308 
the day before the date of enactment of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. 
(5) OUTLYING
AREA.—The term ‘‘outlying 
area’’ means the United States Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of 
Palau. 
(6) UNEMPLOYED, LOW-INCOME ADULT.—The 
term ‘‘unemployed, low-income adult’’ means an in-
dividual who— 
(A) is age 18 or older; 
(B) is without employment and is seeking 
assistance under this subtitle to obtain employ-
ment; and 
(C) meets the definition of a ‘‘low-income 
individual’’ under section 3 of the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (as in effect on 
the day before the date of enactment of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), 
except that for that States, local entities de-
scribed in section 1464(d)(1) and eligible enti-
ties under section 1466(c), subject to approval 
in the applicable State plans, local plans, and 
applications for funds, may increase the income 
level specified in subparagraph (B)(i) of such 
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309 
section to an amount not in excess of 200 per-
cent of the poverty line for purposes of deter-
mining eligibility for participation in activities 
under sections 1464 and 1466 of this Act. 
(7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States of the United States, the District 
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. 
Subtitle 
D—Prohibition 
of 
Dis-
crimination in Employment on 
the Basis of an Individual’s Sta-
tus as Unemployed 
SEC. 1471. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Fair Employment 
Opportunity Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 1472. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that denial of em-
ployment opportunities to individuals because of their sta-
tus as unemployed is discriminatory and burdens com-
merce by— 
(1) reducing personal consumption and under-
mining economic stability and growth; 
(2) squandering human capital essential to the 
Nation’s economic vibrancy and growth; 
(3) increasing demands for Federal and State 
unemployment insurance benefits, reducing trust 
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310 
fund assets, and leading to higher payroll taxes for 
employers, cuts in benefits for jobless workers, or 
both; 
(4) imposing additional burdens on publicly 
funded health and welfare programs; and 
(5) depressing income, property, and other tax 
revenues that the Federal Government, States, and 
localities rely on to support operations and institu-
tions essential to commerce. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this subtitle are— 
(1) to prohibit employers and employment agen-
cies from disqualifying an individual from employ-
ment opportunities because of that individual’s sta-
tus as unemployed; 
(2) to prohibit employers and employment agen-
cies from publishing or posting any advertisement or 
announcement for an employment opportunity that 
indicates that an individual’s status as unemployed 
disqualifies that individual for the opportunity; and 
(3) to eliminate the burdens imposed on com-
merce due to the exclusion of such individuals from 
employment. 
SEC. 1473. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this subtitle— 
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311 
(1) the term ‘‘affected individual’’ means any 
person who was subject to an unlawful employment 
practice solely because of that individual’s status as 
unemployed; 
(2) the term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission; 
(3) the term ‘‘employee’’ means— 
(A) an employee as defined in section 
701(f) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000e(f)); 
(B) a State employee to which section 
302(a)(1) of the Government Employee Rights 
Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16b(a)(1)) ap-
plies; 
(C) a covered employee, as defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Congressional Accountability 
Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301) or section 411(c) 
of title 3, United States Code; or 
(D) an employee or applicant to which sec-
tion 717(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 
U.S.C. 2000e–16(a)) applies; 
(4) the term ‘‘employer’’ means— 
(A) a person engaged in an industry affect-
ing commerce (as defined in section 701(h) of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
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312 
2000e(h))) who has 15 or more employees for 
each working day in each of 20 or more cal-
endar weeks in the current or preceding cal-
endar year, and any agent of such a person, but 
does not include a bona fide private member-
ship club that is exempt from taxation under 
section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986; 
(B) an employing authority to which sec-
tion 302(a)(1) of the Government Employee 
Rights Act of 1991 applies; 
(C) an employing office, as defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Congressional Accountability 
Act of 1995 or section 411(c) of title 3, United 
States Code; or 
(D) an entity to which section 717(a) of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e– 
16(a)) applies; 
(5) the term ‘‘employment agency’’ means any 
person regularly undertaking with or without com-
pensation to procure employees for an employer or 
to procure for individuals opportunities to work as 
employees for an employer and includes an agent of 
such a person, and any person who maintains an 
Internet website or print medium that publishes ad-
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313 
vertisements or announcements of openings in jobs 
for employees; 
(6) the term ‘‘person’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 701(a) of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e(a)); and 
(7) the term ‘‘status as unemployed’’, used with 
respect to an individual, means that the individual, 
at the time of application for employment or at the 
time of action alleged to violate this subtitle, does 
not have a job, is available for work and is searching 
for work. 
SEC. 1474. PROHIBITED ACTS. 
