,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #afcj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #be1 #bjag,mr4 ,casey 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 and ,mr4 ,brown7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish in the ,administration for ,children and ,families of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services the ,federal ,interagency ,working ,group on ,reducing ,child ,poverty to develop a national strategy to eliminate child poverty in the ,united ,states1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,child ,poverty ,reduction ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,establishment of ,working ,group ,there is established in the ,administration for ,children and ,families of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services a group which shall be known as the ,federal ,interagency ,working ,group on ,reducing ,child ,poverty 7in this ,act referred to as the ,working ,group74 #c4 ,national plan to reduce child poverty 7a7 ,primary goal 7#a7 ,development of national plan ,the primary goal of the ,working ,group is to develop a national plan-- 7,a7 to reduce1 within #aj years after the date on which funding is made available to carry out this ,act-- 7i7 the number of children living in poverty in the ,united ,states to half of the number of such children as reported in the report of the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau on ,income1 ,poverty1 and ,health ,insurance ,coverage in the ,united ,states3 #bjae 7issued in ,september #bjaf72 and 7ii7 the number of children living in extreme poverty in the ,united ,states to zero2 and 7,b7 to reduce1 within #bj years after the date on which funds are made available to carry out this ,act1 the number of children living in poverty in the ,united ,states to zero4 7#b7 ,consultation with ,national ,academy of ,sciences ,in developing the national plan under paragraph 7#a71 the ,working ,group shall consider all recommendations1 research papers1 and reports published by the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 including the ,social ,services and ,income ,maintenance ,research conducted using amounts made available under the ,children and ,families ,services ,programs under the heading ,administration for ,children and ,families under title ,,ii of division ,h of the ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjaf 7,public ,law #aad-aac7 and of the ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-ca74 7#c7 ,deadline ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,working ,group shall make substantial progress toward the development of the national plan4 7b7 ,additional goals ,the national plan under subsection 7a7 shall include recommendations for achieving the following goals3 7#a7 ,understanding the root causes of child poverty1 including persistent intergenerational poverty1 taking into account social1 economic1 and cultural factors4 7#b7 ,improving the accessibility of anti-poverty programs and increasing the rate of enrollment in such programs among eligible children and families by reducing the complexity and difficulty of enrolling in such programs4 7#c7 ,eliminating disparate rates of child poverty based on race1 ethnicity1 gender1 age1 ,english language proficiency1 ability1 and geographic location in a rural1 urban1 or suburban area4 7#d7 ,improving the ability of individuals living in poverty1 low-income individuals1 and unemployed individuals to access quality jobs that help children and their families rise above poverty4 7#e7 ,connecting low-income children1 disconnected youth1 and families of those children and youth to education1 job training1 work1 and the respective communities in which those children and youth live in4 7#f7 ,shifting the measures and policies of ,federal anti-poverty programs from the goal of helping individuals and families living in poverty to achieve freedom from deprivation toward the goal of helping individuals and families rise above poverty and achieve long-term economic stability4 7c7 ,methods ,in developing the national plan under subsection 7a71 the ,working ,group shall employ methods for achieving the goals described in subsections 7a7 and 7b71 including-- 7#a7 studying the effect that child poverty has on the health and welfare of children1 including access to health care1 housing1 proper nutrition1 and education2 7#b7 measuring the effect of child poverty on the ability of individuals to achieve economic stability1 including such effect on educational attainment1 rates of incarceration1 lifetime earnings1 access to healthcare1 and access to housing2 7#c7 updating and applying improved measures of poverty that can meaningfully account for other aspects relating to the measure of poverty1 such as the ,supplemental ,poverty ,measure used by the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau2 and 7#d7 using and applying fact-based measures to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of anti-poverty programs1 taking into account the long-term savings and value to the ,federal ,government and to ,state1 local1 and tribal governments of practices and policies designed to prevent poverty4 #d4 ,other duties ,in addition to developing the national plan under section #c7;a71 the ,working ,group shall-- 7#a7 monitor1 in consultation with the ,domestic ,policy ,council and the ,national ,economic ,council1 all ,federal activities1 programs1 and services related to child welfare and child poverty2 7#b7 establish guidelines1 policies1 goals1 and directives related to the achievement of the goals of the national plan1 in consultation with-- 7,a7 nongovernmental entities providing social services to low-income children and families2 7,b7 advocacy groups that directly represent low-income children and families2 7,c7 policy experts2 and 7,d7 officials of ,state1 local1 and tribal governments1 including the working groups of the largest associations of ,state and local government officials1 who administer or direct policy for anti-poverty programs2 7#c7 advise all relevant ,federal agencies regarding methods of effectively administering and coordinating programs1 activities1 and services related to child welfare and child poverty1 and resolving any disputes that arise between or among those ,federal agencies as a result of such administration or coordination2 7#d7 provide recommendations to the ,congress regarding how to ensure that ,federal agencies administering programs1 activities1 and services related to child welfare and child poverty have adequate resources to increase public awareness of such programs1 activities1 and services1 and how to maximize enrollment of eligible individuals2 7#e7 identify methods for improving communication and collaboration among and between ,federal1 ,state1 and local governmental entities regarding the implementation of ,state and local programs related to child welfare and child poverty1 such as ,state programs funded under part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq47 7relating to block grants to ,states for temporary assistance for needy families71 and submit recommendations regarding such methods to