NCTC ADVOCACY ACTION ALERT
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED – HELP US PROTECT VITA FUNDING!!!

Action Requested No Later than June 3!!

OVERVIEW:

As we face the impending fiscal budgetary crisis, the Community VITA Matching Grant Program (VITA Grant) at risk of being significantly reduced or eliminated. It is imperative that Congress understands the devastating impact this cut would have on America’s taxpayers. NCTC is asking its partners to weigh in with Members of Congress immediately to ask that federal funding continue to support the VITA Grant in Fiscal Year 2012 (FY2012). Additionally, we also ask that you to reach out to your Senators to ask them to cosponsor the VITA Act of 2011 (S. 816), which was reintroduced on April 14th.

ACTION REQUESTED:

You are encouraged to help support our federal advocacy efforts by completing the following activities over the next four weeks:

Express Support for Continued Federal Investments in VITA Programs to Congressional Leaders within the House of Representatives.

1. Call your Congressional office. Your Representative can be reached through the Main Line at (202) 225-3121).
2. Ask to be transferred to the Congressional office you wish to speak with, introduce yourself and where you are from, and ask to speak to the legislative staff that handles tax policy issues.
3. Be sure to get their email address so you can follow-up with an email to reaffirms our request later.
4. Use these talking points. Be sure to ask that your Member of Congress:
   • At least maintain the program at the current funding level of $12 million (FY2011 level), and consider increasing the program to meet the demand from the field to $30 million in FY2012; and
   • Support funding the Community VITA Matching Grant Assistance Program as part of their online appropriations requests submission to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
5. Using the attached letter, send an email to your Congressional offices asking them to support sustained funding of the Community VITA Matching Grant Program in FY2012. The letters below may be edited to better describe your unique experiences. You are strongly encouraged to customize your letters prior to sending.
   

Please Note: We ask that you reach out to ALL Members of Congress within your state delegation where your organization is located or provides services. Also be sure to contact your own Member of Congress if you live outside your organization’s service area. If you are unsure who your representatives are, you may seek this information at www.house.gov.

Ask Your Senators to Cosponsor the VITA Act of 2011 (S. 816).

After much anticipation, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the VITA Act of 2011 (S. 816) on April 14, 2011. The Act would codify the Internal Revenue Service to continue the VITA Grant program. The VITA Act would authorize the program at $30 million/year for a total of five years. The VITA Act of 2011 (S. 816) provides greater flexibility to VITA grantees to expand the use of funds to cover asset development and financial education services. The legislation would also ensure that VITA entities continue to receive technical assistance and training support to sustain and improve overall quality of their tax preparation services through the creation of the National Center to Promote Quality, Excellence and Evaluation in VITA.

There currently are no cosponsors on S. 816, so we are asking you to weigh in with your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 816 as soon as possible using the letter to Senators below.

TIMING:

We are asking VITA partners to weigh in with their Congressional and Senate offices as soon as possible and no later than Friday, June 3.