I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6639 
To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to update the Federal 
poverty line, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 6, 2023 
Mr. MULLIN (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. 
THANEDAR, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of Cali-
fornia, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. LEE 
of California, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, and Mr. 
GOMEZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Community Services Block Grant Act to 
update the Federal poverty line, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Poverty Line Act of 
2023’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to update the calculation 
of the Federal poverty line, updated periodically in the 
Federal Register under the authority of section 673 of the 
Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 
9902(2)), to expand eligibility for and utilization of Fed-
eral assistance and benefits such that it incorporates more 
accurate costs of basic needs, keeps pace with changing 
household spending norms, accounts for regional vari-
ations in the cost of living, and reflects the minimum ex-
penditures required by a household to have the oppor-
tunity to achieve social and economic mobility. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO DEFINITION OF POVERTY LINE. 
Section 673(2) of the Community Services Block 
Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) POVERTY LINE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘poverty 
line’ means the official poverty line defined by 
the Office of Management and Budget accord-
ing to the Secretary’s published poverty line 
under subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) REVISION AND PUBLICATION.—In co-
ordination with the Bureau of the Census, the 
Secretary shall revise and publish the poverty 
line in the manner described in subparagraph 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(C) at least annually (or at any shorter interval 
the Secretary determines to be feasible and de-
sirable). 
‘‘(C) REVISION.— 
‘‘(i) The poverty line as revised shall 
be calculated at household sizes from 1 to 
8 members and shall be the sum of— 
‘‘(I) a 5-year rolling average of 
household 
expenditures 
for 
food, 
clothing, telephone, and internet, cal-
culated at 83 percent of the averages 
of the 47th through the 53rd percent-
iles of spending in the Consumer Ex-
penditure Survey of the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, adjusted for inflation 
as measured by the Consumer Price 
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI– 
U), and multiplied by the other basic 
goods factor set under clause (iv); 
‘‘(II) the cost of a rental housing 
unit with the number of bedrooms ap-
propriate for the household size as de-
termined by the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development under Fair 
Market Rents estimate determined by 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
such Secretary as required under sec-
tion 8 of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), and 
multiplied by the other basic goods 
factor set under clause (iv); 
‘‘(III) for up to 6 household 
members who are under 5 years, the 
cost of average child care prices for 
such children as determined by Na-
tional Database of Childcare Prices of 
the Department of Labor; 
‘‘(IV) for up to 6 household 
members enrolled in employer-spon-
sored health care plans, the median 
non-premium out-of-pocket costs for 
such members as determined by the 
Secretary based on the Household 
Component of the Medical Expendi-
ture Panel Survey to the extent prac-
ticable; 
‘‘(V) for up to 6 household mem-
bers who are not otherwise enrolled in 
an employer-sponsored health care 
plan or are eligible for Medicare, the 
sum of the premium of an Essential 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Health Benefits Benchmark Plan de-
fined by the Secretary as required 
under title I of the Patient Protection 
and Affordable Care Act and, to the 
extent practicable, the median non- 
premium out-of-pocket costs for those 
enrolled in such a plan as determined 
by the Secretary based on the House-
hold Component of the Medical Ex-
penditure Panel Survey; and 
‘‘(VI) for up to 6 household 
members who are eligible for Medi-
care, the sum of the cost of the pre-
mium for the lowest cost Medicare 
Advantage plan available that pro-
vides prescription drug coverage and, 
to the extent practicable, the median 
non-premium out-of-pocket costs for 
those enrolled in such a plan as deter-
mined by the Secretary based on the 
Household Component of the Medical 
Expenditure Panel Survey. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall calculate the 
average incremental cost of each additional 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
household member for households with 
more than 8 members. 
‘‘(iii) For each factor determined 
under clauses (i) and (ii), the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(I) use State-level data, any 
available county-level data, and, for 
clauses (i)(V) and (VI), geographic 
rating area data, and 
‘‘(II) subject to clause (viii), 
produce poverty line variants for each 
such geographic area. 
‘‘(iv) The Secretary shall set the other 
basic goods factor at the county level at a 
number that reflects spending on goods 
and services on which a household relies 
for basic needs, including transportation 
(where appropriate), and is otherwise not 
reflected in such clause but at not less 
than at 1.2. 
‘‘(v) The Secretary may issue rules 
that require the use of data sources in lieu 
of the data sources specified in clause (i) 
for determining any factor applicable 
under this subparagraph if the Secretary 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
determines that such specified sources do 
not accurately reflect changes in otherwise 
applicable average household expenditures 
due to a significant economic event (such 
as a national emergency or above-average 
price inflation) or a substantial change in 
the underlying methodology or availability 
of such sources. 
‘‘(vi) The Secretary shall apply appro-
priate multipliers to each factor deter-
mined under in clause (i) to reflect econo-
mies or diseconomies of scale with addi-
tional household members. 
‘‘(vii) The Director may create sim-
plified poverty line variants or per-person 
cost calculations for administrative pur-
poses in determining household program 
eligibility as long as such variants or cal-
culations materially incorporate all applica-
ble costs specified under this subpara-
graph. 
‘‘(viii) The Director shall provide a 
lookup tool on the website of the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services for 
use by States, counties, and the public to 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
determine the poverty line of a given 
household based on the factors in this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(D) BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM USAGE.— 
‘‘(i) If a State determines that it 
serves the objectives of the block grant 
program established under this subtitle, 
the State may revise the poverty line to 
not to exceed 125 percent of the official 
poverty line otherwise applicable under this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(ii) The poverty line shall be used as 
a criterion of eligibility in the community 
services block grant program established 
under this subtitle. 
‘‘(E) SAFE HARBORS.— 
‘‘(i) The poverty line applicable to a 
participant or household in a Federal pro-
gram on the date the participant moves 
from one geographic location to another 
shall not be reduced by reason of the move 
for the 2-year period beginning on the date 
of the move. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall not set the 
poverty line for any State or county below 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
the poverty line as determined under this 
paragraph prior to the date of enactment 
of the Poverty Line Act of 2023 and ad-
justed for inflation up to the present 
time.’’. 
SEC. 4. TRANSITION. 
Not later than 1 year after the effective date of this 
Act, the Director of Office of Management and Budget 
shall submit to Congress a report that specifies the Fed-
eral laws and regulations that apply the Federal poverty 
line in effect under section 673(2) of the Community Serv-
ices Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) as a factor in 
determining eligibility for Federal programs and that the 
Director recommends be updated to reflect the changes 
required by the amendment made by this Act. 
SEC. 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT. 
In the 4th year after the effective date of this Act, 
and at least once every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services shall— 
(1) evaluate the efficacy of the poverty line as 
determined under section 673(2) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), as 
amended by this Act, 
(2) publish a report on the results of the eval-
uation, and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
(3) propose any change to such poverty line 
that would better achieve the purpose of this Act. 
SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude 
the Bureau of the Census or any other Federal agency 
from collecting, calculating, or publishing other measures 
of poverty for other purposes. 
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act and the amendment made by this Act shall 
take effect 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:06 Dec 20, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6639.IH
H6639
ssavage on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS