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Earlier this week, the Indiana University Student Government Facebook page announced that Student Body President Isabel Mishkin would be joining Presidents from the other 13 Big Ten schools in support of H.R. Bill 6420, known as the All Dependent Children Count Act. In a press release, Executive Director of the Association of Big Ten Students Aidan Sova highlights the unique struggles that college students face due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including loss of housing due to campus evacuations, food insecurity, and job loss and uncertainty. Sova continues, saying “We are facing unparalleled amounts of stress and uncertainty as we navigate our academic endeavors, continue to keep up with our coursework, and apply for jobs.”
In Late March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act. The CARES Act, among other measures, issues a one-time payment of $1200 per adult, and $500 per dependent, to single taxpayers who make less than $75,000 a year, or married taxpayers who make less than $150,000 a year. While some Hoosiers are still waiting on their stimulus check, and may be waiting until early September according to an IRS report obtained by The Washington Post, many college students do not currently qualify for a stimulus payment at all. Through the CARES Act, families only receive $500 per dependent 16 or younger. This means that college students who are considered dependents on their family taxes do not qualify for either payout. The All Dependent Children Count Act, introduced to Congress by Democratic Senator Tina Smith and Democratic Representative Angie Craig, would eliminate that 16 and under age cap. This would allow families to collect at least some compensation for students who are otherwise left out of pandemic relief.
Elaine Maag is a Principal Research Associate at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, an independent organization that analyzes tax issues. Maag says that, while a majority of tax dependants are under 17, students make up a significant number of adult dependents. There are benefits for families who claim full-time students as dependents on their taxes. However, Maag continues, many students don’t get to choose their dependency status. This means that students who don’t qualify for a direct payment but are too old to count towards the family’s relief could not have declared themselves as independents in order to receive relief anyway.
Maag points out that, even before the pandemic, students are a vulnerable part of the population. As COVID-related closings, furloughs and layoffs continue, income loss threatens all Hoosiers. Indiana University has committed to paying its staff through the end of the academic year, even if they cannot do their jobs remotely. Off-campus job opportunities have disappeared as businesses cannot afford to keep payroll with reduced traffic.
The additional relief available through the All Dependent Children Count Act would, as Sova says, “help mitigate some of the many issues that students are struggling with now.”
The Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives at the end of March, and waits further actions from the House Committee on Ways and Means.
For WFHB, I’m Jake Jacobson.
