIR CHILDREN FEELS BETTER ABOUT THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

>> HOW DO YOU HOPE ACCESS TO THIS WILL LOOK LIKE, ESPECIALLY FOR INDIVIDUAL FIGHTERS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN I KNOW THE LATINO COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS TREMENDOUSLY.

WE NOLA TEE KNOW CHILDREN ARE TWICE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN CHILD POVERTY THAN THOSE WHITE CHILDREN.

SO WE KNOW THAT AFFECT WILL BE TREMENDOUS ON THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

THE COALITION THAT WE ARE A PART OF IS THE COST OF LIVING REFUND COALITION.

OUR CORE VALUES ARE FOR ACCESSIBILITIES TO UNDERSTAND THESE TYPES OF TAX CREDITS NEED TO BENEFIT EVERYONE INCLUDING THOSE WHO FILE THEIR TAXES WITH I-10 NUMBERS.

>> HOW SUCCESSFUL IS THIS GOING FOR OTHER STATES WHO HAVE IMPLEMENTED THIS?

>> THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER STATES THAT HAVE SEEN SUCCESS.

ILLINOIS SHOULD BE THE NEXT ONE TO ENSURE THEY CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD AND SHOW THAT THEY ARE SUPPORTING WORKING FAMILIES ACROSS THE STATE.

AS I MENTIONED, IT'LL BENEFIT LATINO FAMILIES, BUT BLACK FEMALES ESSENTIAL TO ILLINOIS, THIS WILL BENEFIT EVERYONE IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

>> REPRESENTATIVE EVANS, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN THIS LEGISLATION?

>> WELL, WHENEVER YOU TALK ABOUT TAX CREDITS, PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE COST, WHAT THE TAX CREDIT DOES.

IT DEFERS MONEY THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE STATE REVENUE.

SO YOU'VE ALWAYS GOT TO CONSIDER WHAT WOULD THE HOLE BE CREATED AND HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT HOLE AND STILL TAKE CARE OF THIS OBLIGATION.

I BELIEVE THEY WERE CREATED BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT ONLY BE FILLED, BUT THAT WILL BE FILLED OVERFLOW.

SO THIS INVESTMENT IS NOT A HOLE, BUT THE INVESTMENT WILL CREATE MORE REVENUES.

IT WILL SEND THE MOM TO THE STORE A LITTLE MORE OFTEN AND HELP WITH THOSE SALES TAX RECEIPTS.

AND REALLY, IT IS AN OPINION AND THE TACT THAT WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DIDN'T SOMETHING, WE GIVE WORKING CLASS PEOPLE HELP.

THEY PUT THAT MONEY BACK ON THE ECONOMY.

RIGHT NOW THE BILL IS STILL IN COMMITTEE AND IT HAS NOT MOVED FORWARD.

SOME OF THE PEOPLE WILL CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE WITH THE SENATOR, CALL THE GOVERNOR, AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS PARTICULAR TAXPAYER IS WORTHWHILE.

THERE'S A LOT THAT ARE FLOATING AROUND.

SOME OF THEM WILL MAKE SENSE.

SOME OF THEM DON'T, BUT WE KNOW THIS ONE WILL HAVE THAT EVIDENCE TO SHOW THEIR HEALTH.

>> OKAY, ROSALIA, HOW WILL FAMILIES ACTUALLY BE EDUCATED ABOUT THIS PROCESS?

>> WELL, WE ARE HOPING THAT US BEING INVOLVED IN ALL OF THIS WILL HELP US EDUCATE FAMILIES AND JUST REALLY BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH A COMMUNITY.

I KNOW THAT COLD FEET POWER PACK, WE REALLY GET HANDS ON WITH SPECIFICALLY OUR LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES.

WE TRY TO GET OUT THERE TO TALK ABOUT NOT ONLY THIS, BUT EVERYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY BENEFIT FROM.

IT'S VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT WE CAN HELP OTHER FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM THINGS THEY THOUGHT THEY COULDN'T QUALIFY FOR.

WE THINK THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT THAT A LOT OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES DON'T KNOW THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF THOSE BENEFITS.

SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON THAT, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE EVERY FAMILY THAT WE CAN TO HELP LOW INCOME FAMILIES SUCCEED.

>> ROBERTO, DO YOU THINK THIS BILL IS THE BEST WAY TO HELP ILLINOIS FAMILIES POST PANDEMIC?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S A GREAT QUESTION YOU'RE ASKING, ALEX.

WE ARE ABOUT THREE YEARS POST PEAK PANDEMIC.

I THINK SOME HAVE FORGOTTEN THE STRUGGLES THAT LATINO FAMILIES, BLACK FAMILIES, ASIAN FAMILIES, A LOT OF FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS HAVE GONE THROUGH.

I THINK THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PUT MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF THESE FAMILIES.

IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE STATE OF ILLINOIS TO STEP UP.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD NOT EXPAND.

BUT THIS WOULD HELP TREMENDOUSLY, BUT THIS HAS SHOWN TO BE ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PROGRAMS, AS FAR AS EDUCATIONAL IN REGARDS TO REDUCING FOOD INSECURITY.

SO THERE'S VARIOUS BENEFITS ASIDE FROM THE FINANCIAL ONES THEY OFFER.

>> THIS WILL BE THE LAST QUESTION PRETTY MUCH.

ONE POINT THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, THERE WERE CREDITS.

WHAT ISSUES WERE YOU HEARING FROM FAMILIES?

WE HAVE VERY LIMITED TIME NOW.

>> WELL, THE MOST BIGGEST IMPORTANT ISSUE IS HOW FAMILIES DEPEND ON OTHER FAMILIES TO BE ABLE TO FILE THEIR TAXES, AND TO BE ABLE TO GET WHAT THEY KNOW THEY NEED AND DESERVE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

SO WE KNOW THAT'S A BIG ISSUE.

SO WE DEFINITELY NEED TO SPOTLIGHT THAT AND HOW FAMILIES DEPEND ON OTHER FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS TO HELP THEM FILE THEIR TAXES.

SO THIS WOULD BE A HUGE HELP.

AND IT WOULD ENCOURAGE I-10 FOLLOWERS TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE