The Recognizing Poverty Act

The Recognizing Poverty Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, to enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) to examine certain poverty measures relevant to the Community Services Block Grant. As background, this grant provides funding to states, tribes, territories, and other entities to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty. Currently, to be eligible for activities funded by this grant, individuals must have incomes at or below 100% of the federal poverty line.

Specifically, the National Academies must assess the adequacy of the current poverty line as a measure of the resources a family needs to afford basic goods and services and must propose a new poverty guide that accounts for costs related to health insurance, childcare, and other factors, such as the prevalence of food insecurity at different levels of income. This proposed measure may not be lower than the current poverty line.