Earlier this year, Virginia lawmakers made a decision. Instead of using new state resources to bolster our K-12 public schools, address college affordability, or support working people who are paid low wages, they sent refund checks to certain taxpayers, including millionaires. But an estimated 1.2 million families in Virginia didn’t receive a check.

Lawmakers have an opportunity to make a better choice next year, one that helps communities with fewer resources instead of leaving them out. A step that lawmakers can take is to improve Virginia’s tax credit for working people. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) boosts incomes of working families, including about 600,000 families in Virginia. Yet Virginia’s version of the work credit is not as strong as it could be, because it’s not refundable, meaning many families do not receive the full credit they have earned.

Legislators can choose to make our state credit refundable, putting money in the pockets of working families, as many other states have already done. Doing so would boost incomes for working families in Virginia and make sure all families who get the EITC can receive the full credit they’ve earned.

• Add your name to the list of supporters for a stronger Earned Income Tax Credit.

• Click here to email your legislators and ask them to enact a refundable EITC.

• Send a note to Governor Northam and ask him to stand with Virginia’s working families and include a refundable EITC in the state budget.