A Connecticut child advocacy group wants a permanent expansion of the federal tax credit that gives direct payments to eligible low income parents.

A report released early this year by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that Connecticut’s slow recovery from the Great Recession meant that low income families in the state fared poorly throughout the period encompassing the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lauren Ruth is with Connecticut Voices for Children. She said that could be turned around if Congress were to make the expanded child tax credit permanent.

“It’s shocking that we are one of few states that the child poverty is actually increasing. And so this is another reason why we are advocating to expand the federal tax credit and make it permanent but also a state level child tax credit,” Ruth said.

The expanded child tax credit was championed by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut as part of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief package.

It increased the federal child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child — and $3,600 for children under 6.

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