Editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, Joe Ruff, interviewed Maggee Hangge and Jason Adkins with the Minnesota Catholic Conference as the 94th legislative session began. Some takeaways included efforts to expand a nation-leading child tax credit and oppose online sports gambling, commercial surrogacy and physician-assisted suicide.
Ruff began the interview –– which can be heard as part of the “Practicing Catholic” program at 9 p.m. Jan. 24 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM –– saying, “As the conference defends core moral principles and fundamental rights in the public arena, it recently produced an advocacy report on the 93rd legislative session. … It includes more than two dozen initiatives and their progress.”
Five issues have risen to a certain level of notice for the conference as the 94th legislative session begins, Ruff said. One issue is expanding a nation-leading child tax credit that passed in 2022 and took effect in the 2023 tax year. The credit is worth up to $1,750 per child, depending on income, with no cap on the number of dependent children who qualify, Ruff explained.
Adkins said the child tax credit is rooted in the fundamental principle that budget and tax policy should be ordered toward making family life easier.
“We have to remove all the barriers that we can for people to do the most important job there is,” Adkins said. “There is a reason that the Church calls the family the domestic Church, the first cell of civil society, that important place where people are nurtured.”
Adkins said the cost of everything is going up, and because of this, it is important to lessen the tax burden on families. The tax credit, Adkins said, will help low- and middle-income families.
“It really helps them afford gas, groceries, pay the bills, allows them to put their child on a sports team, and do whatever they need to do with that money,” Adkins said.
Hangge explained that there are different ways the child tax credit could be expanded. Almost 500,000 children in Minnesota, she said, have been able to take advantage of it.
“The cap right now, the phaseout starts at about $35,000 income for a joint filer,” Hangge said. “Maybe we could raise that to $45,000. … There’s no cap on the number of kids, so for a family, if you’re starting that phaseout at $45,000, we’re going to be able to reach even more families in our state.”
To hear more about MCC’s legislative priorities, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Jan. 25 and 2 p.m. Jan. 26.
The program also includes Sarah Kostick, a parishioner of St. Paul in Ham Lake, who shares her journey of discovering her own charisms and gifts. Also, Archbishop Bernard Hebda talks about the importance of recognizing Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
