Senate committee advances bill to raise child tax credit to $1,200

The Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health on March 13 voted to advance Senate Bill 694 to the Senate floor with a recommendation that it be referred to the Committee on Finance and Revenue.

"Senate Bill 694 raises the amount of the child tax credit, otherwise known as the Oregon Kids Credit, from $1,000 to $1,200 per dependent, and it increases the annual income limits for eligibility," Katie Hart told the committee during a March 13 work session. Hart added that fiscal and revenue statements are available on OLIS.

Committee chair Senator Reynolds discussed the eligibility expansion, saying the bill would extend the credit beyond its current scope. "We want it to include families where there's a single adult working full time and a minimum wage job," Reynolds said, describing the bill as scalable depending on available revenue.

Senator Anderson moved the measure to the floor "with a do pass recommendation and that the bill be referred to the Committee on Finance and Revenue by prior reference." The committee called the roll and recorded affirmative votes from Senator Forsyth, Senator Lythagoon, Senator Patterson, Vice Chair Anderson and Chair Reynolds; the motion passed and the measure was referred to Finance and Revenue.

Why it matters: supporters said expanding the credit would extend a direct benefit to more families and could help those with very low wages. Committee members noted the bill will face fiscal scrutiny in Finance and Revenue and in a joint tax-expenditure review.

The committee closed the work session on SB 694 and moved on to public hearings on other bills.