| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 193 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Many Texas families are confronting financial |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | hardship as recession grips our nation, making it vitally important |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | that all those eligible take advantage of the federal Earned Income |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | Tax Credit; and |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Enacted in 1975, the EITC is a federal tax program |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | that provides a credit on income earned to working families of low |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | to moderate means; each year, the EITC helps more than 450,000 |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | Texans while injecting billions of dollars into the economy; and |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, The EITC can be worth up to $4,824 for families whose |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | members worked in 2008 and earned less than approximately $38,000; |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | workers not raising children can also qualify if earnings fell |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | below about $13,000; the average EITC refund in the Lone Star State |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | is approximately $2,000; and |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, In order to claim the credit, an eligible worker |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | must file a tax return, even if that individual did not earn enough |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | money to be required to file; although tax forms may seem daunting |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | and commercial preparers may be costly, low-income citizens can |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | take advantage of free filing help from such sources as the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | Community Tax Center sites throughout Texas, which can be located |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | by calling the 2-1-1 system; and |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, Nationwide, more than 23 million eligible families |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | and individuals claimed EITCs worth over $44 billion in 2007, but |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | millions more failed to file; the Department of the Treasury is |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | partnering with other agencies to raise participation in the |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | program and is reaching out to educate the public with such |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | initiatives as its third annual EITC Awareness Day; and |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | WHEREAS, For a family struggling to pay medical bills, stave |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | off foreclosure, or keep up with household expenses, Earned Income |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | Tax Credits can be a crucial lifeline; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | Legislature hereby recognize January 30, 2009, as Earned Income Tax |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | Credit Awareness Day in Texas and urge all citizens who may be |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | qualified to explore their eligibility for this program and claim |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | any credits they have earned. |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | Villarreal |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | Speaker of the House |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | I certify that H.R. No. 193 was adopted by the House on |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | January 28, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | ______________________________ |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
|---|