Pathways Out of Poverty
WHEREAS, Poverty affects 16% of the United States' children, and more concerning, 47% live in extreme poverty meaning they live in households whose income is below 50% of the poverty threshold. Living in extreme poverty negatively impacts children throughout their lives, with regards to nutrition, educational achievements, environmental exposures, chronic illness, and language development; and
WHEREAS, The child poverty rate is also higher for certain racial and ethnic groups. In 2022, the child poverty rate was 25.9% for American Indian children, 19.5% for Hispanic children, 17.8% for Black children,11.2% for white children, and 9.9% for Asian children; and
WHEREAS, Economic security programs not only help families address their basic needs today, but also have proven long-term positive effects for children, including better childhood nutrition, higher reading and math test scores, higher high school graduation rates, less use of drugs and alcohol, higher rates of college entry, and higher expected earnings as adults; and WHEREAS, In 2021, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) together lifted more children above the poverty line, 5.5 million, more than any other economic support program but was allowed to expire; and
WHEREAS, The six-month expansion of the CTC in the American Rescue Plan made the credit fully refundable for low and no-income families who are traditionally left out of receiving the full credit. This legislation lifted millions of children above the poverty line. During that time, the child poverty decreased from 16.9% in 2020 to 8.1% in 2021; and
WHEREAS, Earned Income Tax Credit is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income that the federal government and many states offer to incentivize work and help reduce poverty, particularly for families with children; and
WHEREAS, Research links recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits with long-term advances in health and well-being, but roughly half of all households participating in SNAP are still "food insecure," meaning they lack consistent access to enough food to support an active, healthy life; and
WHEREAS, Access to evidenced-based early childhood education programs, including programs like Early Head Start and Head Start supports school readiness through language, literacy, and social and emotional development and promotes positive parent-child relationships, and more stable and healthy home environments.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People supports reauthorization of the CTC and making it fully refundable for low-income families with children.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports establishing a state level tax credit for low-income families where they do not exist.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports making the CTC fully refundable for low-income families with children (including those who lack earnings or have earnings below the threshold), and additionally support establishing a state-level CTC.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports increasing state's EITC refund ability.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports updates to SNAP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children that expand access and reflect current food prices, food consumption patterns, and dietary guidance.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports increases to Medicaid reimbursement rates to incentivize more providers to accept and see Medicaid patients, and additionally supports a Medicaid rate study to include school-based mental health services and technical assistance to school divisions to bill Medicaid for school-based services.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports strong minimum wage policies ($15/hour) that increase economic security and opportunity for working families and protection of minimum wage pay for youth.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports investing in employment preparation programs tailored to community needs and responsive to labor market demands.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP renews its support for early childhood education programs, and America fulfilling its constitutional mandate to fully fund public education and oppose tax credits and educational savings accounts that directly reduce the amount of funding allocated to public education.