348 
wage of all employees as determined by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics; and 
‘‘(C) rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.05. 
‘‘(2) In calculating the annual percentage increase in 
the median hourly wage of all employees for purposes of 
paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary, through the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, shall compile data on the hourly wages 
of all employees to determine such a median hourly wage 
and compare such median hourly wage for the most recent 
year for which data are available with the median hourly 
wage determined for the preceding year.’’. 
SEC. 1303. TIPPED EMPLOYEES. 
(a) BASE MINIMUM WAGE FOR TIPPED EMPLOY-
EES.—Section 3(m)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act 
of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203(m)(1)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(1) the cash wage paid such employee, which 
for purposes of such determination shall be not less 
than— 
‘‘(A) for the 1-year period beginning on 
the effective date under section 7 of the Raise 
the Wage Act, $4.15 an hour; 
‘‘(B) for each succeeding 1-year period 
until the hourly wage under this paragraph 
equals the wage in effect under section 6(a)(1) 
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for such period, an hourly wage equal to the 
amount determined under this paragraph for 
the preceding year, increased by the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) $1.15; or 
‘‘(ii) the amount necessary for the 
wage in effect under this paragraph to 
equal the wage in effect under section 
6(a)(1) for such period, rounded to the 
nearest multiple of $0.05; and 
‘‘(C) for each succeeding 1-year period 
after the increase made pursuant to subpara-
graph (B)(ii), the minimum wage in effect 
under section 6(a)(1); and’’. 
(b) TIPS RETAINED BY EMPLOYEES.—Section 3(m) 
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
203(m)) is amended— 
(1) in the second sentence of the matter fol-
lowing paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘of this sub-
section, and all tips received by such employee have 
been retained by the employee’’ and inserting ‘‘of 
this subsection. Any employee shall have the right to 
retain any tips received by such employee’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘An em-
ployer shall inform each employee of the right and 
exception provided under the preceding sentence.’’. 
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350 
(c) SCHEDULED REPEAL OF SEPARATE MINIMUM 
WAGE FOR TIPPED EMPLOYEES.— 
(1) TIPPED EMPLOYEES.—Section 3(m) of the 
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
203(m)), as amended by subsections (a) and (b), is 
further amended by striking the sentence beginning 
with ‘‘In determining the wage an employer is re-
quired to pay a tipped employee,’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘of this subsection.’’ and inserting 
‘‘The wage required to be paid to a tipped employee 
shall be the wage set forth in section 6(a)(1).’’. 
(2) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.—Section 6(i) of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
206(i)), as added by section 1305, is amended by 
striking ‘‘or in accordance with subparagraph (B) or 
(C) of section 3(m)(1) (as applicable),’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by paragraphs (1) and (2) shall take effect on the 
date that is one day after the date on which the 
hourly wage under section 3(m)(1)(C) of the Fair 
Labor 
Standards 
Act 
of 
1938 
(29 
U.S.C. 
203(m)(1)(C)), as amended by subsection (a), takes 
effect. 
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351 
SEC. 1304. NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 
20 YEARS OLD. 
(a) BASE MINIMUM WAGE FOR NEWLY HIRED EM-
PLOYEES WHO ARE LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD.—Section 
6(g)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 
U.S.C. 206(g)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘a wage which 
is not less than $4.25 an hour.’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘a wage at a rate that is not less than— 
‘‘(A) for the 1-year period beginning on 
the effective date under section 7 of the Raise 
the Wage Act, $5.00 an hour; 
‘‘(B) for each succeeding 1-year period 
until the hourly wage under this paragraph 
equals the wage in effect under section 6(a)(1) 
for such period, an hourly wage equal to the 
amount determined under this paragraph for 
the preceding year, increased by the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) $1.05; or 
‘‘(ii) the amount necessary for the 
wage in effect under this paragraph to 
equal the wage in effect under section 
6(a)(1) for such period, rounded to the 
nearest multiple of $0.05; and 
‘‘(C) for each succeeding 1-year period 
after the increase made pursuant to subpara-
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352 
graph (B)(ii), the minimum wage in effect 
under section 6(a)(1).’’. 
