I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9845 

To authorize competitive grants for the establishment of HOPE Accounts 

Pilot Projects and HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Mr. MORELLE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Ways 

and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To authorize competitive grants for the establishment of 

HOPE Accounts Pilot Projects and HOPE Action Plans 

Pilot Projects, 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 ‘‘Health, Opportunity, 

5 and Personal Empowerment Act of 2024’’ or ‘‘HOPE Act 

6 of 2024’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) In 2022, according to the Department of 

2 Agriculture, 44,151,000 individuals in the United 

3 States (including 13,394,000 children) lived in food 

4 insecure households. 

5 (2) Food hardship continues to be high, even 

6 after the official end of the COVID–19 public health 

7 emergency, with the Household Pulse Survey of the 

8 Bureau of the Census finding that, between March 

9 1 and April 1, 2024, 23,220,357 individuals in the 

10 United States did not have enough to eat either 

11 often or sometimes. 

12 (3) In 2022, according to the Bureau of the 

13 Census, 37,920,000 individuals in the United States 

14 (including 11,149,000 children) lived below the Fed15 eral poverty line. The majority of these individuals 

16 living in poverty were working people, children, older 

17 individuals, veterans, and individuals with disabil18 ities. 

19 (4) Many low-income individuals work multiple 

20 jobs and, contrary to common misconceptions, if un21 employed, they spend a great deal of time looking 

22 for work. They often travel by public transportation, 

23 laboriously making multiple connections to shuttle 

24 between home, work, social service agencies, houses 

25 of worship, and grocery stores. Low-income individVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:27 Oct 11, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9845.IH H9845

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1 uals living in rural and suburban areas far from 

2 work and without adequate public transportation 

3 rely upon vehicles to get to work, but these vehicles 

4 are often less reliable secondhand vehicles that often 

5 break down. From traveling greater distances be6 tween available jobs and livable areas with affordable 

7 housing options, seeking out scarce childcare options 

8 that fit a tight budget and a constrained travel 

9 schedule, and caring for elderly parents or grand10 parents because a senior living facility is not finan11 cially realistic, low-income individuals have little 

12 spare time. 

13 (5) While government safety net programs help 

14 tens of millions of individuals avoid starvation, 

15 homelessness, and other outcomes even more dread16 ful than everyday poverty, there are significant ob17 stacles that those seeking and maintaining govern18 ment assistance face for as long as they are eligible. 

19 Qualified applicants are often required to travel sig20 nificant distances to multiple government offices, 

21 preparing and submitting piles of nearly identical 

22 paperwork to access the different government assist23 ance programs. Even when the application process 

24 begins online, the eligible applicant is often still re25 quired to physically follow up with each government 


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1 office with physical copies, for near identical meet2 ings. As a result, many low-income people are actu3 ally unaware of all the government benefits for 

4 which they are eligible, reducing the amount of help 

5 going to individuals in need by tens of billions of 

6 dollars every year. The lines in these offices can 

7 seem endless, and sometimes clients need to wait 

8 outside for hours in the worst kinds of weather. 

9 Many offices do not have weekend or night hours, so 

10 an applicant is at risk of losing wages when often 

11 their only option is to apply for government help 

12 during work hours. 

13 (6) Each year, many vital government programs 

14 go underutilized because eligible beneficiaries are 

15 hindered by obtrusive, time consuming, and repet16 itive application barriers. In fiscal year 2019, ac17 cording to the Department of Agriculture, 18 per18 cent of all people eligible for the Supplemental Nu19 trition Assistance Program (referred to in this para20 graph as ‘‘SNAP’’), 23 percent of the ‘‘working 

21 poor’’ eligible for SNAP, and 68 percent of adults 

22 over 60 who were eligible for SNAP failed to partici23 pate in such program. According to the Department 

24 of Agriculture, the overall coverage rate of pregnant 

25 women, infants, and children up to age 5 eligible for 


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1 the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for 

2 Women, Infants, and Children (commonly known as 

3 ‘‘WIC’’) declined from 55 percent in 2016 to 50 per4 cent in 2020. In fiscal year 2023, according to the 

5 Department of Agriculture, 47 percent of children in 

6 the United States who received meals through the 

7 National School Lunch Program did not received 

8 meals through the School Breakfast Program. In 

9 2022, 8 percent of individuals in the United States 

10 lacked health insurance for the entire year, accord11 ing to the Bureau of the Census. The Internal Rev12 enue Service estimates that one in 5 low-income 

13 United States workers eligible for the Earned In14 come Tax Credit do not claim it. 

15 (7) The United States has hundreds of thou16 sands of nonprofit groups providing high-quality and 

17 much needed social services, but it is nearly impos18 sible for struggling people to determine which of 

19 those organizations provide services they need, 

20 whether the organization is conveniently located, and 

21 for which services they are eligible. If they do deter22 mine that a nonprofit organization (or multiple non23 profit organizations) could help, they need to take 

24 yet more time to visit each one. 


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1 (8) Since many government and nonprofit pro2 grams require frequent reapplications and recertifi3 cations, a low-income individual often has to repeat 

4 the same endless and frustrating process. 

5 (9) Technology has fundamentally revamped the 

6 lives of most individuals, usually for the better. Ac7 cording to the Pew Research Center, 79 percent of 

8 adult individuals with incomes of $30,000 or less 

9 have a smart phone as of 2023 (not because a smart 

10 phone is a luxury but because it is an essential tool 

11 of learning and work in modern United States) but 

12 they rarely can use these devices to apply for bene13 fits. Digital technology, combined with policy im14 provements, can simplify the lives and boost the 

15 long-term self-sufficiency of low-income individuals 

16 in the United States. 

17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

18 In this Act: 

19 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti20 ty’’ means a State, unit of general purpose local gov21 ernment, Tribal government, or an entity that rep22 resents a smaller geographical area therein (includ23 ing a neighborhood). 

24 (2) HOPE.—The term ‘‘HOPE’’ means 

25 Health, Opportunity, and Personal Empowerment. 


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1 (3) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.—The term 

2 ‘‘individual with a disability’’ means an individual 

3 with a disability (as defined in section 3 of the 

4 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

5 12102)). 

6 (4) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

7 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization de8 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 

9 Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 

10 501(a) of such Code. 

11 (5) OLDER INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘older indi12 vidual’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

13 102 of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

14 3002). 

15 (6) QUALIFIED BUSINESS OR NONPROFIT ORGA16 NIZATION.—The term ‘‘qualified business or non17 profit organization’’ means an entity that— 

18 (A) is— 

19 (i) a private business; or 

20 (ii) a nonprofit organization; 

21 (B) is based in the United States; and 

22 (C) has relevant, successful experience in 

23 technology. 

24 (7) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

25 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 


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1 the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of 

2 Housing and Urban Development, acting collabo3 ratively (except as otherwise provided in this Act). 

4 (8) TARGET POPULATION.—The term ‘‘target 

5 population’’ includes an individual who— 

6 (A) earns an individual or household in7 come below 200 percent of the Federal poverty 

8 line; 

9 (B) suffers from food insecurity; 

10 (C) earns insufficient individual or house11 hold income to ensure food security or economic 

12 security; 

13 (D) lives in a rural, suburban, or urban 

14 community that suffers from high rates of pov15 erty, hunger, or food insecurity; 

16 (E) is homeless; 

17 (F) receives (or recently received) assist18 ance under a State program funded under part 

19 A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), relating to temporary as21 sistance for needy families; 

22 (G) is eligible for benefits under any Fed23 eral nutrition assistance program or Federal 

24 antipoverty program; or 


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1 (H) is formerly a youth in transition from 

2 foster care or the juvenile detention facilities. 

3 SEC. 4. COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR PILOT PROJECTS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 2025 

5 through 2030, the Secretaries shall make grants, on a 

6 competitive basis, to eligible entities to aid target popu7 lations through carrying out a HOPE Accounts Pilot 

8 Project described in subsection (b) or a HOPE Action 

9 Plans Pilot Project described in subsection (c). 

10 (b) HOPE ACCOUNTS PILOT PROJECT.—A HOPE 

11 Accounts Pilot Project shall enable individuals from target 

12 populations to establish through cooperating banks, credit 

13 unions, or governmental or Tribal agencies HOPE ac14 counts for such individuals— 

15 (1) to have their paychecks deposited directly in 

16 such accounts; 

17 (2) to use such accounts to increase savings 

18 that would be matched with funds provided by gov19 ernment and private sources, including individual de20 velopment accounts; 

21 (3) to use an account application on a smart 

22 phone to easily locate and sign up for job training 

23 and placement services online; 

24 (4) to use any smart phone, digital tablet, or 

25 computer— 


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1 (A) to learn about the public and philan2 thropic programs that provide benefits to such 

3 individuals, including aid— 

4 (i) to improve health, nutrition, job 

5 training and placement, housing, and in6 come; and 

7 (ii) to receive Federal and State tax 

8 credits; and 

9 (B) subject to applicable Federal, State, 

10 local, or Tribal law and, in the case of private 

11 benefits, the cooperation of the provider of such 

12 benefits, to simultaneously apply for, submit eli13 gibility documents for, enroll in, and manage 

14 the use of such benefits at once through the 

15 convenience of their device if such individuals or 

16 their households are eligible for 1 or more of 

17 such benefits; 

18 (5) to receive— 

19 (A) a basic smart phone, digital tablet, or 

20 computer, if such individuals do not own a 

21 smart phone, digital tablet, or computer; and 

22 (B) subsidized internet Wi-Fi access; 

23 (6) to obtain the access and information de24 scribed in paragraph (4) with assistance at libraries, 

25 government offices, or nonprofit organizations if 


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1 such individuals are uncomfortable using internet 

2 technology themselves; 

3 (7) if such individuals are older individuals or 

4 individuals with a disability, to obtain access to the 

5 information described in paragraph (4) through re6 ceiving home visits with the assistance of govern7 ment employees, employees of nonprofit organiza8 tions, or participants in an AmeriCorps program 

9 carried out under subtitle C of title I of the National 

10 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

11 12571 et seq.) or under title II of the Domestic Vol12 unteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5000 et seq.); 

13 (8) to access health care information that speci14 fies medical benefits, and any out-of-pocket costs, 

15 for each of the health plans for which such individ16 uals may be eligible, and to empower them, as prac17 ticable, to easily select the plan that works best for 

18 them; 

19 (9) to deposit in the account cash that is set 

20 aside for education, job training, starting a business, 

21 or buying a home; 

22 (10) in 1 central online account— 

23 (A) to easily access and monitor the sta24 tus, amounts, and recertification deadlines for 

25 some or all their benefits and savings; and 


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1 (B) to pay bills online, saving high check 

2 cashing fees and enormous amounts of time; 

3 (11) to budget their resources by using real4 time cash flow data and long-term financial planning 

5 data, including calculating how much they would 

6 lose in interest on credit cards versus how much 

7 they would gain in interest by saving more; 

8 (12) to access calendar and scheduling func9 tions that enable them to keep track of all job 

10 search, work, family, and school obligations, as well 

11 as any social service filing or appointment dates; 

12 (13) to be protected by security and privacy 

13 systems so that only such individuals, and not the 

14 government, nonprofit organizations, or banking 

15 partners, would be able to see or track private finan16 cial and appointment information; and 

17 (14) notwithstanding other provisions of law, to 

18 easily and clearly authorize their sharing of personal 

19 and financial information with multiple government 

20 agencies, solely for the purpose of those government 

21 agencies enabling those to apply for and utilize gov22 ernment benefits. 

23 (c) HOPE ACTION PLANS PILOT PROJECT.—A 

24 HOPE Action Plans Pilot Project shall enable individuals 

25 from target populations to partner with government and 


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1 nonprofit organizations by entering into voluntary agree2 ments with such government and nonprofit organizations 

3 to carry out HOPE action plans that— 

4 (1) specify exactly how the parties to such plans 

5 will help such individuals and their families earn, 

6 learn, and save better in order to ensure greater eco7 nomic opportunity for themselves and their children 

8 by working together in a long-term, positive relation9 ship for the purpose of ensuring upward mobility; 

10 (2) could empower such individuals and their 

11 families to better organize their time and focus their 

12 activities on productive endeavors while providing 

13 them extra resources to do so; 

14 (3) could be short-term (a period of not more 

15 than 2 years) and aimed at helping families achieve 

16 very basic goals, such as avoiding homelessness and 

17 hunger; 

18 (4) could be long-term (a period of more than 

19 2 years) with far more ambitious goals for upward 

20 mobility; and 

21 (5) would require that participating individuals 

22 and their families and participating government en23 tities and nonprofit organizations have equal rights 

24 to hold each other accountable for plan outcomes 

25 and funding. 


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1 (d) APPLICATIONS; PERIOD OF GRANTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall each 

3 create an application process for eligible entities to 

4 apply for a grant under this section. To be eligible 

5 to receive a grant under this section, an eligible enti6 ty shall submit to one of the Secretaries an applica7 tion— 

8 (A) that contains a description of how the 

9 applicant proposes to use the grant funds to 

10 implement the components of a HOPE Ac11 counts Pilot Project described in subsection (b) 

12 or a HOPE Action Plans Pilot Project de13 scribed in subsection (c); and 

14 (B) that is submitted in such form, at such 

15 time, and containing such other information as 

16 the Secretaries may require. 

17 (2) PERIOD.—A grant under this section shall 

18 be for a period not to exceed 5 years. 

19 (e) FORM OF GRANTS.—If a Secretary finds it appro20 priate, the Secretary may use cooperative agreements, as 

21 described in section 6305 of title 31, United States Code, 

22 for purposes of making grants under this section. 

23 (f) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—Grants made under this 

24 section shall range in amounts from $250,000 to 

25 $3,000,000, and shall be proportionate to the geographical 


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1 size, project complexity, and number of individuals partici2 pating in each project supported by the grant. Eligible en3 tities may receive grants made under this section by 2 or 

4 more of the Secretaries. To the extent funds are available, 

5 the Secretaries shall each make not fewer than 8 such 

6 grants annually. 

7 (g) DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.—To the extent prac8 ticable, the Secretaries shall make grants for pilot projects 

9 that operate statewide, as well as pilot projects designed 

10 to serve specific rural, urban, and suburban areas. To the 

11 extent practicable, pilot projects for which grants are 

12 made shall be distributed among diverse administrative re13 gions of the Department of Housing and Urban Develop14 ment, the Department of Health and Human Services, 

15 and the Department of Agriculture. 

16 (h) PREFERENCE.—For purposes of making grants 

17 under this section, preference shall be given to grants for 

18 pilot projects that— 

19 (1) serve individuals in rural or urban commu20 nities that are historically underserved and have a 

21 high rate of poverty; 

22 (2) simultaneously carry out a HOPE Accounts 

23 Pilot Project described in subsection (b) and a 

24 HOPE Action Plans Pilot Project described in sub25 section (c); 


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1 (3) involve low-income individuals as equal part2 ners in project planning and implementation; 

3 (4) make additional funds available directly to 

4 low-income households through action plans, either 

5 through government payments or through subgrants 

6 to nonprofit organizations; 

7 (5) are matched by considerable non-Federal 

8 funds without penalizing rural or urban communities 

9 that are very low income, underserved, and cannot 

10 provide non-Federal matching funds; 

11 (6) propose concrete plans for long-term sus12 tainability and expansions without future Federal 

13 grant funds; 

14 (7) assist low-income households to apply for 

15 Federal earned income tax credits and State tax 

16 credits; 

17 (8) provide resources in English and in addi18 tional languages commonly spoken in the area served 

19 by the pilot project; 

20 (9) prioritize client-facing, fully-tested, tech21 nology and mobile device applications; 

22 (10) include a robust monitoring and evaluation 

23 planning and reporting plan, including proposed 

24 staffing and reporting for that plan, including re25 porting on— 


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1 (A) the extent to which the pilot project 

2 makes it easier, quicker, and less costly for low3 income individuals in the United States to ac4 cess a variety of benefits; 

5 (B) the extent to which the pilot project 

6 will save administrative funds over the long 

7 run; 

8 (C) the extent to which the accuracy and 

9 integrity of the benefits programs included are 

10 maintained or improved; and 

11 (D) the extent to which low-income house12 holds are able to more easily obtain free or low13 cost banking services; 

14 (11) subcontract part of the implementation of 

15 the pilot project to United States-based private busi16 nesses, banks, savings and loans, credit unions, co17 ops, or nonprofit organizations, with relevant, suc18 cessful experience in similar or related project activi19 ties; 

20 (12) incorporate a benefits calculator to enable 

21 applicants to learn how the receipt of some benefits 

22 might or might not impact whether they are eligible 

23 for other benefits and might impact the amount of 

24 those other benefits for which they are eligible; 


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1 (13) include planning and funding for the eligi2 ble entities to train their staffs and clients to utilize 

3 the new technologies under the pilot project; 

4 (14) in rural and other areas without strong 

5 broad-band service, integrate activities under the 

6 pilot project with other activities to strengthen local7 broad band service; 

8 (15) enable low-income individuals in the 

9 United States to obtain smart phones, and data 

10 services, at no cost or at a reduced cost; 

11 (16) ensure that individuals without personal 

12 smart phone, tablet, or computer access are able to 

13 benefit from the systems and technological improve14 ments under the pilot project at public locations 

15 such as public libraries, community centers, and so16 cial service offices; 

17 (17) propose a detailed, workable plan to thor18 oughly beta test and field test any new technologies 

19 or systems under the pilot project before making 

20 such technologies or systems available to all house21 holds, individuals, or the entire area served by the 

22 pilot project; and 

23 (18) identify the applicable Federal, State, 

24 local, or Tribal statutory and regulatory authorities, 


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1 including waiver authorities, to be potentially lever2 aged to most effectively implement the pilot project. 