relevant ,federal agencies and congressional committees2 and 7#f7 hold hearings in different geographic regions of the ,united ,states to collect information and feedback from the public regarding personal experiences related to child poverty and anti-poverty programs1 and make that information and feedback publicly available4 #e4 ,membership 7a7 ,number of members ,the ,working ,group shall be composed of no less than #f members4 7b7 ,executive pay rate ,each member shall be an official of an executive department who occupies a position for which the rate of pay is equal to or greater than the rate of pay for level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule under section #ecac of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7c7 ,required participation of certain executive departments ,the ,working ,group shall include at least one member who is an official of each of the following executive departments3 7#a7 ,the ,department of ,justice4 7#b7 ,the ,department of ,agriculture4 7#c7 ,the ,department of ,labor4 7#d7 ,the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#e7 ,the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development4 7#f7 ,the ,department of ,education4 7d7 ,appointment ,each member shall be appointed by the head of the executive department that employs such member4 7e7 ,obtaining official data ,on request of the ,chairperson1 any head of a ,federal agency shall furnish directly to the ,working ,group any information necessary to enable the ,working ,group to carry out this ,act4 7f7 ,terms ,each member shall be appointed for the life of the ,working ,group4 7g7 ,vacancies ,a vacancy in the ,commission shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made4 7h7 ,quorum ,a majority of members shall constitute a quorum4 7i7 ,chairperson ,the ,chairperson of the ,working ,group shall be appointed by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7j7 ,meetings 7#a7 ,initial meeting period ,the ,working ,group shall meet on a monthly basis during the #ahj-;day period beginning with the date on which funds are made available to carry out this ,act4 7#b7 ,subsequent meetings ,after such #ahj-;day period1 the ,working ,group shall meet not less than once every #f months and at the call of the ,chairperson or a majority of members4 #f4 ,director and staff 7a7 ,director ,the ,working ,group shall have a ,director who shall be appointed by the ,chairperson4 7b7 ,staff ,the ,director may appoint and fix the pay of additional personnel as the ,director considers appropriate4 7c7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,director and staff shall be to achieve the goals and carry out the duties of the ,working ,group4 #g4 ,reporting requirements 7a7 ,annual report ,not later than ,september #cj1 #bjah1 and annually thereafter1 the ,chairperson shall submit to the ,congress a report describing the activities1 projects1 and plans of the ,federal ,government to carry out the goals of the ,working ,group1 including-- 7#a7 an accounting of-- 7,a7 any increase in efficiency in the delivery of ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and tribal social services and benefits related to child welfare and child poverty2 7,b7 any reduction in the number of children living in poverty2 7,c7 any reduction in the demand for such social services and benefits for which children living in poverty and near poverty are eligible2 and 7,d7 any savings to the ,federal ,government as a result of such increases or reductions2 7#b7 an accounting of any increase in the national rate of employment due to the efforts of the ,working ,group2 7#c7 a summary of the efforts of each ,state to reduce child poverty within such ,state1 including the administration of ,state programs funded under part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fja et seq47 7relating to block grants to ,states for temporary assistance for needy families72 and 7#d7 legislative language and recommendations regarding reducing child poverty and achieving the other goals and duties of the ,working ,group4 7b7 ,public reporting requirements 7#a7 ,annual report available to public ,a version of the annual report required by subsection 7a7 shall be made publicly available4 7#b7 ,annual update from ,federal agencies ,the head of each relevant ,federal agency shall post on the public ,internet ,web site of such agency an annual summary of any plans1 activities1 and results of the agency related to the goals and duties of the ,working ,group4 #h4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,anti-poverty program ,the term anti-poverty program means a program or institution with the primary goal of lifting children or families out of poverty and improving economic opportunities for children or families that operates in whole or in part using ,federal1 ,state1 local1 or tribal government funds4 7#b7 ,child ,the term child means an individual who has not attained the age of #ah4 7#c7 ,deprivation ,the term deprivation means1 with respect to an individual1 that such individual lacks adequate nutrition1 health care1 housing1 or other resources to provide for basic human needs4 7#d7 ,disconnected youth ,the term disconnected youth means individuals who have attained the age of #af but have not attained the age of #be who are unemployed and not enrolled in school4 7#e7 ,economic stability ,the term economic stability means1 with respect to an individual or family1 that such individual or family has access to the means and support necessary to effectively cope with adverse or costly life events and to effectively recover from the consequences of such events while maintaining a decent standard of living4 7#f7 ,extreme poverty ,the term extreme poverty means1 with respect to an individual or family1 that such individual or family has a total annual income that is less than the amount that is #ej percent of the official poverty threshold for such individual or family1 as provided in the report of the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau on ,income1 ,poverty1 and ,health ,insurance ,coverage in the ,united ,states3 #bjae 7issued in ,september #bjaf74 7#g7 ,federal agency ,the term ,federal agency means an executive department1 a ,government corporation1 and an independent establishment4 7#h7 ,near poverty ,the term near poverty means1 with respect to an individual or family1 that such individual or family has a total annual income that is less than the amount that is #bjj percent of the official poverty threshold for such individual or family1 as provided in the report of the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau on ,income1 ,poverty1 and ,health ,insurance ,coverage in the ,united ,states3 #bjae 7issued in ,september #bjaf74 7#i7 ,poverty ,the term poverty means1 with respect to an individual or family1 that such individual or family has a total annual income that is less than the amount that is the official poverty threshold for such individual or family1 as provided in the report of the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau on ,income1 ,poverty1 and ,health ,insurance ,coverage in the ,united ,states3 #bjae 7issued in ,september #bjaf74