(b) SCHEDULED REPEAL OF SEPARATE MINIMUM 
WAGE FOR NEWLY HIRED EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LESS 
THAN 20 YEARS OLD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 6(g)(1) of the Fair 
Labor 
Standards 
Act 
of 
1938 
(29 
U.S.C. 
206(g)(1)), as amended by subsection (a), shall be 
repealed effective on the date provided in paragraph 
(3). 
(2) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.—Section 6(i) of 
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
206(i)), as amended by section 1303(c)(2), is fur-
ther amended by striking ‘‘or subparagraph (B) or 
(C) of section 6(g)(1) (as applicable),’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The repeal and amend-
ment made by paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, 
shall take effect on the date that is one day after the 
date on which the hourly wage under section 
6(g)(1)(C) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as 
amended by subsection (a), takes effect. 
SEC. 1305. PUBLICATION OF NOTICE. 
Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 206), as amended by the preceding sections, 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
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353 
‘‘(i) Not later than 60 days prior to the effective date 
of any increase in the required wage determined under 
subsection (h), or in accordance with subparagraph (B) 
or (C) of section 3(m)(1) (as applicable), section 
14(c)(1)(A) (as applicable), or subparagraph (B) or (C) 
of section 6(g)(1) (as applicable), the Secretary shall pub-
lish in the Federal Register and on the website of the De-
partment of Labor a notice announcing each increase in 
such required wage.’’. 
SEC. 1306. PROMOTING ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY FOR 
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. 
(a) WAGES.— 
(1) TRANSITION TO FAIR WAGES FOR INDIVID-
UALS
WITH
DISABILITIES.—Subparagraph (A) of 
section 14(c)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 
1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)(1)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) at a rate that equals, or exceeds, the 
greater of— 
‘‘(i)(I) $4.25 an hour, beginning 1 
year after the date the wage rate specified 
in section 6(a)(1)(A) takes effect; 
‘‘(II) $6.25 an hour, beginning 2 
years after such date; 
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354 
‘‘(III) $8.25 an hour, beginning 3 
years after such date; 
‘‘(IV) $10.25 an hour, beginning 4 
years after such date; 
‘‘(V) $12.25 an hour, beginning 5 
years after such date; and 
‘‘(VI) the wage rate in effect under 
section 6(a)(1), on the date that is 6 years 
after the date the wage specified in section 
6(a)(1)(A) takes effect; or 
‘‘(ii) if applicable, the wage rate in ef-
fect on the day before the date of enact-
ment of the Raise the Wage Act for the 
employment, under a special certificate 
issued under this paragraph, of the indi-
vidual for whom the wage rate is being de-
termined under this subparagraph,’’. 
(2) PROHIBITION
ON
NEW
SPECIAL
CERTIFI-
CATES; SUNSET.—Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor 
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)) (as 
amended by paragraph (1)) is further amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) PROHIBITION ON NEW SPECIAL CERTIFI-
CATES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall not issue a special certificate under this 
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355 
subsection to an employer that was not issued a spe-
cial certificate under this subsection before the date 
of enactment of the Raise the Wage Act. 
‘‘(7) SUNSET.—Beginning on the day after the 
date on which the wage rate described in paragraph 
(1)(A)(i)(VI) takes effect, the authority to issue spe-
cial certificates under paragraph (1) shall expire, 
and no special certificates issued under paragraph 
(1) shall have any legal effect. 
‘‘(8) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.—Upon request, 
the Secretary shall provide— 
‘‘(A) technical assistance and information 
to employers issued a special certificate under 
this subsection for the purposes of— 
‘‘(i) transitioning the practices of such 
employers to comply with this subsection, 
as amended by the Raise the Wage Act; 
and 
‘‘(ii) ensuring continuing employment 
opportunities for individuals with disabil-
ities receiving a special minimum wage 
rate under this subsection; and 
‘‘(B) information to individuals employed 
at a special minimum wage rate under this sub-
section, which may include referrals to other 
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356 
Federal or State entities with expertise in com-
petitive integrated employment.’’. 
(3) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall take effect on the date of en-
actment of this Act. 
