States Implement Pandemic Child Tax Credit After Congress Ends It

While the federal government's expanded child tax credit program ended last year, a growing number of states are adopting similar programs, often with bipartisan support. Colorado recently became the ninth state to guarantee some form of cash income to its poorest parents, with a law that will provide parents making less than $35,000 per year with up to $1,200 annually for each child under 6. Supporters of the programs say they will create an important precedent and test the theory that government can expand cash support to families without discouraging parents from working outside the home, a longtime political and economic concern.