paragraph (B) of this paragraph, the Bureau of 
the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
shall develop methods for including, and shall 
include, the actual or estimated amounts in the 
distribution. 
‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENT FOR FAMILY SIZE AND COM-
POSITION, 
AND
FOR
GEOGRAPHIC
COST
VARI-
ATION.—The Bureau of the Census, in collaboration 
with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau 
of Economic Analysis, and in consultation with other 
relevant Federal statistical agencies, shall adjust the 
modern poverty threshold calculated under para-
graph (1) of this subsection— 
‘‘(A) for other family sizes and composi-
tions, using the best available equivalence scales 
that consider economies of scale and any special 
needs of children, including young children; and 
‘‘(B) to the maximum extent possible and 
not earlier or later than the inclusion of State 
and local taxes and transfers as described in 
subsection (e)(4), for differences in the costs for 
the goods and services included in the threshold 
among 
States, 
sub-State 
non-metropolitan 
areas, and metropolitan areas. 
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‘‘(3) ACCOMMODATION OF HOUSING STATUS.— 
To the maximum extent possible, the calculation for 
the threshold for the reference family described in 
paragraph (1) and the adjustments to the modern 
poverty thresholds for varied family sizes and com-
positions under paragraph (2)(A) shall be made sep-
arately for each of the following categories of fami-
lies: 
‘‘(A) Families who own their primary resi-
dence and do not have a mortgage secured by 
the residence. 
‘‘(B) All other families, or for any sub-
groups of all other families if the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics determines that reliable data 
indicates substantial variation in the amounts 
of money needed by the subgroups to purchase 
similar quality shelter. 
‘‘(4) ANNUAL PUBLICATION OF WEIGHTED AV-
ERAGE POVERTY THRESHOLDS.—Not less often than 
annually, the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration 
with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shall publish— 
‘‘(A) the average poverty threshold for 
each family size, determined by weighting each 
threshold by the proportion of families of that 
size to which the threshold applies, and 
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‘‘(B) the average poverty threshold for 
each family size in each category described in 
paragraph (3), determined by weighting each 
threshold by the proportion of families of that 
size in that category and to which the threshold 
applies. 
‘‘(d) MODERN POVERTY RATES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of the Census 
shall use the modern poverty thresholds calculated 
under subsection (c) to calculate, at a minimum— 
‘‘(A) the number and percentage of fami-
lies in the United States whose adjusted market 
income does not exceed the applicable modern 
poverty threshold, and the number and percent-
age of individuals in the United States who are 
members of such families; 
‘‘(B) the number and percentage of fami-
lies in the United States whose adjusted dispos-
able income does not exceed the applicable mod-
ern poverty threshold, and the number and per-
centage of individuals in the United States who 
are members of such families; and 
‘‘(C) the numbers and percentages de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) and (B) for var-
ious demographic, geographic, and other sub-
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groups of families in the United States, and for 
individuals who are members of such subgroups 
of families. 
‘‘(2) ADJUSTED
MARKET
INCOME.—For pur-
poses of this section, the adjusted market income of 
a family is— 
‘‘(A) the total of the amounts received by 
any member of the family during a calendar 
year from wages, salaries, and self-employment 
income, interest income, dividend income, real-
ized capital gains, rents, royalties, estate and 
trust income, a qualified retirement plan (as de-
fined in section 4974(c) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986), a plan described in section 
457(b) of such Code, or any other plan, con-
tract, annuity, or account payments or distribu-
tions from which are in the nature of a retire-
ment benefit, survivor and disability pensions 
and annuities, paid-up insurance policies, ali-
mony payments, child support payments, pri-
vate workers’ compensation, regular contribu-
tions from persons not living with the family, 
and other relevant income as determined by the 
Bureau of the Census except for income de-
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scribed in subparagraph (C), (D), (E), or (F) 
of paragraph (3) of this subsection; minus 
‘‘(B) the total of the amounts paid by any 
member of the family during the calendar year 
for— 
‘‘(i) alimony or the support or mainte-
nance of a noncustodial child; 
‘‘(ii) medical expenses; and 
‘‘(iii) necessary work-related expenses, 
including— 
‘‘(I) dependent care expenses; 
‘‘(II) 
transportation 
expenses; 
and 
‘‘(III) if there is reliable data 
therefor, work-search expenses. 