(b) PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.— 
(1) AMENDMENT.—Section 6(i) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(i)), as 
amended by section 1304(b)(2), is further amended 
by striking ‘‘section 14(c)(1)(A) (as applicable),’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the day after 
the date on which the wage rate described in para-
graph (1)(A)(i)(VI) of section 14(c) of the Fair 
Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 214(c)), as 
amended by subsection (a)(1), takes effect. 
SEC. 1307. GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE. 
Except as otherwise provided in this title or the 
amendments made by this title, this title and the amend-
ments made by this title shall take effect on the first day 
of the third month that begins after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
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357 
DIVISION E—ANTI-POVERTY TAX 
PROVISIONS 
TITLE XIV—CHILD TAX CREDIT 
PERMANENCY 
SEC. 1401. INFLATION ADJUSTMENT OF THE CHILD TAX 
CREDIT. 
(a) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—Section 24 of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(g) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—In the case of any 
taxable year beginning in a calendar year after 2017, the 
$1,000 amount contained in subsection (a) shall be in-
creased by an amount equal to— 
‘‘(1) such dollar amount, multiplied by 
‘‘(2) the cost-of-living adjustment determined 
under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which 
the taxable year begins, determined by substituting 
‘calendar year 2016’ for ‘calendar year 1992’ in sub-
paragraph (B) thereof. 
Any increase determined under the preceding sentence 
shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $50.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2017. 
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358 
TITLE XV—EARNED INCOME TAX 
CREDIT 
SEC. 1501. EXPANSION OF EARNED INCOME CREDIT. 
(a) CREDIT PERCENTAGES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH 
NO QUALIFYING CHILDREN.—The item in the table in 
section 32(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
under the column relating to the credit percentage is 
amended by striking ‘‘7.65’’ and inserting ‘‘15.3’’. 
(b) PHASEOUT
PERCENTAGE
FOR
INDIVIDUALS 
WITH NO QUALIFYING CHILDREN.—The item in the table 
in section 32(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
under the column relating to the phaseout percentage is 
amended by striking ‘‘7.65’’ and inserting ‘‘15.3’’. 
(c) PHASEOUT AMOUNT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The item in the table in sec-
tion 32(b)(2)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 under the column relating to the phaseout 
amount is amended by striking ‘‘$5,280’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘$11,500’’. 
(2) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Section 32(j) of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by re-
designating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3) 
and by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
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359 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—In the case of the amount 
in subsection (b)(2)(A) under the column relating to 
the phaseout amount for taxable years beginning 
after 2018, paragraph (1)(B)(i) shall be applied by 
substituting ‘calendar year 2017’ for ‘calendar year 
1995’ and paragraph (1) shall not apply to such 
amount for taxable years beginning in 2016.’’. 
(B) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 
32(j) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended— 
(i) in paragraph (1)(B)(i) by inserting 
‘‘except as provided in paragraph (2)’’ be-
fore ‘‘in the case of’’, and 
(ii) in paragraph (2)(A) by inserting 
‘‘or (2)’’ after ‘‘paragraph (1)’’. 
(d) EXPANSION OF AGE RANGE OF ELIGIBLE INDI-
VIDUALS.—Section 32(c)(1)(A)(ii)(II) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘age 25 but 
not attained age 65’’ and inserting ‘‘age 21 but not at-
tained retirement age (as defined in section 216(l) of the 
Social Security Act)’’. 
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2017. 
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360 
TITLE XVI—CHILD CARE ACCESS 
AND REFUNDABILITY EXPAN-
SION ACT 
SEC. 1601. CREDIT FOR DEPENDENT CARE EXPENSES. 
(a) CREDIT MADE REFUNDABLE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 is amended by redesignating section 21 as 
section 36C and by moving such section after section 
36B. 
(2) CREDIT NOT ALLOWED TO NONRESIDENT 
ALIENS.—Section 36C(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986, as redesignated by this section, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘(other than a nonresident 
alien)’’ after ‘‘In the case of an individual’’. 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(A) Section 23(f)(1) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21(e)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 36C(e)’’. 
(B) Section 35(g)(6) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21(e)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 36C(e)’’. 
(C) Section 36C(a)(1) of such Code, as re-
designated by this section, is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘this chapter’’ and inserting ‘‘this subtitle’’. 
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361 
(D) Section 129(a)(2)(C) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21(e)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘section 36C(e)’’. 
