Betty Boyd
For State Senate
Family Economic Stability
While many people don’t like to think about poverty, I have made it a mission in my advocacy and legislative career to assist people who for any number of reasons can’t make living wage and live in a cycle of crushing debt. Lower wages and rising costs leave many families in Colorado struggling to make ends meet and to mitigate the effects of the fact that they couldn’t last month or the month before. Often, parents in low-income families work multiple jobs to put food on the table and cannot spend quality time helping their children with homework or just putting them to bed at night. We can end this and we must.
Earned Income Tax Credit
In 2005 and again this year, I introduced a bill which would have restored the State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income, working Coloradans. At the Federal level, the tax credit continues to enjoy bi-partisan support because only those who work, often at multiple jobs, receive the EITC. I will continue to work for the passage of the EITC because it allows low-income working Coloradans an annual cash influx to pay for essentials like gasoline, diapers and school supplies. Given that 70% of EITCs go back into the economy, the credit boosts the economy while giving recipients a leg-up in avoiding falling further into poverty.
Self-Sufficiency Standard
I also support adopting a self-sufficiency standard that demonstrates a realistic view of what it costs to live modestly across the state. Such a standard currently exists for different family sizes in different communities. It informs employers what level of wage is required in the area where they live or are considering moving a business. Right now, assistance to needy families is calculated based upon the federal average cost of food. While this standard may take into account the rising cost of fuel prices in production of food, it doesn’t begin to get at other costs such as housing, child-care, and the actual cost of fuel and transportation. The self-sufficiency standard could be used as an alternative standard for determining benefits. I have sponsored and passed legislation to increase the assets threshold for Coloradans receiving aid, thereby allowing them to simultaneously own a car to get to work and still help them pay for essentials such as food, clothing and housing. This is the next step in determining what it takes to get by in today’s marketplace.
Temporary Aid to Needy Families
The TANF is a Federal/State/Local partnership to assist families in crisis to get back on their feet. Strict time limits and work requirements are in place. In 2008, I introduced and passed legislation to increase monthly grants for the first time in 25 years. Even with the increase, Colorado families receive one of the lowest amounts in the country. In the past I have passed legislation to assure educational and job-readiness assistance, and for follow up interviews for clients when they leave public assistance.