3 SEC. 5. HOPE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CONTRACTS. 

4 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Health and 

5 Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Ag6 riculture and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel7 opment, shall hold a merit-based competition to award 

8 HOPE Technology Innovation Contracts to qualified busi9 ness or nonprofit organizations to create technology appli10 cations, widgets, and templates that eligible entities can 

11 use to create HOPE accounts described in section 4(b). 

12 (b) NUMBER OF CONTRACTS.—The Secretary shall 

13 award not more than 10 and not fewer than 2 contracts 

14 under this section for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

15 2030. 

16 (c) SIZE OF CONTRACTS.—Contracts under this sec17 tion shall range in size from $200,000 to $4,500,000. 

18 (d) AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC.—All technologies 

19 developed with funds from a contract under this section 

20 shall be open-sourced and available to the public at no 

21 cost. 

22 (e) HOUSEHOLD DATA.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para24 graph (2), a qualified business or nonprofit organi25 zation that enters into a contract under this section 


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1 shall not have access to any client or household data 

2 through such contract. 

3 (2) EXCEPTION.—A qualified business or non4 profit organization that enters into a contract under 

5 this section and that is also a contractor or sub6 grantee for an eligible entity for purposes of assist7 ing such entity in carrying out a HOPE Accounts 

8 Pilot Project described in section 4(b) may have lim9 ited, functional access to client or household data 

10 with respect to such assistance. 

11 (3) PROHIBITION ON SHARING OR SELLING

12 DATA.—In no case shall a qualified business or non13 profit organization that enters into a contract under 

14 this section share or sell client or household data ob15 tained through such contract. 

16 (f) PREFERENCES.—In awarding contracts under 

17 this section, the Secretary of Health and Human Service 

18 shall give preference to contracts— 

19 (1) for client facing technology, with the Sec20 retary giving higher preference for mobile device ap21 plications and uses and giving secondary preference 

22 for tablet, computer, and texting uses; 

23 (2) that incorporate fail-safe systems to main24 tain the privacy and security of data; 


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1 (3) that are easily adaptable at the lowest pos2 sible financial costs with the least possible staff time 

3 by eligible entities carrying out a pilot project sup4 ported by section 4 and other State, county, city, 

5 municipal, and Tribal governments in a manner that 

6 can easily be utilized by low-income individuals in 

7 the United States; and 

8 (4) that build in the ability to be easily updated 

9 as technologies evolve. 

10 SEC. 6. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT AND NONDISPLACE11 MENT OF WORKERS. 

12 None of the pilot projects carried out under section 

13 4, or contracts carried out under section 5, shall do any 

14 of the following: 

15 (1) Decrease the overall monetary value of Fed16 eral, State, local, or Tribal government funding as17 sistance given to any individual or family, although 

18 all entities involved in the pilot project or contract 

19 may independently, or jointly, increase funding 

20 under such project or contract. 

21 (2) Decrease the overall Federal, State, local, or 

22 Tribal government funding for antipoverty programs 

23 spent by communities or agencies participating in 

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1 volved in the pilot project or contract may independ2 ently, or jointly, increase funding. 

3 (3) Lengthen the amount of time or increase 

4 the requirements necessary to receive any govern5 ment benefits, or in any way make it more difficult 

6 to obtain any form of government assistance. 

7 (4) Limit the legal rights of anyone in the tar8 get populations to receive government or nonprofit 

9 assistance. 

10 (5) Decrease overall public sector employment 

11 in any community of the eligible entity carrying out 

12 the project or qualified business or nonprofit organi13 zation carrying out the contract, but public employ14 ees could be transferred at similar or higher salaries 

15 and pay grades from positions that oversee paper16 work to positions that provide direct services to the 

17 public, assuming such transfers do not violate collec18 tive barraging agreements or their other rights as 

19 public employees. 

20 (6) Decrease or increase work requirements for 

21 existing government programs. 

22 (7) Reduce program integrity measures or in23 crease the possibility of fraud in any government 

24 program. 


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1 (8) Track or monitor the physical location or 

2 immigration status of immigrants, be used for any 

3 immigration enforcement activity against any indi4 viduals, or be used to provide any data under any 

5 circumstance or to any extent to agencies involved in 

6 immigration enforcement activities or policy. 

7 (9) Enable the eligible entity carrying out the 

8 project or qualified business or nonprofit organiza9 tion carrying out the contract or a contractor, sub10 contractor, or partner of the eligible entity or quali11 fied business or nonprofit organization to share or 

12 sell client or household data obtained through the 

13 project or contract. 

14 (10) Eliminate the existing ability of applicants 

15 to apply for, recertify, or manage government bene16 fits by physically visiting a government office. 

17 SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

18 (a) REPORT.—Not later than September 30 of each 

19 of fiscal years 2025 through 2031, the Secretaries shall 

20 submit to Congress a report on the results of pilot projects 

21 carried out under section 4 or contracts carried out under 

22 section 5. 

23 (b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each report under sub24 section (a) shall include detailed data on— 


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1 (1) the extent to which such pilot projects and 

2 contracts make it easier, quicker, and less costly for 

3 low-income individuals in the United States to access 

4 a variety of benefits; 

5 (2) the extent to which the pilot projects and 

6 contracts will save administrative funds over the 

7 long-run; 

8 (3) the extent to which the accuracy and integ9 rity of the benefits programs included are main10 tained or improved; and 

11 (4) the extent to which low-income households 

12 are able to more easily obtain free or low-cost bank13 ing services. 

14 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; TECHNICAL 

15 ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. 

16 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

17 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act for 

18 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030— 

19 (1) $10,000,000 to the Secretary of Housing 

20 and Urban Development, of which— 

21 (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by 

22 the Department of Housing and Urban Devel23 opment for staff and other expenses to plan, 

24 award, and oversee pilot projects under section 

25 4; and 


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1 (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for 

2 grants under section 4; 

3 (2) $10,000,000 to the Secretary of Agri4 culture, of which— 

5 (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by 

6 Department of Agriculture for staff and other 

7 expenses to plan, award, and oversee pilot 

8 projects under section 4; and 

9 (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for 

10 grants under section 4; and 

11 (3) $15,000,000 to the Secretary of Health and 

12 Human Services, of which— 

13 (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by 

14 the Department of Health and Human Services 

15 for staff and other expenses to plan, award, and 

16 oversee pilot projects under section 4 and the 

17 contracts under section 5; 

18 (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for 

19 grants under section 4; and 

20 (C) $5,000,000 shall be available for con21 tracts under section 5. 

22 (b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The 

23 Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary 

24 of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban De25 velopment, the Secretary of Veterans of Affairs, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:27 Oct 11, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9845.IH H9845

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•HR 9845 IH

1 retary of the Interior, the Secretary of Labor, the Com2 missioner of the Internal Revenue Service, the Chief Exec3 utive Officer of the Corporation for National and Commu4 nity Service, the Administrator of the Small Business Ad5 ministration, the Director of the Office of Management 

6 and Budget, the Director of the Office of Science and 

7 Technology Policy, the Chairman of the Federal Deposit 

8 Insurance Corporation, and the Domestic Policy Council 

9 may, to advance the objectives of the pilot projects carried 

10 out under section 4 and the contracts carried out under 

11 section 5— 

12 (1) provide technical assistance; 

13 (2) solicit voluntary, nonmonetary assistance 

14 from universities, credit unions, and private sector 

15 technology companies, banks, and financial institu16 tions; and 

17 (3) inform eligible entities of the applicable 

18 Federal, State, local, or Tribal statutory and regu19 latory authorities, including waiver authorities. 

20 (c) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTIES.— 

21 (1) ALLOCATION REQUIREMENT.—Of the 

22 amount appropriated to carry out this Act, not less 

23 than 10 percent shall be allocated to provide assist24 ance in persistent poverty counties. 


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•HR 9845 IH

1 (2) DEFINITION OF PERSISTENT POVERTY

2 COUNTY.—For purposes of this subsection, the term 

3 ‘‘persistent poverty county’’ means any county that 

4 has had 20 percent or more of its population living 

5 in poverty during the 30-year period ending on the 

6 date of enactment of this Act, as measured by the 

7 2000, 2010, and 2020 decennial censuses. 

Æ 


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