,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ihe ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bh1 #bjbj,ms4 ,lee of ,california 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,mr4 ,garca of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,khanna1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,pressley1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,ms4 ,garcia of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,moore1 and ,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas7 submitted the following resolution2 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 ,states4 ,whereas poverty is an immoral and economic stain on our ,nation and needs to be addressed2 ,whereas the poverty rate in the ,united ,states1 the wealthiest nation in the world1 continues to rank among the highest when compared to other developed nations2 ,whereas according to the ,poor ,people's ,moral ,budget3 ,everybody ,has the ,right to ,live1 #adj million ,americans are poor or one emergency away from being poor2 ,whereas in #bjah1 #ch4a million people including #aa4i million children were living in poverty based on the ,official ,poverty ,measure 7,,opm72 ,whereas #a in #f children live in poverty and more than #e million of these children lived in extreme poverty1 at less than half the poverty level1 and nearly #c in #d poor children were children of color2 ,whereas child poverty creates gaps in cognitive skills for very young children1 puts children at greater risk of hunger and homelessness1 jeopardizes their health and ability to learn1 and fuels the intergenerational cycle of poverty2 ,whereas communities of color face disproportionate rates of poverty and inequality2 ,whereas approximately #h4i million ,black1 #aj4e million ,latinx1 #b million ,asian1 and #b4a million ,native and ,indigenous people live in poverty in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas income inequality is the worst it has been in five decades2 ,whereas more than #ba4d million women lived in poverty in #bjah1 with women of color1 women with disabilities1 and older women facing higher rates of poverty than women overall2 ,whereas the top #aj percent of ,united ,states households own #gj percent of the country's total wealth and those in the bottom #ej percent saw no increase in their wealth over the past #cj years2 ,whereas in #bjah1 #cg4b million people1 including #aa4b million children1 were deemed food insecure1 including the #aj million people living in #e4f million households defined by the ,department of ,agriculture as very food insecure1 a number virtually unchanged since #bjag2 ,whereas if ,,covid-#ai incidences continue as projected through this year and next1 the number of people experiencing food insecurity in #bjbj would increase by over #ag million1 including nearly #g million children1 which means #ed million people 7#a in #f7 would experience food insecurity in #bjbj1 including #ah million children 7#a in #d72 ,whereas the ,federal minimum wage has not changed from #g4be per hour since #bjji1 and ,federal law has allowed employers to pay tipped workers just #b4ac per hour since #aiia2 ,whereas the value of the minimum wage has declined in real terms by more than #cj percent since #aifh2 ,whereas the ,official ,poverty ,measure 7,,opm7 does not adequately capture sufficient needs for families to cover food1 housing1 utilities1 and childcare expenses2 ,whereas #fb million workers in the ,united ,states work for less than a living wage2 ,whereas over #bjj1jjj people with disabilities work for a subminimum wage2 ,whereas the ,united ,states does not require a national minimum paid sick time standard1 and therefore working adults without paid sick leave are three times more likely to have incomes below the poverty line2 ,whereas fewer than #dj percent have access to paid medical leave to address a serious illness or injury through employer-provided short-term disability insurance1 and fewer than #fj percent are eligible to take unpaid ,,fmla 7,family and ,medical ,leave ,act71 leaving millions of workers and families just #a accident or illness away from economic devastation2 ,whereas approximately #e4b million workers are working in involuntary part-time jobs when they would prefer full-time jobs2 ,whereas millions of people working in hourly jobs have unstable1 unpredictable work schedules that do not give them the notice and input they need to plan their lives and care for their families2 ,whereas fissuring of the workplace1 has resulted in more subcontracted1 temporary1 and #ajii positions that lack benefits and workplace protections1 leading to greater economic precarity for low-wage workers2 ,whereas according to the #bjah ,federal ,reserve report on the economic wellbeing of ,united ,states households1 #d in #aj ,americans say they are not able to cover an unexpected expense of #djj2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai pandemic may exacerbate poverty1 especially for children1 and has exposed the shortcomings of the ,united ,states economic system and social safety net2 ,whereas if adequate measures are not taken to help ,americans during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 the ,center on ,poverty and ,social ,policy at ,columbia ,university projects that #ba million more individuals will be in poverty1 the highest recorded rate of poverty since #aifg2 ,whereas according to the same ,columbia ,university report1 child poverty could rise by #ec percent with ,black and ,latino children bearing a disproportionate risk of falling into or deeper into poverty2 ,whereas1 as of ,may #ba1 #bjbj1 #ch4f million ,americans have filed for unemployment since mid-,march because businesses have shut down or reduced their payroll in response to the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 ,whereas economic distress faced during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic will disproportionately impact women1 working-class people1 children1 and ,black and ,brown communities2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai pandemic threatens to drastically increase poverty for children and families2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai pandemic is disrupting children's daily lives and there are likely to be long-term and negative consequences for child development and future success2 ,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 ethnicity1 immigration status1 ability1 sex1 sexual orientation1 and gender identity2 ,whereas low-income families pay nearly #ce percent of their income on childcare compared