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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9845 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Health, Opportunity, and Personal 
Empowerment Act of 2024'' or ``HOPE Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2022, according to the Department of Agriculture, 
        44,151,000 individuals in the United States (including 
        13,394,000 children) lived in food insecure households.
            (2) Food hardship continues to be high, even after the 
        official end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, with the 
        Household Pulse Survey of the Bureau of the Census finding 
        that, between March 1 and April 1, 2024, 23,220,357 individuals 
        in the United States did not have enough to eat either often or 
        sometimes.
            (3) In 2022, according to the Bureau of the Census, 
        37,920,000 individuals in the United States (including 
        11,149,000 children) lived below the Federal poverty line. The 
        majority of these individuals living in poverty were working 
        people, children, older individuals, veterans, and individuals 
        with disabilities.
            (4) Many low-income individuals work multiple jobs and, 
        contrary to common misconceptions, if unemployed, they spend a 
        great deal of time looking for work. They often travel by 
        public transportation, laboriously making multiple connections 
        to shuttle between home, work, social service agencies, houses 
        of worship, and grocery stores. Low-income individuals living 
        in rural and suburban areas far from work and without adequate 
        public transportation rely upon vehicles to get to work, but 
        these vehicles are often less reliable secondhand vehicles that 
        often break down. From traveling greater distances between 
        available jobs and livable areas with affordable housing 
        options, seeking out scarce childcare options that fit a tight 
        budget and a constrained travel schedule, and caring for 
        elderly parents or grandparents because a senior living 
        facility is not financially realistic, low-income individuals 
        have little spare time.
            (5) While government safety net programs help tens of 
        millions of individuals avoid starvation, homelessness, and 
        other outcomes even more dreadful than everyday poverty, there 
        are significant obstacles that those seeking and maintaining 
        government assistance face for as long as they are eligible. 
        Qualified applicants are often required to travel significant 
        distances to multiple government offices, preparing and 
        submitting piles of nearly identical paperwork to access the 
        different government assistance programs. Even when the 
        application process begins online, the eligible applicant is 
        often still required to physically follow up with each 
        government office with physical copies, for near identical 
        meetings. As a result, many low-income people are actually 
        unaware of all the government benefits for which they are 
        eligible, reducing the amount of help going to individuals in 
        need by tens of billions of dollars every year. The lines in 
        these offices can seem endless, and sometimes clients need to 
        wait outside for hours in the worst kinds of weather. Many 
        offices do not have weekend or night hours, so an applicant is 
        at risk of losing wages when often their only option is to 
        apply for government help during work hours.
            (6) Each year, many vital government programs go 
        underutilized because eligible beneficiaries are hindered by 
        obtrusive, time consuming, and repetitive application barriers. 
        In fiscal year 2019, according to the Department of 
        Agriculture, 18 percent of all people eligible for the 
        Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (referred to in this 
        paragraph as ``SNAP''), 23 percent of the ``working poor'' 
        eligible for SNAP, and 68 percent of adults over 60 who were 
        eligible for SNAP failed to participate in such program. 
        According to the Department of Agriculture, the overall 
        coverage rate of pregnant women, infants, and children up to 
        age 5 eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program 
        for Women, Infants, and Children (commonly known as ``WIC'') 
        declined from 55 percent in 2016 to 50 percent in 2020. In 
        fiscal year 2023, according to the Department of Agriculture, 
        47 percent of children in the United States who received meals 
        through the National School Lunch Program did not received 
        meals through the School Breakfast Program. In 2022, 8 percent 
        of individuals in the United States lacked health insurance for 
        the entire year, according to the Bureau of the Census. The 
        Internal Revenue Service estimates that one in 5 low-income 
        United States workers eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit 
        do not claim it.
            (7) The United States has hundreds of thousands of 
        nonprofit groups providing high-quality and much needed social 
        services, but it is nearly impossible for struggling people to 
        determine which of those organizations provide services they 
        need, whether the organization is conveniently located, and for 
        which services they are eligible. If they do determine that a 
        nonprofit organization (or multiple nonprofit organizations) 
        could help, they need to take yet more time to visit each one.
            (8) Since many government and nonprofit programs require 
        frequent reapplications and recertifications, a low-income 
        individual often has to repeat the same endless and frustrating 
        process.
