During a special legislative session heavily focused on economic development and retaining the Kansas City Chiefs, State Representative Ray Reed (D-St. Louis County) introduced a bold new initiative aimed at Missouri’s most vulnerable: its children.
House Bill 2, dubbed the Missouri Child Tax Credit, seeks to establish a state-level child tax credit modeled after the temporary 2021 federal expansion under the Biden-Harris administration. That federal measure is credited with lifting millions of children out of poverty, and Reed hopes to replicate that success in Missouri.
The proposed credit would offer direct payments to low-income and working-class families with children under 18, providing support for basic needs such as food, clothing, and school supplies. According to Reed, the initiative could cut childhood poverty in Missouri by half.
The timing of the proposal coincides with state deliberations over how to allocate a nearly $1 billion budget surplus. While much of the attention has been on infrastructure and sports-related investments, Reed is pushing to prioritize families and long-term social impact.
If enacted, the Missouri Child Tax Credit would mark one of the most significant state-level anti-poverty measures in the nation.
