AK HJR15

Urges U.S. Congress to pass legislation reinstating the expanded child tax credit from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and requests the President sign such legislation into law.

The 2021 expansion increased the credit from $2,000 to $3,600 per child under age six and $3,000 per child ages six to 17, with full eligibility for heads of household earning up to $112,500 and married couples earning up to $150,000.

Between July and December 2021, approximately 154,000 Alaska children received average monthly payments of $474, with families spending 91 percent of payments on basic needs and 93 percent on basic needs plus education costs.

After the expanded credit lapsed in 2022, more than 85,000 families and 150,000 children in Alaska were negatively affected, with child poverty, food insecurity, and hardship rising particularly in rural areas and communities of color.

An August 2021 Niskanen Center report estimated the expansion provided Alaska with $293.2 million in additional benefits and the highest per capita benefit in the nation at $417 monthly per capita.