            (9) Technology has fundamentally revamped the lives of most 
        individuals, usually for the better. According to the Pew 
        Research Center, 79 percent of adult individuals with incomes 
        of $30,000 or less have a smart phone as of 2023 (not because a 
        smart phone is a luxury but because it is an essential tool of 
        learning and work in modern United States) but they rarely can 
        use these devices to apply for benefits. Digital technology, 
        combined with policy improvements, can simplify the lives and 
        boost the long-term self-sufficiency of low-income individuals 
        in the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        State, unit of general purpose local government, Tribal 
        government, or an entity that represents a smaller geographical 
        area therein (including a neighborhood).
            (2) HOPE.--The term ``HOPE'' means Health, Opportunity, and 
        Personal Empowerment.
            (3) Individual with a disability.--The term ``individual 
        with a disability'' means an individual with a disability (as 
        defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
        1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)).
            (4) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an organization described in section 
        501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 
        tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
            (5) Older individual.--The term ``older individual'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 102 of the Older 
        Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
            (6) Qualified business or nonprofit organization.--The term 
        ``qualified business or nonprofit organization'' means an 
        entity that--
                    (A) is--
                            (i) a private business; or
                            (ii) a nonprofit organization;
                    (B) is based in the United States; and
                    (C) has relevant, successful experience in 
                technology.
            (7) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of 
        Agriculture, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
        Development, acting collaboratively (except as otherwise 
        provided in this Act).
            (8) Target population.--The term ``target population'' 
        includes an individual who--
                    (A) earns an individual or household income below 
                200 percent of the Federal poverty line;
                    (B) suffers from food insecurity;
                    (C) earns insufficient individual or household 
                income to ensure food security or economic security;
                    (D) lives in a rural, suburban, or urban community 
                that suffers from high rates of poverty, hunger, or 
                food insecurity;
                    (E) is homeless;
                    (F) receives (or recently received) assistance 
                under a State program funded under part A of title IV 
                of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), 
                relating to temporary assistance for needy families;
                    (G) is eligible for benefits under any Federal 
                nutrition assistance program or Federal antipoverty 
                program; or
                    (H) is formerly a youth in transition from foster 
                care or the juvenile detention facilities.

SEC. 4. COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR PILOT PROJECTS.

    (a) In General.--For each of fiscal years 2025 through 2030, the 
Secretaries shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities to aid target populations through carrying out a HOPE Accounts 
Pilot Project described in subsection (b) or a HOPE Action Plans Pilot 
Project described in subsection (c).
    (b) HOPE Accounts Pilot Project.--A HOPE Accounts Pilot Project 
shall enable individuals from target populations to establish through 
cooperating banks, credit unions, or governmental or Tribal agencies 
HOPE accounts for such individuals--
            (1) to have their paychecks deposited directly in such 
        accounts;
            (2) to use such accounts to increase savings that would be 
        matched with funds provided by government and private sources, 
        including individual development accounts;
            (3) to use an account application on a smart phone to 
        easily locate and sign up for job training and placement 
        services online;
            (4) to use any smart phone, digital tablet, or computer--
                    (A) to learn about the public and philanthropic 
                programs that provide benefits to such individuals, 
                including aid--
                            (i) to improve health, nutrition, job 
                        training and placement, housing, and income; 
                        and
                            (ii) to receive Federal and State tax 
                        credits; and
                    (B) subject to applicable Federal, State, local, or 
                Tribal law and, in the case of private benefits, the 
                cooperation of the provider of such benefits, to 
                simultaneously apply for, submit eligibility documents 
                for, enroll in, and manage the use of such benefits at 
                once through the convenience of their device if such 
                individuals or their households are eligible for 1 or 
                more of such benefits;
            (5) to receive--
                    (A) a basic smart phone, digital tablet, or 
                computer, if such individuals do not own a smart phone, 
                digital tablet, or computer; and
                    (B) subsidized internet Wi-Fi access;
            (6) to obtain the access and information described in 
        paragraph (4) with assistance at libraries, government offices, 
        or nonprofit organizations if such individuals are 
        uncomfortable using internet technology themselves;
            (7) if such individuals are older individuals or 
        individuals with a disability, to obtain access to the 
        information described in paragraph (4) through receiving home 
        visits with the assistance of government employees, employees 
        of nonprofit organizations, or participants in an AmeriCorps 
        program carried out under subtitle C of title I of the National 
        and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) or 
        under title II of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 
        (42 U.S.C. 5000 et seq.);
            (8) to access health care information that specifies 
        medical benefits, and any out-of-pocket costs, for each of the 
        health plans for which such individuals may be eligible, and to 
        empower them, as practicable, to easily select the plan that 
        works best for them;
            (9) to deposit in the account cash that is set aside for 
        education, job training, starting a business, or buying a home;
            (10) in 1 central online account--
                    (A) to easily access and monitor the status, 
                amounts, and recertification deadlines for some or all 
                their benefits and savings; and
                    (B) to pay bills online, saving high check cashing 
                fees and enormous amounts of time;
            (11) to budget their resources by using real-time cash flow 
        data and long-term financial planning data, including 
        calculating how much they would lose in interest on credit 
        cards versus how much they would gain in interest by saving 
        more;
            (12) to access calendar and scheduling functions that 
        enable them to keep track of all job search, work, family, and 
        school obligations, as well as any social service filing or 
        appointment dates;
            (13) to be protected by security and privacy systems so 
        that only such individuals, and not the government, nonprofit 
        organizations, or banking partners, would be able to see or 
        track private financial and appointment information; and
            (14) notwithstanding other provisions of law, to easily and 
        clearly authorize their sharing of personal and financial 
        information with multiple government agencies, solely for the 
        purpose of those government agencies enabling those to apply 
        for and utilize government benefits.
