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Oregon Center for Public Policy A statewide coalition is bringing together a diverse set of about 80 member groups – nonprofits, unions, local governments and businesses – to advocate for an increase in Oregon’s state Earned Income Tax Credit. At the heart of the effort is the Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP), which provides staff support, research and analysis, logistical help and advocacy muscle. “The EITC has been an important focus for us for many years and we know this coalition is critically important to achieving a much-needed expansion,” says Lee Mercer, education and outreach coordinator for OCPP. A bill pending in the legislature would increase the state EITC from 6 percent of the federal credit to 18 percent, which would provide an extra $180 or so to the average household that receives the credit. Prospects for enactment are unclear as the state is dealing with a significant revenue shortfall, but the coalition is optimistic and continuing to push to make sure the EITC is on the table as revenue and spending decisions are made. The state coalition – Oregonians for Working Families, www.oregoniansforworkingfamilies.org – is overseen by a core steering committee, which includes representatives of some of the state’s largest nonprofits. Mike Leachman, a policy analyst with OCPP, and Patti Whitney-Wise, executive director of the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, co-chair the committee. OCPP representatives and others in the coalition have worked hard to expand its reach to bring in local governments, businesses and labor groups – to give the effort more influence in the state capitol. Coalition representatives have made presentations around the state to a range of groups, explaining the benefits of the EITC and making the case for expanding its impact. They have presented maps created by OCPP based on data compiled by the Brookings Institution showing how much federal EITC funds flow into legislative districts throughout the state and the percent of taxpayers in those districts benefitting from the EITC. The work is paying off. The Oregon Business Hunger Initiative, led by two of Oregon’s major business groups, expressed in a letter to state legislators support for “investing further in . . . Oregon’s Earned Income Tax Credit.” While that supportive group has not officially joined the coalition, the coalition does enjoy the memberships of a couple small businesses (a natural foods grocery store chain and a clothing store) and a business association, the Sustainable Business Network of Portland. Several Oregon city councils and the boards of commissioners of three large counties have endorsed an expansion of the EITC. And several key unions in the state, including the SEIU and AFSCME, have signed on and are working in support. “We’ve built a broad coalition that is making a compelling case about the need to increase the state’s EITC,” says Mercer.
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