Have you heard of the grassroots campaign for the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC)? The current goal is for people like you to message Members of Congress to fight for the protection of the ATC!
Here’s an update on the Adoption Tax Credit, forwarded to us by the Adoption Tax Credit Working Group and its Executive Committee:
“Key Message: Co-sponsorship of the refundability bills is the best way for Members to show their willingness to help protect the adoption tax credit.
Congressman Camp’s tax reform proposal that eliminates the adoption tax credit makes your outreach that much more critical. While his particular proposal may never go anywhere, it has now become the basis from which tax reform discussions will begin. We need to ensure that we have vocal Members of Congress who will fight on behalf of the adoption tax credit and ensure its protection. And the best way to get Members engaged is by hearing from constituents about the importance of an issue. Don’t let the adoption tax credit be threatened by a lack of vocal outreach from families like yours.
Highlighted FAQ: Why is a refundable credit important and how do the bills relate to the overall goal of protecting the credit?
• In 2012, Congress took a huge step forward in making the adoption tax credit a permanent part of the code, but failed to include the refundability provisions that would have ensured it benefitted all children in need of permanent homes. In response, Senators Casey, Blunt and Landrieu, and Congressmen Bruce Braley and Rob Wittman introduced S.1056 and H.R.2144 to make the credit refundable and ensure that all families are able to benefit from the credit regardless of income. Some families will never be able to adopt without the benefit of the adoption tax credit while others will adopt, but won’t benefit at all from the tax credit, which means they may face challenges in meeting their children’s needs. The reason for this inequity is simple: A non-refundable tax credit is useless to families who have limited or no tax liability. If we increase low- and moderate-income families’ access to the credit, we make adoption possible for more waiting children.
• Right now, the best way for Members of Congress to show their support for the Adoption Tax Credit and the thousands of families that it helps is by cosponsoring these refundability bills. It is the ultimate show of support for the credit and will help in building vocal champions who will fight for its protection through tax reform.
Call to Action: Engage with your three Members of Congress via social media. Find their Twitters and Facebooks and follow them. Use social media as another outlet to connect with your Members and ask for their support cosponsoring the refundability bills and protecting the Adoption Tax Credit (make sure to reference the bill numbers S.1056 and H.R.2144). The more your Members hear from you, the better. If they are already a bill co-sponsor, thank them (template here) for their dedication to adoption issues and use social media to let others in your community know of their support.”
