Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday signed into law the first measures of his administration’s “all-out assault” on child poverty in Maryland.
Moore, a Democrat, said a pair of tax credits — part of the Family Prosperity Act of 2023 — will benefit at least 34,000 children in the state.
The governor also signed a bill to raise Maryland’s minimum hourly wage to $15 beginning Jan. 1. He said that roughly 126,000 Maryland children live in households where the main breadwinner makes less than that.
“The face of child poverty is universal and we refuse to look away,” Moore said Tuesday as he stood at a podium with legislative leaders before signing the first batch of bills into law following the end of the legislative session late Monday.
Before signing the bills, Moore turned to the audience to acknowledge his mother, who as an immigrant single parent raised three children, not working a job that provided benefits until the future governor was 14 years old.
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Moore said that, growing up, he saw the difference that a small amount of extra money could make for a family.
The Family Prosperity Act makes permanent a temporary expansion of an income tax credit for low- to moderate-income households.
Since 2021, families who qualify for a federal earned income tax credit have been able to receive a 45% state match, more than the 28% they were previously granted. The larger match was set to expire in the tax year that began...
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