IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1048 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress 
should enact the Poverty Bill of Rights to reaffirm the right of all 
Americans to live a life free from poverty and its impacts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2020 
Ms. FUDGE (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BASS, Mr. CARSON of 
Indiana, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. COOPER, Mr. EVANS, Ms. GARCIA 
of Texas, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, 
Mr. KENNEDY, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RUSH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, 
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, and Mrs. BEATTY) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Over-
sight and Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Congress should enact the Poverty Bill of Rights 
to reaffirm the right of all Americans to live a life 
free from poverty and its impacts. 
Whereas according to the Census Bureau, more than 
38,000,000 people, including 12,000,000 children, lived 
in poverty in 2018 based on the Official Poverty Meas-
ure; 
Whereas more than 17,000,000 people lived in deep poverty, 
defined as living in a household with a total cash income 
below 50 percent of its poverty threshold; 
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•HRES 1048 IH 
Whereas poverty disproportionately impacts communities of 
color, with the poverty rate at 20.8 percent for Blacks, 
17.6 percent for Hispanics, and 10.1 percent for Asians, 
versus 8.1 percent for non-Hispanic Whites; 
Whereas the Official Poverty Measure often understates the 
number of people who have trouble making ends meet; 
Whereas according to a 2020 Federal Reserve report on the 
economic well-being of United States households, an esti-
mated 37 percent of people cannot cover an unexpected 
$400 expense; 
Whereas the top one percent of United States households 
have experienced income growth before taxes and transfer 
payments nearly seven times faster than the bottom 20 
percent of households since 1979; 
Whereas wealth has become even more concentrated than in-
come; 
Whereas according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 
the top 10 percent of United States households ranked 
by wealth own 77 percent of the country’s total wealth 
while those in the bottom 50 percent own one percent; 
Whereas a full-time, full-year minimum wage worker at the 
Federal minimum wage level of $7.25 lives below the pov-
erty line; 
Whereas a vast majority of low wage earners lack access to 
paid family leave, leaving them just one accident or ill-
ness away from economic devastation; 
Whereas unions increase workers’ wages, ensure access to 
better benefits, address wage inequality, and reduce pov-
erty; 
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Whereas 5,140,000 Americans aged 65 and older lived in 
poverty in 2018; 
Whereas according to the United States Census Bureau, 
27,500,000 people did not have health insurance at any 
point in 2018; 
Whereas according to the Federal Reserve, 25 percent of 
adults reported skipping medical care, such as a visit to 
a doctor or dentist, because they were unable to afford 
the cost in 2019; 
Whereas minority and low-income individuals are dispropor-
tionately affected by air pollution and are more likely to 
face health conditions that put them at greater risk when 
exposed to hazardous air pollution; 
Whereas families living in poverty also struggle to afford 
childcare, housing, utilities, and food expenses; 
Whereas according to the United States Census Bureau, 
households with incomes less than the Federal poverty 
level who pay for childcare spend on average four times 
the percentage of their income on it as do other families; 
Whereas in 2017, 83 percent of renter households with in-
comes below $15,000 paid more than 30 percent of their 
total household income for housing, experiencing housing 
costs burdens, and 72 percent paid more than 50 percent 
of their income for housing, experiencing severe cost bur-
dens; 
Whereas water and wastewater bills are increasingly 
unaffordable for millions of households nationwide; 
Whereas according to the Energy Information Administra-
tion, nearly one-third of United States households re-
ported facing a challenge in paying energy bills or sus-
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taining adequate heating and cooling in their homes in 
2015; 
Whereas more than 20,000,000 Americans lack access to any 
broadband whatsoever and many more are unable to 
adopt broadband, primarily due to prohibitive costs; 
Whereas limited access to technology and broadband services 
makes it difficult for people to apply for jobs online, con-
nect with health insurance, apply for financial aid, 
telework, or complete online homework; 
Whereas according to the Department of Agriculture, 
37,200,000 people, including 11,200,000 children, lived 
in food-insecure households in 2018; 
Whereas 5,600,000 households had very low food security, 
defined as households in which the food intake of one or 
more members was reduced and eating patterns dis-
rupted because of insufficient money and other resources 
for food; 
Whereas according to a 2009 Department of Agriculture re-
