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Committee hears expansion request for tax‑preparation grants to connect low‑income Oregonians with refundable credits
Summary
Witnesses including local VITA sites, community organizations and agency staff urged the committee to fund an expanded tax infrastructure grant program (House Bill 2991) to increase free tax preparation capacity statewide and help low‑income families claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and other refunds.
Supporters of House Bill 2991 told the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services on Feb. 20 that expanding the state’s tax‑infrastructure grants would bring federal and state refunds to low‑income Oregonians, improve family finances and stimulate local economies.
Lisa Reynolds, a pediatrician and state representative, said many low‑income families never file taxes and miss valuable credits. “Nothing we put in the tax code matters if folks don't file their taxes or cannot file their taxes,” Reynolds said in opening testimony supporting increased grant funding for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and other free filing services.
Riley Eldridge, director of the CASH Oregon program at Metropolitan Family Service, described how grant support expanded one organization’s capacity from about 4,000 to more than 9,000 families served since 2022, producing “over $42,000,000” in combined refunds and federal returns reported by the program. Eldridge said clients average roughly $28,000 annual income, 1.3 household members are limited English proficient on average, and many are infrequent filers who need one‑on‑one help to claim credits.
Representatives from Oregon State University, United Way of Jackson County, Western Oregon University and community organizations described rapid growth at VITA sites and local results: United Way said its program increased from 371 returns in 2021 to more than 1,000 last year and has returned more than $15 million to Jackson County over 15 years. Diane Everson (United Way) called VITA “the single best anti‑poverty program in the country.”
Panelists emphasized barriers that software alone does not solve: language access, technology gaps, complex or intermittent filing histories, and anxiety about mistakes. Student volunteers and interns cited professional development benefits; several speakers said the VITA network trains future tax preparers and creates paid internships.
ODHS program staff said the department administers the tax‑infrastructure grants and will publish a public website to centralize information for available free tax help; the department also provided a summary of program outputs and agreed to share more detailed reports with the committee. Committee members asked for regular reporting and more public visibility of where services are available; ODHS staff said they would provide reports and were preparing a public website for the program.
No committee vote occurred during the hearing. Witnesses urged the committee to fund expansion to reach under‑served rural and coastal areas and to continue building volunteer and student capacity.
