,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ffci ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #f1 #bjbc,mr4 ,mullin 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,mr4 ,thanedar1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,robert ,garcia of ,california1 ,mrs4 ,ramirez1 ,mr4 ,garca of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,green of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi1 and ,mr4 ,gomez7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,accountability1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 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 line1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,poverty ,line ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,statement of purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to update the calculation of the ,federal poverty line1 updated periodically in the ,federal ,register under the authority of section #fgc of the ,community ,services ,block ,grant ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iijb7b771 to expand eligibility for and utilization of ,federal assistance and benefits such that it incorporates more accurate costs of basic needs1 keeps pace with changing household spending norms1 accounts for regional variations in the cost of living1 and reflects the minimum expenditures required by a household to have the opportunity to achieve social and economic mobility4 #c4 ,amendment to definition of poverty line ,section #fgc7b7 of the ,community ,services ,block ,grant ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iijb7b77 is amended to read as follows3 7#b7 ,poverty line 7,a7 ,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 7,b74 7,b7 ,revision and publication ,in coordination with the ,bureau of the ,census1 the ,secretary shall revise and publish the poverty line in the manner described in subparagraph 7,c7 at least annually 7or at any shorter interval the ,secretary determines to be feasible and desirable74 7,c7 ,revision 7i7 ,the poverty line as revised shall be calculated at household sizes from #a to #h members and shall be the sum of-- 7,i7 a #e-year rolling average of household expenditures for food1 clothing1 telephone1 and internet1 calculated at #hc percent of the averages of the #dgth through the #ecrd percentiles of spending in the ,consumer ,expenditure ,survey of the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics1 adjusted for inflation as measured by the ,consumer ,price ,index for ,all ,urban ,consumers 7,,cpi-,u71 and multiplied by the other basic goods factor set under clause 7iv72 7,,ii7 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 #h of the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #adcg;f71 and multiplied by the other basic goods factor set under clause 7iv72 7,,iii7 for up to #f household members who are under #e years1 the cost of average child care prices for such children as determined by ,national ,database of ,childcare ,prices of the ,department of ,labor2 7,,iv7 for up to #f household members enrolled in employer-sponsored health care plans1 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 practicable2 7,v7 for up to #f household members who are not otherwise enrolled in an employer-sponsored health care plan or are eligible for ,medicare1 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 and1 to the extent practicable1 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 ,survey2 and 7,,vi7 for up to #f household members who are eligible for ,medicare1 the sum of the cost of the premium for the lowest cost ,medicare ,advantage plan available that provides prescription drug coverage and1 to the extent practicable1 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 ,survey4 7ii7 ,the ,secretary shall calculate the average incremental cost of each additional household member for households with more than #h members4 7iii7 ,for each factor determined under clauses 7i7 and 7ii71 the ,secretary shall-- 7,i7 use ,state-level data1 any available county-level data1 and1 for clauses 7i77,v7 and 7,,vi71 geographic rating area data1 and 7,,ii7 subject to clause 7viii71 produce poverty line variants for each such geographic area4 7iv7 ,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 needs1 including transportation 7where appropriate71 and is otherwise not reflected in such clause but at not less than at #a4b4 7v7 ,the ,secretary may issue rules that require the use of data sources in lieu of the data sources specified in clause 7i7 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 7such as a national emergency or above-average price inflation7 or a substantial change in the underlying methodology or availability of such sources4 7vi7 ,the ,secretary shall apply appropriate multipliers to each factor determined under in clause 7i7 to reflect economies or diseconomies of scale with additional household members4 7vii7 ,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 subparagraph4 7viii7 ,the ,director shall provide a lookup tool on the website of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services for use by ,states1 counties1 and the public to determine the poverty line of a given household based on the factors in this paragraph4 7,d7 ,block grant program usage 7i7 ,if a ,state determines that it serves the objectives of the block grant program established under this subtitle1 the ,state may revise the poverty line to not to exceed #abe percent of the official poverty line otherwise applicable under this paragraph4 7ii7 ,the poverty line shall be used as a criterion of eligibility in the community services block grant program established under this subtitle4 7,e7 ,safe harbors 7i7 ,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 #b-year period beginning on the date of the move4 7ii7 ,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 #bjbc and adjusted for inflation up to the present time4 4 #d4 ,transition ,not later than #a year after the effective date of this ,act1 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 #fgc7b7 of the ,community ,services ,block ,grant ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iijb7b77 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 ,act4 #e4 ,evaluation and ,report ,in the #dth year after the effective date of this ,act1 and at least once every #d years thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall-- 7#a7 evaluate the efficacy of the poverty line as determined under section #fgc7b7 of the ,community ,services ,block ,grant ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iijb7b771 as amended by this ,act1 7#b7 publish a report on the results of the evaluation1 and 7#c7 propose any change to such poverty line that would better achieve the purpose of this ,act4 #f4 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to preclude the ,bureau of the ,census or any other ,federal agency from collecting1 calculating1 or publishing other measures of poverty for other purposes4 #g4 ,effective date ,this ,act and the amendment made by this ,act shall take effect #c years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4