(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 
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 
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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-
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; 
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(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; 
(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-
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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. 
SEC. 5. APPOINTMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DI-
RECTOR. 
(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-
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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-
nation, impact, and outcomes of social services, ben-
efits, and other poverty reduction and economic op-
portunity programs, in collaboration with experts in 
the field, non-governmental organizations, and other 
governments; 
(3) work with Federal agencies to oversee, co-
ordinate, and integrate the implementation of the 
National Plan or Strategy, including consultation 
with independent non-governmental policy experts 
and service provider groups engaged in serving low- 
income persons, children and households, State and 
local government officials who administer or direct 
policy for anti-poverty programs, and with as many 
groups that directly represent low-income people, 
such as public housing tenants’ associations, or 
other similar groups; and 
(4) resolve any disputes that arise between Fed-
eral agencies relating to the National Plan to reduce 
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