[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 654 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 654

     To require poverty impact statements for certain legislation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 22, 2009

Ms. Lee of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 
  to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Budget, 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 require poverty impact statements for certain legislation.

    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 ``Poverty Impact Trigger Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN POVERTY IMPACT LEGISLATION SUBJECT TO POINT OF ORDER.

    Rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by 
adding at the end the following new clause:
`` Certain legislation reported by committees
    ``11. It shall not be in order to consider a bill or joint 
resolution of a public nature authorizing an appropriation of 
$10,000,000 or more, unless--
            ``(a) the committee report accompanying the bill or joint 
        resolution includes a CBO Poverty Index Division impact 
        statement; or
            ``(b) the chair of the committee reporting the bill or 
        joint resolution submits such statement to be published in the 
        Congressional Record before consideration of the bill or joint 
        resolution.''.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE POVERTY IMPACT DIVISION.

    (a) In General.--Section 202 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 (2 U.S.C. 602) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(h) CBO Poverty Impact Division.--
            ``(1) Creation.--There is established within the Office the 
        CBO Poverty Impact Division (hereinafter in this subsection 
        referred to as the `Division').
            ``(2) Duties and functions.--
                    ``(A) Preparation and submission of impact 
                statement.--When a chair of a committee of the House of 
                Representatives submits a written request to the 
                Division to prepare and submit to the committee a CBO 
                Poverty Index Division impact statement, the Division 
                shall prepare and submit such statement to the 
                committee not later than 30 days after such request.
                    ``(B) Content of impact statement.--A CBO Poverty 
                Index Division impact statement shall include the 
                following:
                            ``(i) A projected ratio equal to the amount 
                        of appropriations authorized in the bill or 
                        joint resolution that will benefit individuals 
                        and families below the poverty threshold over 
                        the total amount of appropriations authorized 
                        by the bill or joint resolution.
                            ``(ii) A projection of the number of 
                        individual and family incomes--
                                    ``(I) that may decrease below the 
                                poverty threshhold because of the bill 
                                or joint resolution; and
                                    ``(II) that may increase above the 
                                poverty threshhold because of the bill 
                                or joint resolution.
                            ``(iii) A projection as to how the 
                        legislation improves access to basic human 
                        services, including health care, housing, and 
                        education.
                    ``(C) Poverty threshold defined.--In this 
                subsection, the term `poverty threshold' means an 
                income level below 200 percent of the poverty line (as 
                defined in section 673(2) of the Community Services 
                Block Grant Act).''.

SEC. 4. EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS.

    Section 2 of this Act is enacted by the House of Representatives--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
        Representatives and as such it shall be considered as part of 
        the rules of the House of Representatives and such rules shall 
        supersede other rules only to the extent that they are 
        inconsistent therewith; and
            (2) with the full recognition of the constitutional right 
        of the House of Representatives to change such rules at any 
        time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case 
        of any other rule of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply to any bill or joint 
resolution reported by a committee of the House of Representatives 
after the 90-day period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.
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