Letter to the Hon. Richard Neal, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee - Congresswoman Angie Craig To Immediately Introduce Legislation To Cover Dependents Up to Age 24 in CARES ACT

Letter

Dear Chairman Neal,

Thank you for your ongoing dedication to working families as Congress deals with the COVID19 pandemic. I appreciate all of the work the Committee has done and will continue to do to provide meaningful assistance to our strained health care system, the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and families who are struggling to make ends meet during this national crisis.

With that spirit in mind, I write imploring you and Congressional Leadership to broaden the definition of a qualifying child in the Recovery Rebates for Individuals section of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act. Specifically, the CARES Act that came out of the Senate, and that we voted on in the House and signed by the President on Friday, must be corrected to expand the scope of a qualifying child beyond age 17. Without this correction, many families in my district will receive less than they expect to receive from our efforts -- as they will not receive any benefit for dependent college age children.

As such, there is precedent for dependents up to age 24 to qualify for similar benefits. I have already heard from a number of college students who are surprised that neither they nor their parents will receive any benefit from our rescue plan. Many of these students are now back home due to shuttered colleges around the country. The definition used in the Senate bill is too narrow and will deprive them of the rebate they were expecting to receive to help pay their bills and support their families.

I will be introducing legislation this week to use the more expansive 26 U.S.C § 152 definition, capturing a wider range of children, including those who are students 24 years old and younger and those who are permanently and totally disabled or meet the qualifying relative test. We must expand this vital benefit to more working families in my Congressional District and across the country. I ask that this bill be either passed as quickly as possible on its own or included in the next bill and that this language be used moving forward with any future packages.

In my Congressional District, there are a number of working families with children over the age of 17 and families with disabled children who now desperately need this benefit. There were more than 218,000 dependent exemptions for tax year 2017 in my Congressional District, the highest number in the state according to IRS data. This fix is urgently needed, and it is needed on behalf of working families as quickly as possible.

Like you, I'm ready to do whatever it takes to protect Americans' health and financial security, and I am confident Congress will step up to fully address the unprecedented challenge before our nation. Thank you for your consideration of this request as your Committee works on a fourth response package.

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