    (c) HOPE Action Plans Pilot Project.--A HOPE Action Plans Pilot 
Project shall enable individuals from target populations to partner 
with government and nonprofit organizations by entering into voluntary 
agreements with such government and nonprofit organizations to carry 
out HOPE action plans that--
            (1) specify exactly how the parties to such plans will help 
        such individuals and their families earn, learn, and save 
        better in order to ensure greater economic opportunity for 
        themselves and their children by working together in a long-
        term, positive relationship for the purpose of ensuring upward 
        mobility;
            (2) could empower such individuals and their families to 
        better organize their time and focus their activities on 
        productive endeavors while providing them extra resources to do 
        so;
            (3) could be short-term (a period of not more than 2 years) 
        and aimed at helping families achieve very basic goals, such as 
        avoiding homelessness and hunger;
            (4) could be long-term (a period of more than 2 years) with 
        far more ambitious goals for upward mobility; and
            (5) would require that participating individuals and their 
        families and participating government entities and nonprofit 
        organizations have equal rights to hold each other accountable 
        for plan outcomes and funding.
    (d) Applications; Period of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretaries shall each create an 
        application process for eligible entities to apply for a grant 
        under this section. To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, an eligible entity shall submit to one of the 
        Secretaries an application--
                    (A) that contains a description of how the 
                applicant proposes to use the grant funds to implement 
                the components of a HOPE Accounts Pilot Project 
                described in subsection (b) or a HOPE Action Plans 
                Pilot Project described in subsection (c); and
                    (B) that is submitted in such form, at such time, 
                and containing such other information as the 
                Secretaries may require.
            (2) Period.--A grant under this section shall be for a 
        period not to exceed 5 years.
    (e) Form of Grants.--If a Secretary finds it appropriate, the 
Secretary may use cooperative agreements, as described in section 6305 
of title 31, United States Code, for purposes of making grants under 
this section.
    (f) Amount of Grant.--Grants made under this section shall range in 
amounts from $250,000 to $3,000,000, and shall be proportionate to the 
geographical size, project complexity, and number of individuals 
participating in each project supported by the grant. Eligible entities 
may receive grants made under this section by 2 or more of the 
Secretaries. To the extent funds are available, the Secretaries shall 
each make not fewer than 8 such grants annually.
    (g) Distribution of Grants.--To the extent practicable, the 
Secretaries shall make grants for pilot projects that operate 
statewide, as well as pilot projects designed to serve specific rural, 
urban, and suburban areas. To the extent practicable, pilot projects 
for which grants are made shall be distributed among diverse 
administrative regions of the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the 
Department of Agriculture.
