Title: Expressing the moral responsibility of Congress to end adult and child poverty in the United States.
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
This resolution acknowledges that child poverty prevents children from reaching healthy development and an economically secure future. It also encourages all levels of government to enact and support anti-poverty policies and programs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 985 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 985

Expressing the moral responsibility of Congress to end adult and child 
                     poverty in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 28, 2020

Ms. Lee of California (for herself, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, 
 Mr. Hastings, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Khanna, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Norton, 
 Ms. Pressley, Mr. Rush, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. 
 Moore, and Ms. Johnson of Texas) submitted the following resolution; 
      which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the moral responsibility of Congress to end adult and child 
                     poverty in the United States.

Whereas poverty is an immoral and economic stain on our Nation and needs to be 
        addressed;
Whereas the poverty rate in the United States, the wealthiest nation in the 
        world, continues to rank among the highest when compared to other 
        developed nations;
Whereas according to the ``Poor People's Moral Budget: Everybody Has the Right 
        to Live'', 140 million Americans are poor or one emergency away from 
        being poor;
Whereas in 2018, 38.1 million people including 11.9 million children were living 
        in poverty based on the Official Poverty Measure (OPM);
Whereas 1 in 6 children live in poverty and more than 5 million of these 
        children lived in extreme poverty, at less than half the poverty level, 
        and nearly 3 in 4 poor children were children of color;
Whereas child poverty creates gaps in cognitive skills for very young children, 
        puts children at greater risk of hunger and homelessness, jeopardizes 
        their health and ability to learn, and fuels the intergenerational cycle 
        of poverty;
Whereas communities of color face disproportionate rates of poverty and 
        inequality;
Whereas approximately 8.9 million Black, 10.5 million Latinx, 2 million Asian, 
        and 2.1 million Native and Indigenous people live in poverty in the 
        United States;
Whereas income inequality is the worst it has been in five decades;
Whereas more than 21.4 million women lived in poverty in 2018, with women of 
        color, women with disabilities, and older women facing higher rates of 
        poverty than women overall;
Whereas the top 10 percent of United States households own 70 percent of the 
        country's total wealth and those in the bottom 50 percent saw no 
        increase in their wealth over the past 30 years;
Whereas in 2018, 37.2 million people, including 11.2 million children, were 
        deemed food insecure, including the 10 million people living in 5.6 
        million households defined by the Department of Agriculture as very food 
        insecure, a number virtually unchanged since 2017;
Whereas if COVID-19 incidences continue as projected through this year and next, 
        the number of people experiencing food insecurity in 2020 would increase 
        by over 17 million, including nearly 7 million children, which means 54 
        million people (1 in 6) would experience food insecurity in 2020, 
        including 18 million children (1 in 4);
Whereas the Federal minimum wage has not changed from $7.25 per hour since 2009, 
        and Federal law has allowed employers to pay tipped workers just $2.13 
        per hour since 1991;
Whereas the value of the minimum wage has declined in real terms by more than 30 
        percent since 1968;
Whereas the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) does not adequately capture 
        sufficient needs for families to cover food, housing, utilities, and 
        childcare expenses;
Whereas 62 million workers in the United States work for less than a living 
        wage;
Whereas over 200,000 people with disabilities work for a subminimum wage;
Whereas the United States does not require a national minimum paid sick time 
        standard, and therefore working adults without paid sick leave are three 
        times more likely to have incomes below the poverty line;
Whereas fewer than 40 percent have access to paid medical leave to address a 
        serious illness or injury through employer-provided short-term 
        disability insurance, and fewer than 60 percent are eligible to take 
        unpaid FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act), leaving millions of workers 
        and families just 1 accident or illness away from economic devastation;
Whereas approximately 5.2 million workers are working in involuntary part-time 
        jobs when they would prefer full-time jobs;
Whereas millions of people working in hourly jobs have unstable, unpredictable 
        work schedules that do not give them the notice and input they need to 
        plan their lives and care for their families;
Whereas ``fissuring'' of the workplace, has resulted in more subcontracted, 
        temporary, and 1099 positions that lack benefits and workplace 
        protections, leading to greater economic precarity for low-wage workers;
Whereas according to the 2018 Federal Reserve report on the economic wellbeing 
        of United States households, 4 in 10 Americans say they are not able to 
        cover an unexpected expense of $400;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate poverty, especially for children, 
        and has exposed the shortcomings of the United States economic system 
        and social safety net;
Whereas if adequate measures are not taken to help Americans during the COVID-19 
        pandemic, the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University 
        projects that 21 million more individuals will be in poverty, the 
        highest recorded rate of poverty since 1967;
Whereas according to the same Columbia University report, child poverty could 
        rise by 53 percent with Black and Latino children bearing a 
        disproportionate risk of falling into or deeper into poverty;
Whereas, as of May 21, 2020, 38.6 million Americans have filed for unemployment 
        since mid-March because businesses have shut down or reduced their 
        payroll in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas economic distress faced during the COVID-19 pandemic will 
        disproportionately impact women, working-class people, children, and 
        Black and Brown communities;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to drastically increase poverty for 
        children and families;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting children's daily lives and there are 
        likely to be long-term and negative consequences for child development 
        and future success;
Whereas low-income children and families are often the targets of discrimination 
        based on their socioeconomic status as well as other social indicators 
        such as race or ethnicity, immigration status, ability, sex, sexual 
        orientation, and gender identity;
Whereas low-income families pay nearly 35 percent of their income on childcare 
        compared to middle-class families who pay roughly 14 percent of their 
        income on childcare;
