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Panel advances bill to expand California young-child tax credit to older children over four years
Summary
AB 397 would progressively expand the age eligibility of the Young Child Tax Credit so more low-income families can benefit; the committee placed the bill on the suspense file after testimony from child-poverty researchers and advocates.
Assemblymember Robert Gonzales presented AB 397, which would expand the Young Child Tax Credit into a broader California Child Tax Credit over four years. The proposed expansion phases in eligibility so that by 2028 families with children up to age 17 (or up to 23 if attending college) would qualify.
Gonzales said the measure responds to the reality that child-related expenses continue after age 5 and that federal rules leave gaps for the lowest-income and many immigrant families. He described his family background and said the credit supports essentials such as food, housing and utilities.
Witnesses included Alisa Anderson, policy director at the California Budget and Policy Center, who described research linking refundable child tax credits to reductions in child poverty and long-term benefits for children's health and school outcomes. Anderson said the current Young Child Tax Credit serves about 400,000 households below the poverty line but excludes many low-income families with older children; expanding the credit would help roughly 500,000 additional families, she said.
Sam Wilkinson of Grace and Child Poverty in California and an advocate for foster-youth beneficiaries read a statement on lived experience describing how the credit provided critical relief to parents and caregivers.
Action and next steps: The committee designated AB 397 as a suspense-file candidate for fiscal consideration; no final committee vote on passage was recorded at the hearing.
Ending: Supporters urged the committee to expand the credit to reduce child poverty and to fill federal gaps that disadvantage the lowest-income families; the bill will continue through the fiscal review process.