(a) EMPLOYERS.—It shall be an unlawful employ-
ment practice for an employer to— 
(1) publish in print, on the Internet, or in any 
other medium, an advertisement or announcement 
for an employee for any job that includes— 
(A) any provision stating or indicating that 
an individual’s status as unemployed disquali-
fies the individual for any employment oppor-
tunity; or 
(B) any provision stating or indicating that 
an employer will not consider or hire an indi-
vidual for any employment opportunity based 
on that individual’s status as unemployed; 
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315 
employee because of the individual’s status as unem-
ployed; or 
(3) limit, segregate, or classify any individual in 
any manner that would limit or tend to limit the in-
dividual’s access to information about jobs, or con-
sideration, screening, or referral for jobs, as employ-
ees, solely because of an individual’s status as unem-
ployed. 
(c) INTERFERENCE WITH RIGHTS, PROCEEDINGS OR 
INQUIRIES.—It shall be unlawful for any employer or em-
ployment agency to— 
(1) interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise 
of or the attempt to exercise, any right provided 
under this subtitle; or 
(2) fail or refuse to hire, to discharge, or in any 
other manner to discriminate against any individual, 
as an employee, because such individual— 
(A) opposed any practice made unlawful by 
this subtitle; 
(B) has asserted any right, filed any 
charge, or has instituted or caused to be insti-
tuted any proceeding, under or related to this 
subtitle; 
(C) has given, or is about to give, any in-
formation in connection with any inquiry or 
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316 
proceeding relating to any right provided under 
this subtitle; or 
(D) has testified, or is about to testify, in 
any inquiry or proceeding relating to any right 
provided under this subtitle. 
(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subtitle is in-
tended to preclude an employer or employment agency 
from considering an individual’s employment history, or 
from examining the reasons underlying an individual’s sta-
tus as unemployed, in assessing an individual’s ability to 
perform a job or in otherwise making employment deci-
sions about that individual. Such consideration or exam-
ination may include an assessment of whether an individ-
ual’s employment in a similar or related job for a period 
of time reasonably proximate to the consideration of such 
individual for employment is job-related or consistent with 
business necessity. 
SEC. 1475. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) ENFORCEMENT POWERS.—With respect to the 
administration and enforcement of this subtitle— 
(1) the Commission shall have the same powers 
as the Commission has to administer and enforce— 
(A) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.); or 
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317 
(B) sections 302 and 304 of the Govern-
ment Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 
2000e–16b and 2000e–16c), in the case of an 
affected individual who would be covered by 
such title, or by section 302(a)(1) of the Gov-
ernment Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 
U.S.C. 2000e–16b(a)(1)), respectively; 
(2) the Librarian of Congress shall have the 
same powers as the Librarian of Congress has to ad-
minister and enforce title VII of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) in the case of an 
affected individual who would be covered by such 
title; 
(3) the Board (as defined in section 101 of the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
1301)) shall have the same powers as the Board has 
to administer and enforce the Congressional Ac-
countability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) in 
the case of an affected individual who would be cov-
ered by section 201(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
1311(a)(1)); 
(4) the Attorney General shall have the same 
powers as the Attorney General has to administer 
and enforce— 
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318 
(A) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.); or 
(B) sections 302 and 304 of the Govern-
ment Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 
2000e–16b and 2000e–16c); in the case of an 
affected individual who would be covered by 
such title, or of section 302(a)(1) of the Gov-
ernment Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 
U.S.C. 2000e–16b(a)(1)), respectively; 
(5) the President, the Commission, and the 
Merit Systems Protection Board shall have the same 
powers as the President, the Commission, and the 
Board, respectively, have to administer and enforce 
chapter 5 of title 3, United States Code, in the case 
of an affected individual who would be covered by 
section 411 of such title; and 
(6) a court of the United States shall have the 
same jurisdiction and powers as the court has to en-
force— 
(A) title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) in the case of 
a claim alleged by such individual for a viola-
tion of such title; 
(B) sections 302 and 304 of the Govern-
ment Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 
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319 
2000e–16b and 2000e–16c) in the case of a 
claim alleged by such individual for a violation 
of section 302(a)(1) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
2000e–16b(a)(1)); 
(C) the Congressional Accountability Act 
of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) in the case of 
a claim alleged by such individual for a viola-
tion of section 201(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
1311(a)(1)); and 
(D) chapter 5 of title 3, United States 
Code, in the case of a claim alleged by such in-
dividual for a violation of section 411 of such 
title. 
