115 S435 IS: Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act of 2017 U.S. Senate 2017-02-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

II115th CONGRESS1st SessionS. 435IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESFebruary 16, 2017Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsA BILLTo establish programs to improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title; table of contents

(a)

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act of 2017. (b)

Table of contents

The table of contents for this Act is as follows:Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.Sec. 2. Findings; purposes.Sec. 3. Definitions.TITLE I—Interagency Council on Multigenerational PovertySec. 101. Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty.Sec. 102. Information displayed on Council website.Sec. 103. GAO Report.Sec. 104. Authorization of appropriations.TITLE II—2-generation programsSec. 201. Programs.Sec. 202. General provisions.TITLE III—Performance partnership pilot programSec. 301. Definitions.Sec. 302. Performance partnership pilots.Sec. 303. Reporting; evaluations.Sec. 304. Applicability to existing performance partnership pilots.TITLE IV—Social impact bonds pilot programSec. 401. Definitions; purposes.Sec. 402. Social impact bond application.Sec. 403. Awarding social impact bond contracts.Sec. 404. Feasibility study funding.Sec. 405. Evaluations.Sec. 406. Role of Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty.Sec. 407. Availability of information related to social impact bond projects.Sec. 408. Funding.Sec. 409. Community Reinvestment Act.

2.

Findings; purposes

(a)

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)Almost half, or 44 percent, of children in the United States are from low-income families. (2)Individuals caught in multigenerational poverty tend to lack the support needed to move beyond day-to-day situations, make long-term financial plans, and support the community around them. (3)Twenty-five percent of children in the United States live in single-mother households, and 80 percent of African-American or Hispanic children who live in such households are from low-income families. (4)Many of the services and systems that are intended to help low-income families are fragmented, with approaches that address the needs of parents and children separately. These fragmented approaches often leave either the parent or the child behind and dim the family's chance at success. (5)In 2009, the Department of Agriculture estimated that 11,500,000 individuals in the United States are from low-income families that reside more than 1 mile from a supermarket, and 2,300,000 of such individuals do not have access to a car. (6)Healthy communities have a variety of components, including— (A)safe, sustainable, accessible, and affordable transportation options that enable— (i)children to commute to and from school safely; and (ii)parents to seek work outside of their community; (B)housing that is affordable, high-quality, socially integrated, and location-efficient; (C)access to quality schools, parks and other recreational facilities, child care, libraries, financial services, and other daily needs; and (D)support for healthy behavioral development of children and adolescents. (7)A successful 2-generation program will— (A)improve family economic security by creating opportunities for, and addressing the needs of, parents and children; (B)break the cycle of multigenerational poverty; and (C)foster and develop healthy communities. (8)The return on investment in education for children and their parents is high. Early childhood education programs help children develop new skills and prepare them for grade school. A parent’s level of educational attainment is the best predictor of a child’s success. Higher education opens the door to a stable career with a family-sustaining wage, providing opportunities for families to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty. (9)Social capital is a key success factor of the 2-generation approach and builds on the strength and resilience of families, bolstering the aspirations parents have for their children and for themselves. Family poverty is associated with a weaker social network of support. For individuals living in certain regions, the lack of community development contributes to a lack of economic mobility and a lack of multigenerational success. (10)Physical and mental health have a major impact on the ability of a family to thrive. There is a well-documented correlation between poor health and poor family finances, with poor health causing poor family finances and poor family finances causing poor health. Improved physical health and health behaviors are associated with higher scores on standardized tests. There is a link between mothers providing a higher level of emotional support and positive outcomes in children, such as children demonstrating an improved social competence and engagement in schooling. Meanwhile, social isolation of children is associated with a higher rate of abuse and neglect of children. (b)

Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, including through developing 2-generation programs that involve initiatives of the Federal Government, States, local governments, and tribal governments and initiatives of the private sector.

3.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

2-generation approach

The term 2-generation approach means the approach to breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty by improving family economic security through the implementation of 2-generation programs that create opportunities for, and address the needs of, parents and children together. (2)

2-generation program

The term 2-generation program means a pilot program established under section 201(a). (3)

Agency

The term agency has the meaning given such term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (4)

Council agency

The term Council agency means an agency listed in any of subparagraphs (A) through (M) of section 101(c)(1). (5)

Discretionary appropriations

The term discretionary appropriations has the meaning given such term in section 250(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900(c)). (6)

Institution of higher education

The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). (7)

Intervention

The term intervention means a specific service delivered to achieve an impact through a social impact bond project under title IV. (8)

Multigenerational poverty

The term multigenerational poverty means pervasive poverty transferred from parents to their children through structural and systematic factors. (9)

School readiness

The term school readiness means the development of— (A)physical well-being and motor skills; (B)social and emotional skills; (C)approaches to learning; (D)language skills (including early literacy); and (E)cognition and general knowledge. (10)

State

The term State means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and each commonwealth or territory of the United States. (11)

Vulnerable population

The term vulnerable population means a population consisting of individuals who, as determined by the applicable lead agency designated under section 202(a)— (A)are economically disadvantaged; (B)are racial or ethnic minorities; (C)are low-income children; (D)are elderly; (E)are homeless; (F)are individuals with a disability, as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102); (G)are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); or (H)have any other chronic health condition, including a severe mental illness.