(E) Section 129(b)(2) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21(d)(2)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 36C(d)(2)’’. 
(F) Section 129(e)(1) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21(b)(2)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘section 36C(b)(2)’’. 
(G) Section 213(e) of such Code is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘section 21’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 36C’’. 
(H) Section 6211(b)(4)(A) of such Code is 
amended by inserting ‘‘36C,’’ after ‘‘36B,’’. 
(I) Section 6213(g)(2)(H) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21’’ and inserting 
‘‘section 36C’’. 
(J) Section 6213(g)(2)(L) of such Code is 
amended by striking ‘‘section 21, 24, 32, or 
6428’’ and inserting ‘‘section 24, 32, 36C, or 
6428’’. 
(K) Paragraph (2) of section 1324(b) of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended by in-
serting ‘‘36C,’’ after ‘‘36B,’’. 
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362 
(L) The table of sections for subpart A of 
part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by 
striking the item relating to section 21. 
(M) The table of sections for subpart C of 
part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of such 
Code is amended by inserting after the item re-
lating to section 36B the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 36C. Expenses for household and dependent care services necessary for 
gainful employment.’’. 
(b) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT OF INCOME THRESH-
OLDS FOR CREDIT PHASEDOWN.—Section 36C(e) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as redesignated by this 
section, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(11) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In the case of any 
taxable year beginning in a calendar year after 
2017, the $2,000 amount and the $15,000 
amount in subsection (a)(2) shall each be in-
creased by an amount equal to— 
‘‘(i) such dollar amount, multiplied by 
‘‘(ii) the cost-of-living adjustment de-
termined under section 1(f)(3) for the cal-
endar year in which the taxable year be-
gins, determined by substituting ‘calendar 
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363 
year 2016’ for ‘calendar year 1992’ in sub-
paragraph (B) thereof. 
‘‘(B) ROUNDING.—Any increase deter-
mined under subparagraph (A) shall be rounded 
to the nearest multiple of— 
‘‘(i) in the case of the $2,000 amount, 
$50, and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of the $15,000 
amount, $100.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2017. 
SEC. 1602. AMENDMENTS TO THE CHILD CARE AND DEVEL-
OPMENT BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 1990. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
658B of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858) is amended by striking 
‘‘$2,668,534,969 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2019, 
and 
$2,748,591,018 for fiscal year 2020’’ and inserting 
‘‘$4,100,000,000 for fiscal year 2019, and for each subse-
quent fiscal year the amount authorized to be appro-
priated for the previous fiscal year adjusted by the annual 
increase in the rate of inflation for such previous fiscal 
year’’. 
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364 
(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR CHILD CARE BENEFITS.—The 
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 
U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 658E(c)(2)(N) by striking ‘‘85 
percent’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘150 
percent’’; and 
(2) in section 658P(4)(B) by striking ‘‘85 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘150 percent’’. 
DIVISION I—MISCELLANEOUS 
TITLE I—POVERTY IMPACT 
TRIGGER 
SEC. 1701. CERTAIN POVERTY IMPACT LEGISLATION SUB-
JECT TO POINT OF ORDER. 
Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representa-
tives is amended by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘Certain legislation reported by committees 
‘‘12. It shall not be in order to consider a bill or joint 
resolution of a public nature authorizing an appropriation 
of $10,000,000 or more, unless— 
‘‘(a) the committee report accompanying the bill 
or joint resolution includes a CBO Poverty Index Di-
vision impact statement; or 
‘‘(b) the chair of the committee reporting the 
bill or joint resolution submits such statement to be 
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365 
published in the Congressional Record before consid-
eration of the bill or joint resolution.’’. 
SEC. 1702. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE POVERTY IM-
PACT DIVISION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 202 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 602) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) CBO POVERTY IMPACT DIVISION.— 
‘‘(1) CREATION.—There is established within 
the Office the CBO Poverty Impact Division (herein-
after in this subsection referred to as the ‘Division’). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF 
IMPACT STATEMENT.—When a chair of a com-
mittee of the House of Representatives submits 
a written request to the Division to prepare and 
submit to the committee a CBO Poverty Index 
Division impact statement, the Division shall 
prepare and submit such statement to the com-
mittee not later than 30 days after such re-
quest. 