port on access to affordable and nutritious food, millions 
of people live in food deserts, or areas where they are 
more than a mile from a supermarket; 
Whereas reliable and affordable public transportation is crit-
ical to accessing employment, food, health care, and edu-
cation; 
Whereas the educational level attained by individuals has a 
dramatic impact on poverty, with 25.9 percent of adults 
over 25 years old without a high school diploma in pov-
erty versus 12.7 percent for those with a high school de-
gree, but no college, and 4.4 percent for those with a col-
lege degree; 
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Whereas according to the Government Accountability Office, 
socioeconomic and racial segregation in schools has in-
creased dramatically in the past decade; 
Whereas low-income individuals are more likely to be targeted 
by child welfare services and the criminal justice system 
and live in communities with high rates of violence and 
heavy police presence; 
Whereas low-income parents have their children removed 
from the household every day, because living in poverty 
is incorrectly treated as child neglect; 
Whereas the criminal justice system often punishes poverty, 
as court fees and fines disproportionately impact the 
poor; 
Whereas police are most likely to use deadly force in low-in-
come, more highly segregated neighborhoods; 
Whereas low-income communities often have limited social 
capital and political voice; 
Whereas strict voter ID requirements, closures of polling 
places, limited access to alternatives to in-person voting 
and other voter suppression tactics disproportionately im-
pact poor and minority Americans; 
Whereas the effects of poverty are widespread, long-lasting, 
and dangerous, and leave families vulnerable to unex-
pected events; 
Whereas adults who were poor during childhood are more 
likely to experience poverty as adults, are less likely to 
graduate high school, and are less likely to be consist-
ently employed as young adults; 
Whereas lower incomes are associated with shorter life 
expectancies; 
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Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic threatens to increase 
health, food, housing, and economic insecurity and push 
millions of people into poverty; 
Whereas low-income and minority communities have long ex-
perienced inadequate access to health care, housing, nu-
tritious food, and education and economic opportunity, 
which increase the prevalence of COVID–19 risk factors, 
such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and high blood 
pressure; and 
Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has exposed and exacer-
bated the inequality and poverty afflicting the United 
States, as well as underlined the shortcomings of its so-
cial safety net programs: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that the Congress should enact the Poverty 
Bill of Rights to reaffirm the right of all Americans to 
live a life free from poverty and its impacts, including the 
right to— 
(1) equal opportunity, irrespective of race, gen-
der, or socioeconomic status; 
(2) working family tax credits, such as the 
Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Cred-
it, that are proven to lift families out of poverty, free 
from onerous eligibility requirements; 
(3) a livable wage that is enough to ensure ade-
quate housing, food, clothing, and other basic house-
hold needs; 
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(4) robust paid leave programs so they can care 
for themselves, their families, and dependents with-
out fear of financial devastation; 
(5) emergency financial assistance in times of 
unemployment; 
(6) unionize to negotiate for higher wages, bet-
ter benefits, and safe working conditions; 
(7) financial security for themselves and their 
families during retirement years; 
(8) quality, affordable health care and prescrip-
tion drugs; 
(9) clean air through robust environmental and 
public health policies; 
(10) high-quality, affordable, and reliable 
childcare; 
(11) accessible, affordable, safe housing; 
(12) safe, clean, and affordable water and 
wastewater services; 
(13) affordable, reliable energy service; 
(14) equitable access to technology and tele-
phone and broadband services; 
(15) adequate access to affordable and nutri-
tious foods; 
(16) reliable, efficient, and affordable public 
transportation; 
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(17) high-quality, equitable PreK–12 public 
education; 
(18) safe public schools that promote racial and 
socioeconomic diversity; 
(19) access to affordable higher education, reg-
istered apprenticeships, and other vocational train-
ing opportunities; 
(20) live with their families and not be sepa-
rated from each other on the basis of poverty; 
(21) safe neighborhoods, where they are pro-
tected by law enforcement, not targeted, profiled, 
harassed, and brutalized; 
(22) equal treatment in criminal justice set-
tings, free from discrimination; and 
(23) equal representation and participation in 
democracy through unfettered, unabridged access to 
the ballot box, accessible polling places, and alter-
natives to traditional in-person voting, such as early 
voting and voting by mail. 
Æ 
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