‘‘(3) ADJUSTED
DISPOSABLE
INCOME.—For 
purposes of this section, the Bureau of the Census 
shall define the adjusted disposable income of a fam-
ily as follows, excluding any amounts that are not 
taken into account in determining poverty thresholds 
under this section: 
‘‘(A) the adjusted market income of the 
family; minus 
‘‘(B) the total of the amounts paid by any 
member of the family during the calendar year 
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to cover Federal income tax liability or Federal 
payroll tax liability, or if such information is 
not available, the total of any such liabilities 
that are payable by any member of the family 
during the calendar year; plus 
‘‘(C) the total of the amounts received by 
any member of the family during the calendar 
year from refundable Federal tax credits, or if 
such information is not available, the total of 
any such credits that are expected by any mem-
ber of the family to be received during the cal-
endar year; plus 
‘‘(D) the total of the amounts received by 
any member of the family during the calendar 
year which may be used to meet food, clothing, 
or shelter (including utilities) needs— 
‘‘(i) 
referred 
to 
in 
section 
459(h)(1)(A)(ii) of this Act; or 
‘‘(ii) paid under a State or local pro-
gram funded under part A of title IV of 
this Act, the supplemental security income 
program under title XVI of this Act, or 
any other Federal program or activity the 
eligibility for which is based, in whole or in 
part, on need; plus 
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‘‘(E) the total dollar value of any food as-
sistance benefit (as defined in section 3(d) of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008) received 
by any member of the family during the cal-
endar year under section 8 of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008; plus 
‘‘(F) the total of the amounts received by 
any member of the family during the calendar 
year as described in section 2605(b)(2) of the 
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 
1981; plus 
‘‘(G) the total of the amounts received by 
any member of the family during the calendar 
year as government-funded nonmedical in-kind, 
cash and near cash benefits that help families 
meet food, clothing, and shelter (including utili-
ties) needs and are not intended to reimburse 
or subsidize other expenses, including nutrition 
programs, housing subsidies, and the value of 
public housing, not to exceed to the lesser of 
the share of the threshold defined in subsection 
(c) attributable to the component of the thresh-
old towards which the benefit may be used or 
the estimated monetary value of the benefit to 
the recipient, to the extent possible. 
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‘‘(4) INCLUSION OF STATE AND LOCAL TAXES 
AND TRANSFERS.—Within 5 years after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Bureau of the 
Census, in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, and after consultation with other relevant 
statistical agencies, shall modify the calculation 
under paragraph (3) to take account of State and 
local taxes and transfers. 
‘‘(e) FAMILIES.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘family’ includes— 
‘‘(1) an individual who is living alone; 
‘‘(2) all members of a household who are re-
lated by blood, marriage, adoption, or other legal ar-
rangement; and 
‘‘(3) any unrelated individuals living together 
whom the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration 
with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after assessing 
existing research and undertaking any necessary new 
research, determines should be treated as a family 
for purposes of this section. 
‘‘(f) REPORT ON POVERTY RATES.—Not less fre-
quently than annually, the Bureau of the Census shall 
produce, release simultaneously with publication and an-
nouncement of poverty thresholds and rates under the tra-
ditional poverty measure, and make readily accessible to 
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the public, a report which contains detailed tables and ex-
planations of poverty rates— 
‘‘(1) as determined on the basis of adjusted 
market income; 
‘‘(2) as determined on the basis of adjusted dis-
posable income; and 
‘‘(3) as determined on the basis of the tradi-
tional poverty measure referred to in subsection (g). 
‘‘(g) REFERENCES TO EXISTING POVERTY MEASURE 
AS THE ‘TRADITIONAL POVERTY MEASURE’.—To the ex-
tent practicable, whenever an officer or employee of the 
Federal Government refers to the poverty measure out-
lined in Office of Management and Budget Statistical Pol-
icy Directive 14, the officer or employee, as the case may 
be, shall refer to that measure as the ‘traditional poverty 
measure’. Any reference in a law, regulation, document, 
paper, or other record of the United States to the poverty 
measure outlined in Office of Management and Budget 
Statistical Policy Directive 14 is deemed to be a reference 
to the ‘traditional poverty measure’. 