‘‘(B) CONTENT OF IMPACT STATEMENT.— 
A CBO Poverty Index Division impact state-
ment shall include the following: 
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366 
‘‘(i) A projected ratio equal to the 
amount of appropriations authorized in the 
bill or joint resolution that will benefit in-
dividuals and families below the poverty 
threshold over the total amount of appro-
priations authorized by the bill or joint res-
olution. 
‘‘(ii) A projection of the number of in-
dividual and family incomes— 
‘‘(I) that may decrease below the 
poverty threshold because of the bill 
or joint resolution; and 
‘‘(II) that may increase above the 
poverty threshold because of the bill 
or joint resolution. 
‘‘(iii) A projection as to how the legis-
lation improves access to basic human 
services, including health care, housing, 
and education. 
‘‘(C) POVERTY THRESHOLD DEFINED.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘poverty threshold’ 
means an income level below 200 percent of the 
poverty line (as defined in section 673(2) of the 
Community Services Block Grant Act).’’. 
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367 
SEC. 1703. EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS. 
Section 1901 of this title is enacted by the House 
of Representatives— 
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of 
the House of Representatives and as such it shall be 
considered as part of the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives and such rules shall supersede other 
rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent 
therewith; and 
(2) with the full recognition of the constitu-
tional right of the House of Representatives to 
change such rules at any time, in the same manner, 
and to the same extent as in the case of any other 
rule of the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 1704. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this title shall apply to any 
bill or joint resolution reported by a committee of the 
House of Representatives after the 90-day period begin-
ning on the date of enactment of this Act. 
TITLE II—HALF IN TEN ACT TO 
CREATE A NATIONAL STRAT-
EGY TO REDUCE POVERTY 
SEC. 1801. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The persistence of poverty, and especially 
intergenerational poverty, in America can be seen as 
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a deep, structural problem that implicates our value 
system and our educational and economic institu-
tions. 
(2) Poverty may be defined as the lack of basic 
necessities of life such as food, shelter, clothing, 
health care, education, economic security, and eco-
nomic opportunity. 
(3) Policy initiatives and many safety net pro-
grams addressing poverty have not kept pace with 
the needs of millions of Americans. 
(4) The lack of an equitable distribution of 
housing choices across the country leads to isolation 
and concentrated poverty. 
(5) The number of Americans living in poverty 
rose by over 2.6 million from 2009 to 2010 (U.S. 
Census Bureau, September 2011). 
(6) There were 46.2 million Americans living in 
poverty in 2010, consisting of 15.1 percent of the 
American people (U.S. Census Bureau, September 
2011). 
(7) Poverty has a disproportionate impact on 
minority communities in America with 27.4 percent 
of African Americans, 26.6 percent of Hispanics, 
12.1 percent of Asian Americans, and 9.9 percent of 
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Whites living in poverty in the United States in 
2010 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2011). 
(8) In 2010 a family of 4 was considered poor 
under the U.S. Census Bureau’s official measure if 
the family’s income was below $22,314. 
(9) The economic consequences of poverty in 
the United States are estimated to be at least $500 
billion per year (Center for American Progress, 
2007). 
(10) Children who grow up in poverty experi-
ence higher crime rates, decreased productivity, and 
higher health costs over their lives (Center for Amer-
ican Progress, 2007). 
(11) 3,500,000 seniors lived in poverty in 2010 
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). 
(12) Young Americans, ages 18–24, experience 
a higher poverty rate than the national average 
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). 
(13) 16,400,000 children lived in poverty in 
2010—more than one in every five American chil-
dren (U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). 
(14) Almost 35 percent of African-American 
children and over 30 percent of Hispanic children 
lived in poverty in 2009 (U.S. Census Bureau, 
2011). 
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(15) The 46,180,000 of Americans in poverty 
in 2010 was the largest number yet recorded in the 
52 years for which poverty estimates are available 
(U.S. Census Bureau, 2011). 
(16) The United States overseas territories 
have high levels of poverty and varying access to 
Federal anti-poverty programs. Poverty rates in 
2009 for people over 18 were 41.4 percent in Puerto 
Rico, 53.7 percent in Guam, 65.1 percent in the 
United States Virgin Islands, 66.6 percent in the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
and 52.6 percent in American Samoa. 