to middle-class families who pay roughly #ad percent of their income on childcare2 ,whereas poverty has lasting effects on a child's neural and functional brain development and mental health2 ,whereas poverty exacerbates the student achievement rate and schools remain economically segregated2 ,whereas child poverty costs the ,united ,states between #hjj billion and #a4a trillion annually2 ,whereas protecting children against the lifelong consequences of poverty will improve their life and reduce child poverty in future generations2 ,whereas poverty exacerbates the student achievement rate and many schools remain economically and racially segregated2 ,whereas school districts with high poverty rates often receive the least amount of funding2 ,whereas the number of students experiencing poverty and homelessness has increased by #aa percent2 ,whereas ,,lgbtq students face poverty and homelessness because they are forced to leave their homes because of their sexual or gender identity2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,education1 #a4e million school-aged children experienced homelessness during the #bjag-bjah school year2 ,whereas many low-income children and families do not receive the full value of the current ,child ,tax ,credit 7,,ctc7 as it leaves behind #bc million children1 including #ej percent of ,black and ,latino ,children2 ,whereas to reduce child poverty long term1 children also need access to affordable1 comprehensive physical and behavioral health care1 affordable high-quality early development and learning opportunities1 high performing schools and colleges1 and families and neighborhoods free from violence2 ,whereas #bi percent of ,americans skipped refilling their prescriptions because of high costs1 and #bf percent struggled to pay medical bills2 ,whereas more than half a million people experience poverty and homelessness on any given night1 a number which has increased over the past two years2 ,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 violations2 ,whereas according to the ,prison ,policy ,initiative1 families spend almost #b4i billion on exorbitant commissary costs and phone calls to support their incarcerated loved ones2 ,whereas formerly incarcerated people face barriers to employment1 housing1 and social support programs after release and access to higher education1 adult education1 and workforce development training opportunities after release2 ,whereas nearly #a in #b ,united ,states children have at least #a parent with a criminal record1 and the barriers associated with a parent's record can stunt a child's cognitive development1 school performance1 and educational attainment2 ,whereas children in immigrant families make up one-quarter of all children in the ,united ,states1 and are more likely to face systemic barriers to accessing economic and nutrition supports that can aid their health and development2 ,whereas globally1 people living in areas with high concentrations of poverty will be disproportionately impacted by climate change2 ,whereas voter suppression and lack of access to voting1 including early voting or alternative methods1 leads to a disproportionate underrepresentation of low-income people2 ,whereas the ,united ,states should redistribute wealth and ,federal assistance to reduce poverty and increase economic opportunity2 ,whereas an investment of #bd4d billion per year in ,k-#ab 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 ,states2 ,whereas for every #a invested in early childhood education1 society would gain #g4cj due to reduced poverty1 lower incarceration rates1 and better health outcomes2 ,whereas addressing climate change with a #bjj billion per year investment in a clean energy transition would reduce poverty by creating #b4g million new jobs2 ,whereas raising income tax rates by #a percent in the top #b income brackets would raise about #abe billion over #aj years that can be used in assistance for people living in poverty2 ,whereas ending mass incarceration and instead adopting a ,justice ,reinvestment model could save up to #d billion that can be used to invest in people living in poverty2 and ,whereas simple trade-offs in our budget could fund critical1 equitable policy changes towards establishing a moral economy3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 acknowledges that budgets are moral documents that reflect our values as a ,nation2 7#b7 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 future2 7#c7 supports passing policy provisions to reduce adult and child poverty1 racial disparities1 income and wealth inequality1 and increase of opportunity for all2 7#d7 supports policies to help reduce child poverty by increasing wages for working families1 improving tax credits to ensure more low-income children and families benefit1 expanding subsidized jobs with special attention to the needs of young adults disconnected from school and work1 and providing access to quality1 reliable childcare2 7#e7 encourages the ,federal ,government1 ,states1 and cities to enact robust antipoverty policies and to create new1 innovative solutions to eliminate poverty2 7#f7 acknowledges that too few resources have been allocated by the ,federal ,government to help end poverty for children and families2 7#g7 acknowledges that poverty was created and sustained by humans1 including policymakers1 and that we can choose to end it2 7#h7 affirms that ending poverty1 especially for our ,nation's children1 is a moral and economic imperative2 7#i7 affirms immigration status is not a means to deny basic need programs2 7#aj7 supports increased funding for and strengthening of basic need programs like the supplemental nutrition assistance program 7,,snap71 temporary assistance for needy families 7,,tanf71 the ,child ,tax ,credit1 the ,earned ,income ,tax ,credit 7,,eitc71 and housing assistance especially during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 7#aa7 supports comprehensive health care that should be available and affordable to everyone in the ,united ,states during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 7#ab7 supports the strengthening of robust unemployment insurance and paid leave policies to protect workers1 especially during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 7#ac7 reaffirms that a criminal record is no longer a life sentence to poverty for tens of millions of justice-involved individuals and their families1 and supports automatically clearing criminal records once a person has completed the sentence imposed2 and 7#ad7 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 jobs4