II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 643 

To reduce child poverty in the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 9, 2021 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, and Mr. BROWN) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To reduce child poverty in the United States, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Poverty Reduc5 tion Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CHILD POVERTY GOAL AND ACCOUNTABILITY. 

7 Title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 

8 et seq.) is amended by inserting after part B the following: 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 643 IS

1 ‘‘PART C—CHILD POVERTY ACCOUNTABILITY 

2 MEASURE 

3 ‘‘SEC. 441. NATIONAL GOAL TO CUT CHILD POVERTY BY 

4 HALF. 

5 ‘‘(a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

6 United States to reduce the number of children living in 

7 poverty in the United States by half in 10 years. 

8 ‘‘(b) SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

9 the Congress that an effort to reach the goal described 

10 in subsection (a) shall include reducing the number of chil11 dren in deep poverty as well as reducing child poverty 

12 among racial or ethnic groups with disparate poverty 

13 rates. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 442. ESTABLISHMENT OF ANNUAL REPORTING. 

15 ‘‘(a) ANCHORED SUPPLEMENTAL POVERTY MEAS16 URE.—The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with 

17 the Bureau of the Census to report an anchored Supple18 mental Poverty Measure for individuals who have not at19 tained 18 years of age, annually beginning with calendar 

20 year 2021. Beginning with the report for calendar year 

21 2022, the report shall be based on poverty thresholds 

22 which are adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price 

23 Index for all-urban consumers (as published by the De24 partment of Labor). This subsection shall not be inter25 preted to require or authorize the replacement of any 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 643 IS

1 other calculation or measure reported by the Bureau of 

2 the Census. 

3 ‘‘(b) TIMING OF RELEASE OF CURRENT POPULATION

4 SURVEY ANNUAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPLEMENT

5 MICRODATA.—The Bureau of the Census shall release the 

6 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic 

7 Supplement microdata for each year as a single file con8 taining the anchored Supplemental Poverty Measure and 

9 any other poverty rates the Bureau of the Census reports. 

10 The file shall be released at the same time as the Bureau 

11 of the Census report on Income, Poverty, and Health In12 surance Coverage in the United States. That report, or 

13 companion reports, should include poverty statistics and 

14 thresholds for the anchored Supplemental Poverty Meas15 ure and any other measures the Bureau of the Census re16 ports. 

17 ‘‘(c) REPORTING IN RELATION TO THE TERRI18 TORIES.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 

20 into an agreement with the Bureau of the Census to 

21 develop data to report an anchored Supplemental 

22 Poverty Measure for Puerto Rico, Guam, the United 

23 States Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Is24 lands, and American Samoa, as part of the annual 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 643 IS

1 report required by subsection (a), not later than the 

2 close of fiscal year 2023. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIRED IF COMPLIANCE IS NOT

4 FEASIBLE.—If the Secretary determines that it will 

5 not be feasible to comply with all or part of para6 graph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Con7 gress, not later than 6 months after the date of the 

8 enactment of this section, a report that explains 

9 what is not feasible, why it is not feasible, and in10 cludes details on what, if anything, would be needed 

11 to enable such compliance and by what date compli12 ance could be achieved. 

13 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF AP14 PROPRIATIONS.—To carry out this subsection, there 

15 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 

16 a total of not more than $2,000,000 for fiscal years 

17 2021 through 2023. 

18 ‘‘(d) IMPROVING INCOME DATA FOR USE IN ANNUAL

19 REPORTING.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 

21 into an agreement with the Bureau of the Census to 

22 develop income data with corrections for under-re23 porting of income data for calculating an anchored 

24 Supplemental Poverty Measure as part of the annual 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 643 IS

1 report required by subsection (a), not later than the 

2 close of fiscal year 2023. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIRED IF COMPLIANCE IS NOT

4 FEASIBLE.—If the Secretary determines that it will 

5 not be feasible to comply with all or part of para6 graph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Con7 gress, not later than 6 months after the date of the 

8 enactment of this section, a report that explains 

9 what is not feasible, why it is not feasible, and in10 cludes details on what, if anything, would be needed 

11 to enable such compliance and by what date compli12 ance could be achieved. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 443. CHILD POVERTY REPORTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORTS ON THE EFFECT OF FED15 ERAL POLICIES ON CHILD POVERTY IN THE UNITED

16 STATES.—Within 6 months after the date of the enact17 ment of this section, the Secretary shall enter into an 

18 agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to sub19 mit to the Congress annual reports providing an evidence20 based, non-partisan analysis of how Federal policies or 

21 programs have contributed to meeting the goal set forth 

22 in section 441(a), based on their effect on the anchored 

23 Supplemental Poverty Measure for children as reported by 

24 the Bureau of the Census pursuant to section 442. 