    (h) Preference.--For purposes of making grants under this section, 
preference shall be given to grants for pilot projects that--
            (1) serve individuals in rural or urban communities that 
        are historically underserved and have a high rate of poverty;
            (2) simultaneously carry out a HOPE Accounts Pilot Project 
        described in subsection (b) and a HOPE Action Plans Pilot 
        Project described in subsection (c);
            (3) involve low-income individuals as equal partners in 
        project planning and implementation;
            (4) make additional funds available directly to low-income 
        households through action plans, either through government 
        payments or through subgrants to nonprofit organizations;
            (5) are matched by considerable non-Federal funds without 
        penalizing rural or urban communities that are very low income, 
        underserved, and cannot provide non-Federal matching funds;
            (6) propose concrete plans for long-term sustainability and 
        expansions without future Federal grant funds;
            (7) assist low-income households to apply for Federal 
        earned income tax credits and State tax credits;
            (8) provide resources in English and in additional 
        languages commonly spoken in the area served by the pilot 
        project;
            (9) prioritize client-facing, fully-tested, technology and 
        mobile device applications;
            (10) include a robust monitoring and evaluation planning 
        and reporting plan, including proposed staffing and reporting 
        for that plan, including reporting on--
                    (A) the extent to which the pilot project makes it 
                easier, quicker, and less costly for low-income 
                individuals in the United States to access a variety of 
                benefits;
                    (B) the extent to which the pilot project will save 
                administrative funds over the long run;
                    (C) the extent to which the accuracy and integrity 
                of the benefits programs included are maintained or 
                improved; and
                    (D) the extent to which low-income households are 
                able to more easily obtain free or low-cost banking 
                services;
            (11) subcontract part of the implementation of the pilot 
        project to United States-based private businesses, banks, 
        savings and loans, credit unions, co-ops, or nonprofit 
        organizations, with relevant, successful experience in similar 
        or related project activities;
            (12) incorporate a benefits calculator to enable applicants 
        to learn how the receipt of some benefits might or might not 
        impact whether they are eligible for other benefits and might 
        impact the amount of those other benefits for which they are 
        eligible;
            (13) include planning and funding for the eligible entities 
        to train their staffs and clients to utilize the new 
        technologies under the pilot project;
            (14) in rural and other areas without strong broad-band 
        service, integrate activities under the pilot project with 
        other activities to strengthen local-broad band service;
            (15) enable low-income individuals in the United States to 
        obtain smart phones, and data services, at no cost or at a 
        reduced cost;
            (16) ensure that individuals without personal smart phone, 
        tablet, or computer access are able to benefit from the systems 
        and technological improvements under the pilot project at 
        public locations such as public libraries, community centers, 
        and social service offices;
            (17) propose a detailed, workable plan to thoroughly beta 
        test and field test any new technologies or systems under the 
        pilot project before making such technologies or systems 
        available to all households, individuals, or the entire area 
        served by the pilot project; and
            (18) identify the applicable Federal, State, local, or 
        Tribal statutory and regulatory authorities, including waiver 
        authorities, to be potentially leveraged to most effectively 
        implement the pilot project.

SEC. 5. HOPE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CONTRACTS.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, shall hold a merit-based competition to 
award HOPE Technology Innovation Contracts to qualified business or 
nonprofit organizations to create technology applications, widgets, and 
templates that eligible entities can use to create HOPE accounts 
described in section 4(b).
    (b) Number of Contracts.--The Secretary shall award not more than 
10 and not fewer than 2 contracts under this section for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2030.
    (c) Size of Contracts.--Contracts under this section shall range in 
size from $200,000 to $4,500,000.
    (d) Availability to the Public.--All technologies developed with 
funds from a contract under this section shall be open-sourced and 
available to the public at no cost.
    (e) Household Data.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
        qualified business or nonprofit organization that enters into a 
        contract under this section shall not have access to any client 
        or household data through such contract.
            (2) Exception.--A qualified business or nonprofit 
        organization that enters into a contract under this section and 
        that is also a contractor or subgrantee for an eligible entity 
        for purposes of assisting such entity in carrying out a HOPE 
        Accounts Pilot Project described in section 4(b) may have 
        limited, functional access to client or household data with 
        respect to such assistance.
            (3) Prohibition on sharing or selling data.--In no case 
        shall a qualified business or nonprofit organization that 
        enters into a contract under this section share or sell client 
        or household data obtained through such contract.
    (f) Preferences.--In awarding contracts under this section, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Service shall give preference to 
contracts--
            (1) for client facing technology, with the Secretary giving 
        higher preference for mobile device applications and uses and 
        giving secondary preference for tablet, computer, and texting 
        uses;
            (2) that incorporate fail-safe systems to maintain the 
        privacy and security of data;
            (3) that are easily adaptable at the lowest possible 
        financial costs with the least possible staff time by eligible 
        entities carrying out a pilot project supported by section 4 
        and other State, county, city, municipal, and Tribal 
        governments in a manner that can easily be utilized by low-
        income individuals in the United States; and
            (4) that build in the ability to be easily updated as 
        technologies evolve.

SEC. 6. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT AND NONDISPLACEMENT OF WORKERS.

    None of the pilot projects carried out under section 4, or 
contracts carried out under section 5, shall do any of the following:
            (1) Decrease the overall monetary value of Federal, State, 
        local, or Tribal government funding assistance given to any 
        individual or family, although all entities involved in the 
        pilot project or contract may independently, or jointly, 
        increase funding under such project or contract.
            (2) Decrease the overall Federal, State, local, or Tribal 
        government funding for antipoverty programs spent by 
        communities or agencies participating in the pilot project or 
        contract, although all entities involved in the pilot project 
        or contract may independently, or jointly, increase funding.
            (3) Lengthen the amount of time or increase the 
        requirements necessary to receive any government benefits, or 
        in any way make it more difficult to obtain any form of 
        government assistance.
            (4) Limit the legal rights of anyone in the target 
        populations to receive government or nonprofit assistance.
            (5) Decrease overall public sector employment in any 
        community of the eligible entity carrying out the project or 
        qualified business or nonprofit organization carrying out the 
        contract, but public employees could be transferred at similar 
        or higher salaries and pay grades from positions that oversee 
        paperwork to positions that provide direct services to the 
        public, assuming such transfers do not violate collective 
        barraging agreements or their other rights as public employees.
            (6) Decrease or increase work requirements for existing 
        government programs.
            (7) Reduce program integrity measures or increase the 
        possibility of fraud in any government program.
            (8) Track or monitor the physical location or immigration 
        status of immigrants, be used for any immigration enforcement 
        activity against any individuals, or be used to provide any 
        data under any circumstance or to any extent to agencies 
        involved in immigration enforcement activities or policy.
            (9) Enable the eligible entity carrying out the project or 
        qualified business or nonprofit organization carrying out the 
        contract or a contractor, subcontractor, or partner of the 
        eligible entity or qualified business or nonprofit organization 
        to share or sell client or household data obtained through the 
        project or contract.
            (10) Eliminate the existing ability of applicants to apply 
        for, recertify, or manage government benefits by physically 
        visiting a government office.

SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than September 30 of each of fiscal years 
2025 through 2031, the Secretaries shall submit to Congress a report on 
the results of pilot projects carried out under section 4 or contracts 
carried out under section 5.
    (b) Contents of Report.--Each report under subsection (a) shall 
include detailed data on--
            (1) the extent to which such pilot projects and contracts 
        make it easier, quicker, and less costly for low-income 
        individuals in the United States to access a variety of 
        benefits;
            (2) the extent to which the pilot projects and contracts 
        will save administrative funds over the long-run;
            (3) the extent to which the accuracy and integrity of the 
        benefits programs included are maintained or improved; and
            (4) the extent to which low-income households are able to 
        more easily obtain free or low-cost banking services.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
              AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2030--
            (1) $10,000,000 to the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
        Development, of which--
                    (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by the 
                Department of Housing and Urban Development for staff 
                and other expenses to plan, award, and oversee pilot 
                projects under section 4; and
                    (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for grants under 
                section 4;
            (2) $10,000,000 to the Secretary of Agriculture, of which--
                    (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by Department 
                of Agriculture for staff and other expenses to plan, 
                award, and oversee pilot projects under section 4; and
                    (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for grants under 
                section 4; and
            (3) $15,000,000 to the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, of which--
                    (A) $500,000 shall be used internally by the 
                Department of Health and Human Services for staff and 
                other expenses to plan, award, and oversee pilot 
                projects under section 4 and the contracts under 
                section 5;
                    (B) $9,500,000 shall be available for grants under 
                section 4; and
                    (C) $5,000,000 shall be available for contracts 
                under section 5.
    (b) Technical Assistance Authorized.--The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development, the Secretary of Veterans of Affairs, the 
Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Labor, the Commissioner of 
the Internal Revenue Service, the Chief Executive Officer of the 
Corporation for National and Community Service, the Administrator of 
the Small Business Administration, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget, the Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance 
Corporation, and the Domestic Policy Council may, to advance the 
objectives of the pilot projects carried out under section 4 and the 
contracts carried out under section 5--
            (1) provide technical assistance;
            (2) solicit voluntary, nonmonetary assistance from 
        universities, credit unions, and private sector technology 
        companies, banks, and financial institutions; and
            (3) inform eligible entities of the applicable Federal, 
        State, local, or Tribal statutory and regulatory authorities, 
        including waiver authorities.
    (c) Persistent Poverty Counties.--
            (1) Allocation requirement.--Of the amount appropriated to 
        carry out this Act, not less than 10 percent shall be allocated 
        to provide assistance in persistent poverty counties.
            (2) Definition of persistent poverty county.--For purposes 
        of this subsection, the term ``persistent poverty county'' 
        means any county that has had 20 percent or more of its 
        population living in poverty during the 30-year period ending 
        on the date of enactment of this Act, as measured by the 2000, 
        2010, and 2020 decennial censuses.
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