‘‘(h) INCLUSION OF INFORMATION BASED ON MOD-
ERN POVERTY THRESHOLDS AND RATES IN PUBLISHED 
DOCUMENTS CONTAINING INFORMATION BASED ON TRA-
DITIONAL POVERTY THRESHOLDS AND RATES.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent possible, a 
relevant Federal statistical agency that publishes a 
document which contains information about a sub-
ject, which was produced using the poverty measure 
outlined in Office of Management and Budget Sta-
tistical Policy Directive 14, shall include in the docu-
ment information about the subject, which is pro-
duced using the modern poverty thresholds and mod-
ern poverty rates calculated under this section. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC
RELEASE
OF
MICRODATA
FILE 
AND ONLINE TOOLS.—On releasing a document de-
scribed in paragraph (1), the Bureau of the Census 
shall release to the public, while maintaining privacy 
and confidentiality standards required by Federal 
law— 
‘‘(A) microdata files (modified as necessary 
to avoid unduly increasing the risk of serious 
primary and secondary disclosure problems) 
containing all of the individual variables that 
are necessary to compute the published modern 
poverty rates, as well as poverty rates deter-
mined on the basis of the traditional poverty 
measure referred to in subsection (g), and to 
calculate poverty rates using different defini-
tions of income and poverty thresholds; 
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‘‘(B) other public online tools that enable 
detailed poverty rates to be calculated using dif-
ferent definitions of income and poverty and 
adequacy thresholds, including 1⁄2 and 3⁄5 of 
median income; and 
‘‘(C) the definitions of income set forth in, 
and the poverty thresholds established under, 
this section. 
‘‘(i) CONSULTATION ON IMPROVING CALCULATION 
OF THE MODERN POVERTY THRESHOLDS OR MODERN 
POVERTY RATES; REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—From 
time to time, and no less frequently than every 5 years, 
the Bureau of the Census, in collaboration with the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics, shall— 
‘‘(1) consult with other relevant Federal statis-
tical agencies and outside experts on whether the 
method of, and sources of data for, calculating the 
modern poverty thresholds or modern poverty rates 
provided for in this section could be improved so as 
to better measure, including through adjustments 
for any underreporting or other misreporting of in-
come and adjustments for families with greater in-
come needs (such as those including persons with 
disabilities), the extent to which families in the 
United States are able to secure sufficient income to 
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allow a minimal level of consumption that meets 
their basic physical needs, including food, clothing, 
shelter (including utilities), and other necessary 
items; and 
‘‘(2) report to the Congress on any need for any 
such improvement. 
‘‘(j) RELEVANT FEDERAL STATISTICAL AGENCY.— 
In this section, the term ‘relevant Federal statistical agen-
cy’ means a Federal agency that— 
‘‘(1) is listed as a major statistical program of 
the United States in the annual report most recently 
made under section 3504(e)(2) of title 44, United 
States Code; or 
‘‘(2) the Office of Management and Budget ex-
pects to be so listed in the next such report. 
‘‘(k) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author-
ized to be appropriated— 
‘‘(1) to the Bureau of the Census— 
‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2010, not more than 
$5,000,000; and 
‘‘(B) for each succeeding fiscal year, not 
more than the amount specified in subpara-
graph (A), multiplied by the sum of 1 plus the 
percentage (if any) by which the Consumer 
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Price Index for All-Urban Consumers for Sep-
tember of the fiscal year then preceding the 
succeeding fiscal year exceeds the index for 
September of the fiscal year second preceding 
the succeeding fiscal year; and 
‘‘(2) to the Bureau of Labor Statistics— 
‘‘(A) for fiscal year 2010, not more than 
$2,500,000; and 
‘‘(B) for each succeeding fiscal year, not 
more than the amount specified in subpara-
graph (A), multiplied by the sum of 1 plus the 
percentage (if any) by which the Consumer 
Price Index for All-Urban Consumers for Sep-
tember of the fiscal year then preceding the 
succeeding fiscal year exceeds the index for 
September of the fiscal year second preceding 
the succeeding fiscal year. 
