345 
minorities, women, or other protected groups, re-
gardless of whether such practices were motivated by 
discriminatory intent. 
SEC. 2003. 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 
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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00345
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
346 
(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 
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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00346
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
347 
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-
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-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00347
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
348 
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-
cially vulnerable, low-income and disadvantaged 
communities may provide greater socio-eco-
nomic benefits; 
(L) improving the ability of community- 
based organizations to participate in the devel-
opment, oversight and implementation of Fed-
eral poverty-related programs; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00348
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
349 
(M) improving access to good jobs with 
adequate wages and benefits by individuals liv-
ing in poverty, low-income households, and the 
unemployed; 
(N) expanding and stabilizing poor and 
low-income persons connection to work and ac-
cess to critical job training and/or skills up-
grade training that will lead to re-entry in the 
workforce; 
(O) developing a comprehensive strategy to 
connect low-income young people and to re-con-
nect currently disconnected youth to education, 
work, and their community; and 
(P) shifting the focus of poverty and 
means-tested programs across the Federal Gov-
ernment beyond the relief of deprivation and in-
stead setting goals, measures, and outcomes 
more focused on measuring the success of pro-
grams in supporting and improving how capable 
individuals and families can access educational 
and economic opportunities to successfully tran-
sition away from accessing public assistance 
and benefits and achieving long-term economic 
stability which will reduce long-term costs in 
domestic social needs programs, reduce long- 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00349
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
350 
term health care costs due to the improved 
health of formerly poverty stricken households, 
increase the number of taxpaying individuals 
which will increase revenue, and lower the en-
rollment and costs in need based benefits and 
services programs, thus improving the economy 
and reducing long-term deficits for Federal, 
State, and local governments; 
(2) oversee, coordinate, and integrate all poli-
cies and activities of the Federal Government, in co-
ordination and consultation with the Domestic Pol-
icy Council and the National Economic Council, 
across all agencies relating to reducing the number 
of individuals, families, and children living below the 
Federal poverty line, in extreme poverty or near pov-
erty and increasing the number of households able 
to achieve long-term economic stability with assets 
sufficient to maintain a decent living standard with-
out relying on public supports— 
(A) 
economic, 
commercial, 
and 
pro-
grammatic policies that can effect or relieve the 
effects of poverty through job creation, and eco-
nomic development targeted to low-income, mi-
nority, rural, urban and other populations who 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00350
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
351 
suffer disparate rates of poverty, among Fed-
eral agencies; and 
(B) services and benefits including emer-
gency programs, discretionary economic pro-
grams, and other policies and activities nec-
essary to ensure that the Federal Government 
is able to mount effective responses to economic 
downturns and increases in the rates of poverty; 
(3) ensure that all relevant Federal agencies 
comply with appropriate guidelines, policies, and di-
rectives from the Federal Interagency Working 
Group on Reducing Poverty and the Department of 
Health and Human Services and other Federal 
agencies with responsibilities relating to poverty re-
duction or improving economic stability and inde-
pendence; 
(4) ensure that Federal agencies, State govern-
ments and relevant congressional committees have 
access to, receive, and appropriately disseminate best 
practices in the administration of programs, have 
adequate resources to maximize the public awareness 
of programs, increase the reach of those programs, 
especially into historically disenfranchised commu-
nities, maximize enrollment for all eligible Ameri-
cans, share relevant data, and issue relevant guid-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00351
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
352 
ance in consultation with non-government organiza-
tions and policy experts in the field and State and 
local government officials who administer or direct 
policy for anti-poverty programs in increasing and 
maximizing the enrollment into and administration 
of programs and services designed to alleviate pov-
erty; 
(5) enact best practices for improved data col-
lection, relevant to— 
(A) reducing poverty; 
(B) reducing the racial, ethnic, age, gen-
der, and sexual orientation or sexual identity 
based disparities in the rates of poverty; 
(C) adequately measuring the effectiveness, 
efficiency and impact of programs on the out-
comes for individuals, families and communities 
who receive benefits and services; 
(D) streamlining enrollment and eligibility 
for programs; 
(E) improving long-term outcomes for indi-
viduals who are enrolled in service and benefit 
programs; 
(F) reducing reliance on public programs; 
(G) improving connections to work; 
(H) improving economic stability; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00352
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
353 
(I) improving savings and investment, ac-
cess to capital, increasing rates of entrepreneur-
ship; 
(J) improving our understanding of the 
impact of extreme weather and natural disas-
ters on economically vulnerable communities 
and improving those communities’ resilience to 
and recovery from extreme weather and natural 
disasters; 
(K) improving access to living wage em-
ployment; and 
(L) improving access to employment-based 
benefits; and 
(6) study the feasibility of and test different 
interagency, State and local, public/private models of 
cooperative service and benefit delivery by creating 
necessary exemptions, waivers and funding sources 
to allow improved cooperation and innovation in the 
development of programs, practices, policies and pro-
cedures that advance the goal of reducing poverty 
and increasing economic opportunity. 
(b) DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL POVERTY POLICY.— 
There shall be a Staff Director of National Poverty Policy, 
who shall be the head of the Federal Interagency Working 
Group on Reducing Poverty. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00353
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
354 
SEC. 2004. APPOINTMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 
DIRECTOR. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Staff Director shall be 
appointed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Secretary shall ap-
point the Staff Director from among individuals who 
have demonstrated ability and knowledge in social 
policy, improving outcome based management, issues 
of equity and equal opportunity and access to serv-
ices and economic opportunity. 
(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Staff Director shall— 
(1) advise the Secretary and all relevant cabinet 
secretaries, and agency officials regarding the estab-
lishment of policies, goals, objectives, and priorities 
for reducing poverty in America in half in ten years, 
ending child poverty, ending extreme poverty and 
eliminating racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual iden-
tity and orientation based disparities in the rates of 
poverty; 
(2) advise the Secretary, when directed by the 
Secretary, advise relevant cabinet secretaries, heads 
of independent Federal agencies and other entities 
within the Executive Office of the President regard-
ing mechanisms to improve the effectiveness, coordi-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00354
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
361 
(A) Macroeconomic costs (effects on pro-
ductivity and economic output). 
(B) Health costs (effects on health expend-
itures and health status). 
(C) Crime and other social costs. 
(D) Direct Federal budget effects (e.g., 
outlays for income support and other poverty 
reduction programs). 
(E) Natural disaster related risks and 
costs. 
(F) The workshop shall also consider pov-
erty metrics (e.g., income poverty, food insecu-
rity, and other measures of deprivation), and 
their role in assessing the effects of poverty and 
the performance of anti-poverty programs. 
The NAS shall commission experts to prepare pa-
pers that summarize and critique the relevant lit-
erature estimating monetary and non-monetary eco-
nomic and social impacts of poverty. A workshop 
summary shall be produced that, along with the pa-
pers, shall be available electronically on the NAS 
website. This workshop shall be convened within 6 
months of receipt of a contract, the papers posted 
immediately, and the summary released by the end 
of month. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:50 Jun 13, 2015
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00361
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H2721.IH
H2721
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS