Credit for health, early childhood workers

Also included in the tax credit package was a second bill introduced by House Democrats on Friday, which would direct a $ 1,500 annual tax credit to certain care workers, including those working in home health, early childhood and personal health.

The credit would be targeted to lower- income workers, which includes most of the people in those fields, said Rep. Lorena Garcia, an Adams County Democrat sponsoring the bill.

Like the child tax credit, the care workers credit would be permanent but dependent upon a TABOR surplus. It would cost more than $ 100 million per year, Garcia said, and would benefit as many as 70,000 lower- income workers.

“We’re able to help folks for whom $ 1,500 really is the difference between getting evicted or getting your car repossessed,” said Garcia, who’s backing the bill with Rep. Emily Sirota, a Denver Democrat. “Whereas ( for) other folks in higher- income brackets, $ 1,500 is something nice to add to your savings account.”

Her bill is part of the negotiations with the governor’s office, Garcia said. But including an across theboard cut to the state’s income tax rate as part of that deal would be a “nonstarter,” she said.

“Having a flat rate income tax ( cut) — while everyone benefits, it disproportionately benefits the rich,” she said, adding that lawmakers “would be happy” to discuss referring a ballot measure to voters that would cut the income tax rate for lower- and middleincome earners.

After she introduced two of the tax credit bills Friday, House Speaker Julie Mccluskie said Democratic legislators had worked to “make sure that we are supporting the hard- working families of our state.”

“These are seasoned lawmakers who have brought forward some pretty big ideas,” she said, “and I look forward to the ongoing conversations.”

Mccluskie demurred when asked about disagreements between Polis and Democratic legislators over an income tax cut, although she said she hoped Polis “is thoughtful about just pushing one idea.”