(17) Individuals and families in poverty are 
more socially vulnerable to natural disasters, ex-
treme weather and impacts of climate change and 
have greater difficulty preparing for, responding to 
and recovering from such events (Oxfam America, 
2009). 
(18) Children who live in families who fall into 
poverty for even short periods of time are at greater 
risk of a lifetime of lower earnings, lower edu-
cational attainment, and increased reliance on public 
services and increased rates of incarceration (First 
Focus, 2008). 
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(19) It is estimated that the additional 3 mil-
lion children who were forced into poverty due to the 
recession of 2008, resulted in $35 billion in eco-
nomic losses annually, and will cause at least $1.7 
trillion in economic losses to the United States dur-
ing their lifetimes (First Focus, 2008). 
(20) Reducing poverty, especially child poverty, 
not only reduces costs for Federal, State, and local 
social services and benefits programs, but also in-
creases tax revenue at all levels of government (Chil-
dren’s Defense Fund, 2009). 
(21) The House of Representatives, on January 
22, 2008, has resolved that it is the sense of Con-
gress that the United States should set a national 
goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 
years. 
SEC. 1802. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ means any executive department, Govern-
ment corporation, Government-controlled corpora-
tion, or other establishment in the executive branch 
of the Government (including the Executive Office of 
the President), or any independent regulatory agen-
cy. 
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(2) POVERTY.—The term ‘‘poverty’’ means an 
income level and living standard associated with and 
based on the official poverty measure as established 
and updated by the U.S. Census Bureau which es-
tablishes a threshold of minimum income necessary 
to achieve a standard of living free from deprivation 
of basic needs. 
(3) EXTREME POVERTY.—The term ‘‘extreme 
poverty’’ means having an income level or living 
standard at a level of extreme deprivation based on 
living with income below 50 percent of the Federal 
poverty line as established by the U.S. Census. 
(4) NEAR POVERTY.—The term ‘‘near poverty’’ 
means having a level of household income below 200 
percent of the Federal poverty line. 
(5) CHILD
POVERTY.—The term ‘‘child pov-
erty’’ means poverty which impacts those persons 
under 18 years of age. 
(6) DEPRIVATION.—The term ‘‘deprivation’’ 
means lacking some or all basic human needs. 
(7) DECENT
LIVING
STANDARD.—The term 
‘‘decent living standard’’ means the amount of an-
nual income that would allow an individual to live 
beyond deprivation at a safe and decent, but modest, 
standard of living. 
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(8) ALTERNATIVE
POVERTY
MEASURES.—The 
term ‘‘alternative poverty measures’’ means meas-
ures and indicators, other than the traditional in-
come based measure of poverty, which can provide a 
more detailed picture of the low-income and poverty 
stricken populations, such as the number of people 
who were kept above poverty by Government sup-
ports, the number of people who are poor due to 
medical expenses, child care, and work expenses, the 
rates of food insecurity, the number of people who 
are asset poor (with less than three months of in-
come saved), the number of disconnected youth, teen 
birth rates, participation rates in Federal anti-pov-
erty programs for all eligible populations, and the 
number of people who are unbanked. 
(9) REGIONAL
COSTS
OF
LIVING.—The term 
‘‘regional costs of living’’ means a measure of the 
differing costs of maintaining a given living standard 
in varying regional, geographic, urban or rural re-
gions. 
(10) ECONOMIC INSECURITY.—The term ‘‘eco-
nomic insecurity’’ means the inability of individuals 
and households to cope with routine adverse or cost-
ly life events and the lack of means to maintain a 
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decent standard of living and to recover from the 
costly consequences of those events. 
(11) ECONOMIC
STABILITY.—The term ‘‘eco-
nomic stability’’ means individuals and households 
have access to the means and support systems nec-
essary to effectively cope with adverse or costly life 
events and have the ability to effectively recover 
from the consequences of those events while main-
taining their standard of living or maintaining a de-
cent standard of living. 
(12) DIGITAL DIVIDE.—The term ‘‘digital di-
vide’’ means the gap between individuals, house-
holds, businesses and geographic areas at different 
socio-economic levels with regard to both their access 
information and communications technologies and 
including the imbalance both in physical access to 
technology and the resources, education and skills 
needed to effectively use computer technology and 
the Internet for a wide variety of activities. 
