379 
cially vulnerable, low-income and disadvantaged 
communities may provide greater socio-eco-
nomic benefits; 
(L) improving the ability of community- 
based organizations to participate in the devel-
opment, oversight and implementation of Fed-
eral poverty-related programs; 
(M) improving access to good jobs with 
adequate wages and benefits by individuals liv-
ing in poverty, low-income households, and the 
unemployed; 
(N) expanding and stabilizing poor and 
low-income persons connection to work and ac-
cess to critical job training and/or skills up-
grade training that will lead to re-entry in the 
workforce; 
(O) developing a comprehensive strategy to 
connect low-income young people and to re-con-
nect currently disconnected youth to education, 
work, and their community; and 
(P) shifting the focus of poverty and 
means-tested programs across the Federal Gov-
ernment beyond the relief of deprivation and in-
stead setting goals, measures, and outcomes 
more focused on measuring the success of pro-
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grams in supporting and improving how capable 
individuals and families can access educational 
and economic opportunities to successfully tran-
sition away from accessing public assistance 
and benefits and achieving long-term economic 
stability which will reduce long-term costs in 
domestic social needs programs, reduce long- 
term health care costs due to the improved 
health of formerly poverty stricken households, 
increase the number of taxpaying individuals 
which will increase revenue, and lower the en-
rollment and costs in need based benefits and 
services programs, thus improving the economy 
and reducing long-term deficits for Federal, 
State, and local governments; 
(2) oversee, coordinate, and integrate all poli-
cies and activities of the Federal Government, in co-
ordination and consultation with the Domestic Pol-
icy Council and the National Economic Council, 
across all agencies relating to reducing the number 
of individuals, families, and children living below the 
Federal poverty line, in extreme poverty or near pov-
erty and increasing the number of households able 
to achieve long-term economic stability with assets 
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sufficient to maintain a decent living standard with-
out relying on public-support— 
(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 
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382 
access to, receive, and appropriately disseminate best 
practices in the administration of programs, have 
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 nongovernment 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; 
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(D) streamlining enrollment and eligibility 
for programs; 
(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 
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384 
to allow improved cooperation and innovation in the 
development of programs, practices, policies and pro-
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. 1804. APPOINTMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE 
DIRECTOR. 
(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, 
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ending child poverty, ending extreme poverty and 
eliminating racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual iden-
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, nongovernmental 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 nongovernmental 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 
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(4) resolve any disputes that arise between Fed-
eral agencies relating to the National Plan to reduce 
poverty in half in ten years or other matters within 
the responsibility of the Office. 
SEC. 1805. CONSULTATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director may consult and ob-
tain recommendations from, as needed, such Presidential 
and other advisory entities such as consultation with inde-
pendent nongovernmental policy experts and service pro-
vider groups engaged in serving low-income persons, chil-
dren, and households; State and local government officials 
who administer or direct policy for anti-poverty programs, 
and groups made up of low-income people, such as public 
housing tenants’ associations, or other similar groups as 
the Director determines will assist in carrying out the mis-
sion of the Office, including, but not limited to— 
(1) the Administration for Children and Fami-
lies (ACF); 
(2) the Administration on Aging (AoA); 
(3) the Department of Agriculture (USDA); 
(4) the Bankruptcy Courts; 
(5) the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protec-
tion; 
(6) the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); 
(7) the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA); 
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(8) the Bureau of the Census; 
(9) the Center for Nutrition Policy and Pro-
motion; 
(10) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv-
ices (formerly the Health Care Financing Adminis-
tration); 
(11) the Commission on Civil Rights; 
(12) the Office of Community Planning and 
Development; 
(13) the Consumer Financial Protection Bu-
reau; 
(14) the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Jus-
tice and Delinquency Prevention; 
(15) the Corporation for National and Commu-
nity Service; 
(16) the Council of Economic Advisers; 
(17) the Department of Agriculture (USDA); 
(18) the Department of Commerce (DOC); 
(19) the Department of Defense (DOD); 
(20) the Department of Education (ED); 
(21) the Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS); 
(22) the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD); 
(23) the Department of Justice (DOJ); 
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(24) the Department of Labor (DOL); 
(25) the Department of the Treasury; 
(26) the Department of Transportation (DOT); 
(27) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); 
(28) the Disability Employment Policy Office; 
(29) the Domestic Policy Council; 
(30) the Drug Enforcement Administration 
(DEA); 
(31) the Economic Development Administra-
tion; 
(32) the Economic Research Service; 
(33) the English Language Acquisition Office; 
(34) the Equal Employment Opportunity Com-
mission (EEOC); 
(35) the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; 
(36) the Federal Bureau of Prisons; 
(37) the Federal Housing Finance Board; 
(38) the Federal Labor Relations Authority; 
(39) the Federal Trade Commission (FTC); 
(40) the Food and Nutrition Service; 
(41) the Indian Health Service; 
(42) the Interagency Council on Homelessness; 
(43) the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); 
(44) the Legal Services Corporation; 
(45) the National AIDS Policy Office; 
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(46) the National Credit Union Administration; 
(47) the National Economic Council; 
(48) the National Institutes of Health (NIH); 
(49) the National Labor Relations Board; 
(50) the Occupational Safety & Health Admin-
istration (OSHA); 
(51) the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB); 
(52) the Office of Refugee Resettlement; 
(53) the Office of Policy Development and Re-
search (Housing and Urban Development Depart-
ment); 
(54) the Small Business Administration (SBA); 
(55) the Social Security Administration (SSA); 
(56) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration; 
(57) the Veterans’ Employment and Training 
Service; and 
(58) the Women’s Bureau (Labor Department). 
(b) NATIONAL STRATEGY.—In developing and updat-
ing the National Strategy the Executive Director shall 
consult with the Domestic Policy Council, the National 
Economic Council, and, as appropriate, hold regional pub-
lic hearings around the country to collect information and 
feedback from the public on their efforts and experience 
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for the development and updating of the National Strategy 
and make this information available to the public. 
SEC. 1806. REPORTS TO CONGRESS AND THE PUBLIC. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Chair of the Federal Inter-
agency Working Group on Reducing Poverty shall submit 
an annual report to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees describing the activities, ongoing projects, and plans 
of the Federal Government designed to meet the goals and 
objectives of the National Strategy on Poverty. The report 
shall include an accounting of the savings to the Govern-
ment from any increased efficiencies in the delivery of 
services, any savings from reducing the numbers of Ameri-
cans living in poverty and reductions in the demand for 
need-based services and benefits for which persons living 
in and near poverty are eligible, as well as an accounting 
of any increase in revenue collections due to the numbers 
of persons who become gainfully employed and pay taxes 
into the Treasury instead of drawing benefits and services 
from it. 
(b) NATIONAL
ACADEMY
OF
SCIENCES
WORK-
SHOP.—Within 90 days after funds are made available to 
carry out this title, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall contract with the National Academy of 
Sciences (hereinafter in this subsection referred to as the 
‘‘NAS’’) to initiate a workshop series to provide necessary 
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background information to enable the Working Group on 
Reducing Poverty to develop and finalize its plan. 
(1) The NAS shall convene a steering com-
mittee to organize, plan, and conduct a public work-
shop on what is known about the economic and so-
cial costs of poverty, including, but not limited to 
the following: 
(A) Macroeconomic costs (effects on pro-
ductivity and economic output). 
(B) Health costs (effects on health expend-
itures and health status). 
(C) Crime and other social costs. 
(D) Direct Federal budget effects (e.g., 
outlays for income support and other poverty 
reduction programs). 
(E) Natural disaster related risks and 
costs. 
(F) The workshop shall also consider pov-
erty metrics (e.g., income poverty, food insecu-
rity, and other measures of deprivation), and 
their role in assessing the effects of poverty and 
the performance of anti-poverty programs. 
The NAS shall commission experts to prepare pa-
pers that summarize and critique the relevant lit-
erature estimating monetary and non-monetary eco-
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392 
nomic and social impacts of poverty. A workshop 
summary shall be produced that, along with the pa-
pers, shall be available electronically on the NAS 
website. This workshop shall be convened within 6 
months of receipt of a contract, the papers posted 
immediately, and the summary released by the end 
of month. 
(2) The NAS steering committee shall organize, 
plan, and conduct a second public workshop on what 
is known about the economic and social costs and 
benefits of a variety of programs and strategies to 
reduce and prevent poverty. It shall take account of 
such issues as the following: 
(A) Short-term versus long-term effects, 
including budget implications. 
(B) 
Effects 
for 
different 
population 
groups, such as children, the elderly, immi-
grants, long-term single-parent families, dis-
placed older workers, young people with large 
loans, people in areas of concentrated poverty 
and other social ills (e.g., Indian reservations, 
some inner city areas, some rural areas). 
(C) Effects by depth of poverty and near- 
poverty (e.g., income to poverty ratios of less 
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393 
than 50 percent, less than 100 percent, less 
than 200 percent). 
This second workshop shall be convened within 9 
months of receipt of a contract, the papers posted 
immediately, and a summary released by the end of 
month 12. 
(c) REPORT.—The relevant sections of the report 
shall be posted on each agency’s website on the plans and 
impacts specific to their agency. 
(d) PUBLIC REPORT.—A version of each report sub-
mitted under this section shall be made available to the 
public. 
(e) LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.—The Working Group 
on Reducing Poverty shall submit, as necessary, legislative 
language, including specific legislative recommendations to 
the Congress of the United States towards achieving the 
national goals. 
Æ 
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