25 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF REPORTS.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 643 IS

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each such report— 

2 ‘‘(A) shall analyze how, and the extent to 

3 which, Federal policies and programs contribute 

4 to meeting the goal referred to in subsection (a) 

5 of this section; 

6 ‘‘(B) shall take into account the number of 

7 children in deep poverty and child poverty 

8 among racial or ethnic groups with disparate 

9 poverty rates; 

10 ‘‘(C) shall attempt to ascertain whether 

11 each studied policy or program reduces or in12 creases the number of children living in poverty, 

13 why the policy or program does so, and the ex14 tent to which the policy or program does so; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(D) shall include, to the extent feasible, 

17 projections on how such policies or programs 

18 would affect the number of children living in 

19 poverty in future years, which shall be made on 

20 the basis of previously released Current Popu21 lation Survey Annual Social and Economic Sup22 plement data, and adjusted periodically as new 

23 estimates from the Bureau of the Census be24 come available. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 643 IS

1 ‘‘(2) DATA CORRECTIONS.—Where feasible, 

2 each such report shall correct the underlying Cur3 rent Population Survey Annual Social and Economic 

4 Supplement data, for under-reporting of income and 

5 in-kind benefits and shall include estimates using 

6 both uncorrected and corrected income data. Be7 cause available information with which to produce 

8 corrected income data is currently limited and not 

9 timely, each such report shall indicate the year to 

10 which the corrected income data pertain and other 

11 limitations of the data. As soon as corrected income 

12 data from the Census Bureau become available 

13 under section 442(d), each such report shall use 

14 those data. 

15 ‘‘(c) FEASIBILITY REVIEW OF STATE AND LOCAL

16 EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES.—The 1st report under sub17 section (a) shall include a review of the feasibility of in18 cluding consideration of State and local evidence-based 

19 policies or programs in subsequent such reports, and if 

20 the review determines that including the consideration is 

21 feasible, then each such report shall include an analysis 

22 of the additional policies. 

23 ‘‘(d) TIMING.—Each report for a year under sub24 section (a) shall be made after the report of the United 

25 States Census Bureau on Income, Poverty, and Health InVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:34 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S643.IS S643

pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 643 IS

1 surance Coverage in the United States for the year is re2 leased, and— 

3 ‘‘(1) in the case of the 1st such report, before 

4 the beginning of the 1st calendar year that begins 

5 more than 6 months after the date of the enactment 

6 of this section; or 

7 ‘‘(2) in the case of each subsequent such report, 

8 before the end of the year. 

9 ‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO10 PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author11 ized to be appropriated not more than— 

12 ‘‘(1) $1,200,000 for fiscal year 2021; and 

13 ‘‘(2) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

14 through 2030. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 444. CHILD POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY CLEAR16 INGHOUSE. 

17 ‘‘The Secretary shall establish, and annually update, 

18 on a website of the Department of Health and Human 

19 Services, an online collection of resources related to the 

20 national child poverty reduction goal established in section 

21 441 of this Act, including— 

22 ‘‘(1) the anchored Supplemental Poverty Meas23 ure published under section 442 of this Act; 

24 ‘‘(2) the reports required by section 443 of this 

25 Act; 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 643 IS

1 ‘‘(3) the report required by section 3 of the 

2 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2021; 

3 ‘‘(4) the report required by section 4 of the 

4 Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2021; and 

5 ‘‘(5) links to other relevant Federal reports, 

6 analyses, evaluations, and resources related to child 

7 poverty as determined by the Secretary. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 445. DEFINITIONS. 

9 ‘‘In this part: 

10 ‘‘(1) ANCHORED.—The term ‘anchored’ means 

11 fixed at a given point in time, and annually adjusted 

12 by a measure reflecting only changes in prices. 

13 ‘‘(2) POVERTY.—The term ‘poverty’ means, 

14 with respect to an individual or family, that the indi15 vidual or family has a total annual income that is 

16 less than the anchored Supplemental Poverty thresh17 old for the individual or family, as provided in the 

18 Bureau of the Census report under section 442. 

19 ‘‘(3) DEEP POVERTY.—The term ‘deep poverty’ 

20 means, with respect to an individual or family, that 

21 the individual or family has a total annual income 

22 that is less than 50 percent of the anchored Supple23 mental Poverty threshold for the individual or fam24 ily, as provided in the Bureau of the Census report 

25 under section 442.’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 643 IS

1 SEC. 3. UPDATE OF ‘‘A ROADMAP TO REDUCE CHILD POV2 ERTY’’. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Within 36 months after the date 

4 of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health 

5 and Human Services shall enter into an agreement with 

6 the National Academy of Sciences to revise and update 

7 the National Academies report entitled ‘‘A Roadmap to 

8 Reduce Child Poverty’’ within 72 months after the date 

9 of entry into the agreement. 

10 (b) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO11 PRIATIONS.—To carry out subsection (a), there are au12 thorized to be appropriated not more than $2,200,000. 

13 SEC. 4. REPORT ON REDUCING LONG-TERM, INTERGENERA14 TIONAL CHILD POVERTY. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Within 6 months after the date 

16 of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health 

17 and Human Services shall enter into an agreement with 

18 the National Academy of Sciences to publish, within 36 

19 months after the date of entry into the agreement, a re20 port on evidence-based policies to reduce long-term, inter21 generational child poverty, which report shall build on the 

22 National Academies report entitled ‘‘A Roadmap to Re23 duce Child Poverty’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 643 IS

1 (b) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO2 PRIATIONS.—To carry out subsection (a), there are au3 thorized to be appropriated not more than $2,200,000. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS