Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 702 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 702

    To modify the measure and use of the poverty line issued by the
 Secretary of Health and Human Services to more accurately account for
       the basic needs of families and regional costs of living.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 23, 2025

 Ms. Sherrill introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the
Committee on Ways and Means, 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 modify the measure and use of the poverty line issued by the
 Secretary of Health and Human Services to more accurately account for
       the basic needs of families and regional costs of living.

    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 ``Improving Federal Assistance to
Families Act''.

SEC. 2. NEW POVERTY LINE INDEX.

    (a) In General.--The Bureau of the Census shall develop and publish
a new poverty line index to be measured separately for each State on an
annual basis and to be known as the ``Regionally Adjusted Poverty
Line''.
    (b) Revisions.--The Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line shall be a
revised version of the most recent poverty line that, for each State--
            (1) uses new poverty thresholds created by multiplying the
        State's most recent poverty thresholds by its most recent
        Regional Price Parity, divided by 100; and
            (2) uses new poverty rates created by using the poverty
        thresholds determined in paragraph (1) rather than each State's
        current poverty thresholds to determine the percentage of
        households that are below each State's poverty line.

SEC. 3. USE OF THE REGIONALLY ADJUSTED POVERTY LINE IN LIEU OF THE
              POVERTY LINE.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall--
            (1) determine, for each State annually, which poverty line
        index between the Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line as specified
        in section 2 and the current poverty line has a higher poverty
        rate for such State;
            (2) issue, and publish in the Federal Register, for each
        State, the poverty line index that has a higher poverty rate
        for such State as specified in paragraph (1) in lieu of the
        poverty line; and
            (3) for each State--
                    (A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), use the
                poverty line index that has a higher poverty rate for
                such State as specified in paragraph (1) for
                administrative purposes, including for determining
                financial eligibility for certain Federal programs, in
                lieu of the poverty line, and
                    (B) for the purpose of determining financial
                eligibility for Premium Tax Credits under the
                Affordable Care Act, have flexibility to use either the
                Regionally Adjusted Poverty Line or the current poverty
                line to ensure low-income households in States not
                expanding Medicaid do not lose access to Premium Tax
                Credits.

SEC. 4. GAO STUDY ON ALICE POVERTY MEASURE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the enactment of the
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability
of the House of Representatives, a report containing the results of a
study on--
            (1) the advantages and disadvantages of the ALICE threshold
        as a measure of poverty and household material need relative to
        the current poverty line, including any additional information
        that the ALICE threshold provides to policymakers that is not
        available from the current poverty line;
            (2) any areas in which the ALICE threshold can be improved
        to better measure household material need or improve upon the
        current poverty line;
            (3) how the Government can assist in the development and
        publication of the ALICE threshold; and
            (4) how, if at all, the ALICE threshold could be
        incorporated into the financial eligibility criteria, both that
        maintained by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and
        that legislated by Congress, for certain Federal programs to
        better meet the material need of households and improve access
        to certain Federal programs.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Alice threshold.--The term ``ALICE threshold'' means
        the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed measure
        developed by the United Way of Northern New Jersey as an
        alternative to the poverty line that includes the regional
        minimum cost of necessities including housing, child care,
        food, transportation, healthcare, and taxes.
            (2) Poverty line.--The term ``poverty line'' has the same
        definition as under section 673 of the Community Services Block
        Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902).
            (3) Poverty threshold.--The term ``poverty threshold''
        means the dollar amounts used by the Bureau of the Census to
        determine a household's poverty line status.
            (4) Regional price parity.--The term ``Regional Price
        Parity'' means the difference in price levels between a State
        and the national average, expressed as a percentage of the
        overall national price level, as published by the Bureau of
        Economic Analysis.
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
        Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATES.

    Section 2 shall take effect 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act and section 3 shall take effect 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
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