(b) PROCEDURES.—The procedures applicable to a 
claim alleged by an individual for a violation of this sub-
title are— 
(1) the procedures applicable for a violation of 
title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
2000e et seq.) in the case of a claim alleged by such 
individual for a violation of such title; 
(2) the procedures applicable for a violation of 
section 302(a)(1) of the Government Employee 
Rights Act of 1991 (42 U.S.C. 2000e–16b(a)(1)) in 
the case of a claim alleged by such individual for a 
violation of such section; 
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320 
(3) the procedures applicable for a violation of 
section 201(a)(1) of the Congressional Account-
ability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(1)) in the 
case of a claim alleged by such individual for a viola-
tion of such section; and 
(4) the procedures applicable for a violation of 
section 411 of title 3, United States Code, in the 
case of a claim alleged by such individual for a viola-
tion of such section. 
(c) REMEDIES.— 
(1) In any claim alleging a violation of section 
1474(a)(1) or 1474(b)(1) of this subtitle, an indi-
vidual, or any person acting on behalf of the indi-
vidual as set forth in section 1475(a) of this subtitle, 
may be awarded, as appropriate: 
(A) An order enjoining the respondent 
from engaging in the unlawful employment 
practice. 
(B) Reimbursement of costs expended as a 
result of the unlawful employment practice. 
(C) An amount in liquidated damages not 
to exceed $1,000 for each day of the violation. 
(D) Reasonable attorney’s fees (including 
expert fees) and costs attributable to the pur-
suit of a claim under this subtitle, except that 
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321 
no person identified in section 733(a) of this 
subtitle shall be eligible to receive attorney’s 
fees. 
(2) In any claim alleging a violation of any 
other subsection of this subtitle, an individual, or 
any person acting on behalf of the individual as set 
forth in section 1475(a) of this subtitle, may be 
awarded, as appropriate, the remedies available for 
a violation of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.), section 302(a)(1) of 
the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991 (42 
U.S.C. 2000e–16b(a)(1)), section 201(a)(1) of the 
Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 
1311(a)(1)), and section 411 of title 3, United 
States Code, except that in a case in which wages, 
salary, employment benefits, or other compensation 
have not been denied or lost to the individual, dam-
ages may be awarded in an amount not to exceed 
$5,000. 
SEC. 1476. FEDERAL AND STATE IMMUNITY. 
(a) ABROGATION
OF STATE IMMUNITY.—A State 
shall not be immune under the 11th Amendment to the 
Constitution from a suit brought in a Federal court of 
competent jurisdiction for a violation of this subtitle. 
(b) WAIVER OF STATE IMMUNITY.— 
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322 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) WAIVER.—A State’s receipt or use of 
Federal financial assistance for any program or 
activity of a State shall constitute a waiver of 
sovereign immunity, under the 11th Amend-
ment to the Constitution or otherwise, to a suit 
brought by an employee or applicant for em-
ployment of that program or activity under this 
subtitle for a remedy authorized under section 
1475(c) of this subtitle. 
(B) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘‘program or activity’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 606 of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d–4a). 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—With respect to a par-
ticular program or activity, paragraph (1) applies to 
conduct occurring on or after the day, after the date 
of enactment of this Act, on which a State first re-
ceives or uses Federal financial assistance for that 
program or activity. 
(c) REMEDIES AGAINST STATE OFFICIALS.—An offi-
cial of a State may be sued in the official capacity of the 
official by any employee or applicant for employment who 
has complied with the applicable procedures of this sub-
title, for relief that is authorized under this subtitle. 
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323 
(d) REMEDIES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AND 
THE STATES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
this subtitle, in an action or administrative proceeding 
against the United States or a State for a violation of this 
subtitle, remedies (including remedies at law and in eq-
uity) are available for the violation to the same extent as 
such remedies would be available against a non-govern-
mental entity. 
SEC. 1477. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS. 
This subtitle shall not invalidate or limit the rights, 
remedies, or procedures available to an individual claiming 
discrimination prohibited under any other Federal law or 
regulation or any law or regulation of a State or political 
subdivision of a State. 
SEC. 1478. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this subtitle, or the application 
of the provision to any person or circumstance, is held to 
be invalid, the remainder of this subtitle and the applica-
tion of the provision to any other person or circumstances 
shall not be affected by the invalidity. 
SEC. 1479. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This subtitle shall take effect on the date of enact-
ment of this Act and shall not apply to conduct occurring 
before the effective date. 
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324 
TITLE XV—LIVING AMERICAN 
WAGE 
SEC. 1501. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) In 2012, there were over 46,500,000 Ameri-
cans living in poverty who were separated from the 
opportunities of the Nation by their income, their 
housing, and their access to education, jobs, and 
health care. 
