by Mona Burton
I had the opportunity on May 14 to travel to Capitol Hill and speak with some of Utah’s congressional delegation about United Way’s mission and legislative priorities. It was the first time I had ever traveled to the Hill to meet with the Senators and Representative who represent me in Congress. It was great! We met in person with Senator Lee and two members of his staff. I met with staff members for Senator Hatch and Rep. Chaffetz. Others from UWSL met with staffers for Utah’s other representatives. We encouraged them to:
- Preserve the charitable tax deduction and strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. In 2015 tax reform will become a high priority. These essential credits that help working families and promote charitable giving could be in jeopardy.
- Continue to fund the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. This public-private partnership assists low-income families with tax preparation. In 2013 $26.7 million in tax refunds were brought back into the pockets of Utah families due to the program.
- Last, we discussed UWSL’s exciting advocacy work before the Utah legislature which helped pass HB 96, creating a public/private partnership for early childhood education.
What a great country we have—where ordinary citizens can meet with our elected representatives and talk to them about what’s important to us!