‘‘SEC. 1150B. STUDY OF DECENT LIVING STANDARD. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of the Census, in 
collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shall 
enter into a contract with the National Academy of 
Sciences which obligates the National Academy of 
Sciences to develop and publish a method of calculating 
a decent living standard threshold, including relevant vari-
ations for geography, family size, and other such factors, 
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and a method of measuring the extent to which the income 
of families in the United States is sufficient to meet the 
threshold. The National Academy of Sciences shall con-
sider and critically review the growing body of work in 
this area, comparing different underlying concepts in ex-
isting approaches such as family budgets, basic needs 
budgets, and self-sufficiency standards, and comment on 
the best ways to move forward towards building con-
sensus. 
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.—The Bureau of the Cen-
sus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other relevant 
statistical agencies shall provide necessary technical sup-
port for the efforts to develop the threshold and method 
referred to in subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION
OF DECENT LIVING STANDARD 
THRESHOLD.—In subsection (a), the term ‘decent living 
standard threshold’ means the amount of annual income 
that would allow an individual to live at a safe and decent, 
but modest, standard of living. The decent living standard 
shall be a measure of income adequacy reflecting the re-
sources necessary to meet basic needs and live beyond dep-
rivation. 
‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author-
ized to be appropriated to the Bureau of the Census— 
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‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2010, not more than 
$500,000; and 
‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2011, not more than the 
amount specified in paragraph (1), multiplied by the 
sum of 1 plus the percentage (if any) by which the 
Consumer Price Index for All-Urban Consumers for 
September 2010 exceeds the index for September 
2009. 
‘‘SEC. 1150C. STUDY OF MEDICAL CARE RISK MEASURE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of the Census, in 
collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the 
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shall enter 
into a contract with the National Academies, including the 
National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medi-
cine, which obligates the National Academies to develop 
and publish a method of measuring the extent of medical 
care risk in the United States and calculating the number 
and percentage of individuals in the United States who, 
to varying degrees, lack adequate health insurance, plac-
ing them at risk of being unable to afford needed treat-
ment. 
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.—The Bureau of the Cen-
sus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for 
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Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other relevant health 
and statistical agencies shall provide necessary technical 
support for the efforts to develop the method and measure 
referred to in subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF MEDICAL CARE RISK.—In sub-
section (a), the term ‘medical care risk’ means the extent 
to which individuals are at risk of being unable to afford 
needed medical treatment, services, goods, and care. 
‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author-
ized to be appropriated to the Bureau of the Census— 
‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2010, not more than 
$500,000; and 
‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2011, not more than the 
amount specified in paragraph (1), multiplied by the 
sum of 1 plus the percentage (if any) by which the 
Consumer Price Index for All-Urban Consumers for 
September 2010 exceeds the index for September 
2009. 
‘‘SEC. 1150D. STUDY TO IMPROVE STATE AND LOCAL POV-
ERTY MEASUREMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Bureau of the Census, in 
consultation with other relevant statistical agencies, shall 
enter into a contract with the National Academy of 
Sciences which obligates the National Academy of 
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Sciences to develop a set of recommendations for methods 
to implement annual modern poverty measurement at the 
State and local level and a timeframe for the implementa-
tion. The methods to be examined shall include revisions 
to the American Community Survey questionnaire, use of 
administrative records, and use of modeled estimates. 
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.—The Bureau of the Cen-
sus and other relevant statistical agencies shall provide 
necessary technical support for the effort referred to in 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO-
PRIATIONS.—To carry out this section, there are author-
ized to be appropriated to the Bureau of the Census— 
‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2010, not more than 
$250,000; and 
‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2011, not more than the 
amount specified in paragraph (1); multiplied by the 
sum of 1 plus the percentage (if any) by which the 
Consumer Price Index for All-Urban Consumers for 
September 2010 exceeds the index for September 
2009.’’. 
Æ 
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