(2) A full-time worker earning the Federal min-
imum wage earns an income below the Federal pov-
erty threshold for a family of 4, consisting of 2 
adults and 2 children. 
(3) The average fair market rent for a 1-bed-
room apartment is more than 65 percent of the 
monthly income of a full-time worker earning the 
minimum wage. In comparison, the generally accept-
ed definition of affordability is for a household to 
pay not more than 30 percent of its income on hous-
ing. 
(4) Two full-time workers earning the Federal 
minimum wage earn an income below the national 
housing wage for a 1-bedroom apartment, the 
amount a person needs to earn to afford a 1-bed-
room apartment at average rent. 
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325 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the Federal minimum wage should, as a 
minimum, be adjusted every 4 years so that a person 
working for such a wage may earn an annual income 
that is not less than 15-percent higher than the Fed-
eral poverty threshold for a family of 4, as deter-
mined by the Bureau of the Census; 
(2) the minimum wage should be set at a level 
high enough to allow 2 full-time minimum wage 
workers to earn an income above the national hous-
ing wage; and 
(3) Congress, any of the several States, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, any territory or possession of the 
United States, any Indian tribe, or any local or mu-
nicipal government of a State may establish a higher 
minimum wage requirement than that established in 
this title. 
SEC. 1502. MINIMUM WAGE. 
Section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
(29 U.S.C. 206) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (B); 
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326 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (C); and 
(C) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) not less than the amount determined 
by the Secretary under subsection (b), begin-
ning September 1, 2014;’’; and 
(2) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
section (c) and inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), not later than June 
1, 2014, and once every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary 
shall determine the minimum wage rate applicable under 
subsection (a)(1) based on the formula described in para-
graph (3). The Secretary shall publish such wage rate in 
the Federal Register not later than October 1 of each year. 
‘‘(2) If the minimum wage rate determined by the 
Secretary under paragraph (1) would result in a lower 
minimum wage rate than the minimum wage rate in effect 
at the time of such determination, the Secretary shall not 
adjust, pursuant to this subsection, the minimum wage 
rate so in effect. 
‘‘(3) The minimum wage rate determined by the Sec-
retary under paragraph (1) shall be the minimum hourly 
wage sufficient for a person working for such wage for 
40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, to earn an annual 
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327 
income in an amount that is 15-percent higher than the 
Federal poverty threshold for a family of 4, with 2 chil-
dren under the age of 18, and living in any of the 48 con-
tiguous States, as published by the Bureau of the Census 
for the year in which the wage rate is being so deter-
mined.’’. 
DIVISION E—ANTI-POVERTY TAX 
PROVISION 
TITLE XVI—CHILD TAX CREDIT 
PERMANENCY 
SEC. 1601. MODIFICATIONS OF THE CHILD TAX CREDIT. 
(a) PERMANENT EXTENSION.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—Clause 
(i) 
of 
section 
24(d)(1)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
is amended by striking ‘‘$10,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$3,000’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
24(d) of such Code is amended by striking para-
graphs (3) and (4). 
(b) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—Section 24 of such 
Code 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 2015, the 
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328 
$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 2014’ 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.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2015. 
TITLE XVII—EARNED INCOME 
TAX CREDIT 
SEC. 1701. 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 
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329 
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: 
‘‘(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 2016, paragraph (1)(B)(i) shall be applied by 
substituting ‘calendar year 2015’ 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— 
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(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, 2015. 
TITLE XVIII—CHILD CARE AC-
CESS 
AND 
REFUNDABILITY 
EXPANSION ACT 
SEC. 1801. 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 
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331 
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’’. 
(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’’. 
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332 
(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,’’. 
(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 
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333 
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 
2015, 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 
year 2014’ 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, 2015. 
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334 
DIVISION F—MISCELLANEOUS 
TITLE XIX—POVERTY IMPACT 
TRIGGER 
SEC. 1901. 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 
published in the Congressional Record before consid-
eration of the bill or joint resolution.’’. 
SEC. 1902. 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.— 
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335 
‘‘(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: 
‘‘(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— 
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‘‘(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).’’. 
SEC. 1903. 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 
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337 
(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. 1904. 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 XX—HALF IN TEN ACT TO 
CREATE A NATIONAL STRAT-
EGY TO REDUCE POVERTY 
SEC. 2001. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The persistence of poverty, and especially 
intergenerational poverty, in America can be seen as 
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. 
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(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 
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 
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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). 
(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 
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340 
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). 
(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 
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341 
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. 2002. 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. 
(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. 
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342 
(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. 
(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-
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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 
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-
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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 
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 
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