Testimony of Anne LaMonica, Associate Director
in Support of Sections 1 & 2 of S.B. 6
AN ACT CONCERNING SUPPORTS
FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Committee on Children
Public Hearing
March 3, 2026
The Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy office of the Catholic
Bishops of Connecticut, supports Sections 1 and 2 of S.B. 6, AN ACT CONCERNING SUPPORTS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
On Thursdays, numerous families struggling to support their young children make their way to
the Cathedral Community Center at Saint Joseph Cathedral just a few blocks from the Capitol,
where they receive food, clothing, and free basic health care. In the first eight months of
operation in its new center, the Community Pantry served over 11,000 families. Across the
state, families like these must be our priority. Sections 1 and 2 of S.B. 6 aim to encourage their
growth and success.
The Conference supports the child tax credit proposed in section 1 of S.B.6. This proposed tax
credit would reform the tax code to combat economic forces that harm children and families.
Such proposals have historically drawn bipartisan support. This proposal would allow middle-
income families with children to keep more of what they earn, and it would help lift low-income families out of poverty.
This is exactly the sort of policy, which supports women, children, and families, that the General Assembly should prioritize.
Nevertheless, the Conference finds the three-child limit in section 1(b) to be arbitrary and
potentially detrimental to some of the families that this proposal is designed to help. This
provision should be removed. Families with more than three children would need an even
bigger credit allowing them to keep more of their own income to achieve the uplifting benefits
of the credit. The three child limit also sends a message to the public that three children is the
maximum optimal size of a family. Couples who decide to have more than three children should
not be penalized by our state’s tax law.