Dear , Virginia could make a serious stab toward reducing poverty in the commonwealth by putting the $1 billion “available” in Virginia’s budget toward investments, like affordable housing, that would dramatically reduce poverty in the state.
Legislators left Richmond before agreeing to amendments to the two-year budget. The House budget, which mostly follows the Governor’s proposal, would provide close to $1 billion in tax breaks to companies and more well-off families. The Senate budget puts most of that $1 billion into money for public schools, including higher ed, and increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates. VICPP supports the Senate budget over the House budget but would still like to see more money for affordable housing and childcare or perhaps even a child tax credit as direct means for reducing poverty in Virginia.
One of the key points from last week’s Michael Desmond talk, author of the new book, Poverty, by America, is that we could solve poverty if we wanted to. The expanded child tax credit reduced child poverty by 30 percent in less than six months. It worked. We didn’t continue it federally, but Virginia could.
Most analysts' best guess is that legislators will come back to Richmond after the primaries on June 20 and vote on the budget. Urge them to use the money to invest in families and reduce poverty in Virginia.
Your current legislators still represent you in the General Assembly. Urge them to push for a budget that will cut poverty in Virginia. Click the button below to send an email to your legislators. Thankful for your advocacy, Kim Bobo
Executive Director
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