(13) OUTCOMES.—The term ‘‘outcomes’’ means 
change in the economic status, economic instability 
or economic security of an individual, household or 
other population which is attributable to a planned 
intervention, benefit, or service or series of interven-
tions, benefits, and services, regardless of whether 
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such an intervention was intended to change such 
economic status. 
(14) DISPARATE IMPACT.—The term ‘‘disparate 
impact’’ refers to the historic and ongoing impacts 
of the pattern and practice of discrimination in em-
ployment, education, housing, banking and nearly 
every other aspect of American life in the economy, 
society or culture that have an adverse impact on 
minorities, women, or other protected groups, re-
gardless of whether such practices were motivated by 
discriminatory intent. 
SEC. 1803. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FEDERAL INTER-
AGENCY WORKING GROUP ON REDUCING 
POVERTY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF FEDERAL INTERAGENCY 
WORKING GROUP ON REDUCING POVERTY.—There is es-
tablished within the Department of Health and Human 
Services, a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reduc-
ing Poverty, which shall be chaired by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, and whose members shall be 
selected by their respective agency heads from the senior 
ranks of their agencies, which shall— 
(1) develop, within 180 days of enactment, a 
National Strategy to reduce the number of persons 
living in poverty in America in half within 10 years 
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of the release of the 2012 Census report on Income, 
Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the 
United States: 2011, that includes goals and objec-
tives relating to— 
(A) reducing in half the number of Ameri-
cans living in poverty as reported by the 2012 
Census report on Income, Poverty and Health 
Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011; 
(B) eliminating child poverty in America; 
(C) eliminating extreme poverty in Amer-
ica; 
(D) improving the effectiveness and out-
comes of poverty-related programs by improving 
our understanding of the root causes of poverty, 
the social, economic, and the cultural contribu-
tors to persistent intergenerational poverty; 
(E) improving the measure of poverty to 
include more indicators and measures that can 
meaningfully account for other aspects relating 
to the measure of poverty, such as regional dif-
ferences in costs of living, the impact of rising 
income inequality, the impact of the persistent 
‘‘digital divide’’, expanding the understanding 
of poverty by distinguishing a standard that 
measures a level of freedom from deprivation 
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versus a standard that measures a standard of 
economic adequacy provided by a living wage 
and access to a decent living standard, and the 
impact of poverty on other measures of eco-
nomic stability and economic outcomes, such as 
educational attainment, rates of incarceration, 
lifetime earnings, access to health care, health 
care outcomes, access to housing, and including 
other measures as necessary to improve our un-
derstanding of why poverty persists in America; 
(F) eliminating the disparate rates of pov-
erty based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, or 
sexual 
orientation 
and 
identity, 
especially 
among children in those households so im-
pacted; 
(G) measuring effectiveness of poverty re-
lated programs on the basis of long-term out-
comes, including the long-term savings and 
value of preventive practice and policy, and em-
ploying fact-based measures of programs to 
make improvements; 
(H) improving the accessibility of benefit 
and social services programs, reducing the com-
plexity and difficulty of enrollment, and improv-
ing the rates of enrollment in need based pro-
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grams for all eligible recipients to maximize the 
impact of benefits and social services programs 
on reducing the impacts of poverty and improv-
ing economic outcomes; 
(I) making more uniform eligibility re-
quirements to improve the coordination of serv-
ice delivery, reduce gaps in eligibility, and im-
prove outcomes of programs addressing poverty 
in the Federal Government; 
(J) reducing the negative impacts of asset 
limits for eligibility which impact Federal, State 
and local poverty programs on the effectiveness 
of programs where limited eligibility creates 
gaps in necessary service and benefit delivery, 
and restricts access to benefits as individuals 
and families attempt to transition off of assist-
ance programs and which can prevent needy 
beneficiaries from improving long-term out-
comes and achieving long-term economic inde-
pendence from need-based programs; 
(K) identifying Federal programs, includ-
ing those related to disaster relief, hazard miti-
gation, extreme weather and climate change, 
and necessary reforms to better target re-
sources towards disproportionately impacted so-
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