Whereas poverty has lasting effects on a child's neural and functional brain 
        development and mental health;
Whereas poverty exacerbates the student achievement rate and schools remain 
        economically segregated;
Whereas child poverty costs the United States between $800 billion and $1.1 
        trillion annually;
Whereas protecting children against the lifelong consequences of poverty will 
        improve their life and reduce child poverty in future generations;
Whereas poverty exacerbates the student achievement rate and many schools remain 
        economically and racially segregated;
Whereas school districts with high poverty rates often receive the least amount 
        of funding;
Whereas the number of students experiencing poverty and homelessness has 
        increased by 11 percent;
Whereas LGBTQ+ students face poverty and homelessness because they are forced to 
        leave their homes because of their sexual or gender identity;
Whereas according to the Department of Education, 1.5 million school-aged 
        children experienced homelessness during the 2017-2018 school year;
Whereas many low-income children and families do not receive the full value of 
        the current Child Tax Credit (CTC) as it leaves behind 23 million 
        children, including 50 percent of Black and Latino Children;
Whereas to reduce child poverty long term, children also need access to 
        affordable, comprehensive physical and behavioral health care, 
        affordable high-quality early development and learning opportunities, 
        high performing schools and colleges, and families and neighborhoods 
        free from violence;
Whereas 29 percent of Americans skipped refilling their prescriptions because of 
        high costs, and 26 percent struggled to pay medical bills;
Whereas more than half a million people experience poverty and homelessness on 
        any given night, a number which has increased over the past two years;
Whereas the criminal-legal system contributes to a cycle of poverty by issuing 
        court-imposed fines and fees and threatening imprisonment for minor 
        infractions and civil violations;
Whereas according to the Prison Policy Initiative, families spend almost $2.9 
        billion on exorbitant commissary costs and phone calls to support their 
        incarcerated loved ones;
Whereas formerly incarcerated people face barriers to employment, housing, and 
        social support programs after release and access to higher education, 
        adult education, and workforce development training opportunities after 
        release;
Whereas nearly 1 in 2 United States children have at least 1 parent with a 
        criminal record, and the barriers associated with a parent's record can 
        stunt a child's cognitive development, school performance, and 
        educational attainment;
Whereas children in immigrant families make up one-quarter of all children in 
        the United States, and are more likely to face systemic barriers to 
        accessing economic and nutrition supports that can aid their health and 
        development;
Whereas globally, people living in areas with high concentrations of poverty 
        will be disproportionately impacted by climate change;
Whereas voter suppression and lack of access to voting, including early voting 
        or alternative methods, leads to a disproportionate underrepresentation 
        of low-income people;
Whereas the United States should redistribute wealth and Federal assistance to 
        reduce poverty and increase economic opportunity;
Whereas an investment of $24.4 billion per year in K-12 schools and teachers 
        could start to boost academic performance among poor and struggling 
        children for about the same cost as a wall at the southern border of the 
        United States;
Whereas for every $1 invested in early childhood education, society would gain 
        $7.30 due to reduced poverty, lower incarceration rates, and better 
        health outcomes;
Whereas addressing climate change with a $200 billion per year investment in a 
        clean energy transition would reduce poverty by creating 2.7 million new 
        jobs;
Whereas raising income tax rates by 1 percent in the top 2 income brackets would 
        raise about $125 billion over 10 years that can be used in assistance 
        for people living in poverty;
Whereas ending mass incarceration and instead adopting a Justice Reinvestment 
        model could save up to $4 billion that can be used to invest in people 
        living in poverty; and
Whereas simple trade-offs in our budget could fund critical, equitable policy 
        changes towards establishing a moral economy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) acknowledges that budgets are moral documents that 
        reflect our values as a Nation;
            (2) acknowledges that child poverty robs our Nation of a 
        child's full potential and prevents millions of children from 
        reaching healthy development and an economically secure future;
            (3) supports passing policy provisions to reduce adult and 
        child poverty, racial disparities, income and wealth 
        inequality, and increase of opportunity for all;
            (4) supports policies to help reduce child poverty by 
        increasing wages for working families, improving tax credits to 
        ensure more low-income children and families benefit, expanding 
        subsidized jobs with special attention to the needs of young 
        adults disconnected from school and work, and providing access 
        to quality, reliable childcare;
            (5) encourages the Federal Government, States, and cities 
        to enact robust antipoverty policies and to create new, 
        innovative solutions to eliminate poverty;
            (6) acknowledges that too few resources have been allocated 
        by the Federal Government to help end poverty for children and 
        families;
            (7) acknowledges that poverty was created and sustained by 
        humans, including policymakers, and that we can choose to end 
        it;
            (8) affirms that ending poverty, especially for our 
        Nation's children, is a moral and economic imperative;
            (9) affirms immigration status is not a means to deny basic 
        need programs;
            (10) supports increased funding for and strengthening of 
        basic need programs like the supplemental nutrition assistance 
        program (SNAP), temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), 
        the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and 
        housing assistance especially during the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (11) supports comprehensive health care that should be 
        available and affordable to everyone in the United States 
        during the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (12) supports the strengthening of robust unemployment 
        insurance and paid leave policies to protect workers, 
        especially during the COVID-19 pandemic;
            (13) reaffirms that a criminal record is no longer a life 
        sentence to poverty for tens of millions of justice-involved 
        individuals and their families, and supports automatically 
        clearing criminal records once a person has completed the 
        sentence imposed; and
            (14) accepts climate change as an accelerator towards 
        poverty and a threat to shared prosperity that demands 
        investment in a clean energy transition to help create jobs.
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