[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6639 Introduced in House (IH)]
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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 California, Mrs.
Ramirez, Mr. Garcia 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 Committee on Education and
the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and
Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 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 Representatives 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''.
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 Federal
assistance and benefits such that it incorporates more accurate costs
of basic needs, keeps pace with changing household spending norms,
accounts for regional variations in the cost of living, and reflects
the minimum expenditures required by a household to have the
opportunity 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 follows:
``(2) Poverty line.--
``(A) In general.--The term `poverty line' means
the official poverty line defined by the Office of
Management and Budget according to the Secretary's
published poverty line under subparagraph (B).
``(B) Revision and publication.--In coordination
with the Bureau of the Census, the Secretary shall
revise and publish the poverty line in the manner
described in subparagraph (C) at least annually (or at
any shorter interval the Secretary determines to be
feasible and desirable).
``(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,
calculated at 83 percent of the
averages of the 47th through the 53rd
percentiles of spending in the Consumer
Expenditure 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
appropriate for the household size as
determined by the Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development under Fair Market
Rents estimate determined by such
Secretary as required under section 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 National
Database of Childcare Prices of the
Department of Labor;
``(IV) for up to 6 household
members enrolled in employer-sponsored
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 Expenditure Panel Survey to the
extent practicable;
``(V) for up to 6 household members
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 Health
Benefits Benchmark Plan defined 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 Household
Component of the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey; and
``(VI) for up to 6 household
members who are eligible for Medicare,
the sum of the cost of the premium for
the lowest cost Medicare Advantage plan
available that provides prescription
drug coverage 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 Household
Component of the Medical Expenditure
Panel Survey.
``(ii) The Secretary shall calculate the
average incremental cost of each additional
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 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
appropriate multipliers to each factor
determined under in clause (i) to reflect
economies or diseconomies of scale with
additional household members.
``(vii) The Director may create simplified
poverty line variants or per-person cost
calculations for administrative purposes in
determining household program eligibility as
long as such variants or calculations
materially incorporate all applicable costs
specified under this subparagraph.
``(viii) The Director shall provide a
lookup tool on the website of the Department of
Health and Human Services for use by States,
counties, and the public to 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 program
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 the
poverty line as determined under this paragraph
prior to the date of enactment of the Poverty
Line Act of 2023 and adjusted 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 Federal laws and regulations that apply the
Federal poverty line in effect under section 673(2) of the Community
Services 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 evaluation, and
(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.
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