Abington Sen Haywood Calls For Making Child Tax Credit Permanent

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A local state senator is among a number of lawmakers – state, local and federal – calling for the Child Tax Credit payments made available under the American Rescue Plan to be made permanent.

Senator Art Haywood, a Democrat representing the 4th Senatorial District, which covers Abington Township in Montgomery County, along with neighboring Cheltenham and parts of Philadelphia, participated in a recent rally to raise awareness of the issue, according to the senator’s office.

The event, held in nearby Northwest Philadelphia, included representatives from various other organizations that also wish to raise awareness of the expanded Child Tax Credit and to pressure federal lawmakers and the Biden administration to make the policy permanent.

“The Child Tax Credit can be the difference between food, water, and clothing for thousands of families,” Senator Haywood had said through his Communications Director, Janielle Edmonds, during the July 13 rally and press conference, according to Haywood’s office.

Starting today and running through December, those who are eligible will receive up to $250 for each school-aged child and up to $300 per child under the age of 6 through the last half of 2021, with the money being sent either via direct deposit or through a check in the mail.

Haywood, who has stated that he will continue pushing for legislation on all levels that will aid communities in continued pandemic recovery, stood alongside representatives from various community organizations during his recent rally at the Maplewood Mall, his office stated.

Some in attendance at the event in this historic Germantown shopping district were quoted as saying a permanent Child Tax Credit could help to reduce overall societal poverty.

The enhanced Child Tax Credit under the American Rescue Plan is an expansion of the existing Child Tax Credit, which has been around since the 1990s, according to a report in CBS News. The goal was to get money out to lower-and-moderate-income families as quick as possible.

Other local officials in Montgomery County also stand behind the push to extend the credit indefinitely.

John Spiegelman, president of the Abington Township Board of Commissioners, said if Pennsylvania’s representatives at the federal level choose to make the Child Tax Credit permanent, “I would enthusiastically support that decision.

“Generally speaking, when it comes to expenditures of taxpayer dollars, I like to see evidence-based results before committing to making anything permanent,” Spiegelman said in written comments to Patch. “However, given the intelligent and precise crafting of the Child Tax Credit, and given how carefully it is designed to have the greatest impact on families with the greatest need, it is as worthy of a leap of faith as any federal investment in many generations.”