[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1024 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1024

  Expressing support for designation of January as Poverty in America 
                            Awareness Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 20, 2010

Mr. McDermott submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for designation of January as Poverty in America 
                            Awareness Month.

Whereas, in 2008, the Census Bureau found that the number of people living in 
        poverty has jumped by nearly 2,600,000 to 39,800,000, the highest number 
        since 1960;
Whereas that same report found that the percentage of people living in poverty, 
        13.2 percent, rose to the highest level since 1997;
Whereas, in 2008, the number of children who lived in poverty increased by 
        744,000 to 14,000,000;
Whereas the share of people in the United States who have incomes that fall 
        below half of the Federal poverty line reached 5.7 percent, or 
        17,100,000 people, its highest level since 1994;
Whereas the next Census report on poverty will likely illustrate higher levels 
        of poverty as the report will reflect data from 2009, a year in which 
        the economy experienced substantial job loss and historic levels of 
        long-term unemployment, leading some experts to project that the overall 
        poverty rate may increase by 1.5 percentage points and the percentage of 
        children living in poverty may increase by 6 percentage points in the 
        next report;
Whereas, between 1989 and 2000, the overall poverty rate declined by 1.5 
        percentage points and child poverty decreased by 3.4 percentage points, 
        those achievements have been nearly reversed as the overall poverty rate 
        increased by 1.9 percentage points and child poverty increased by 2.8 
        percentage points from 2000 to 2008;
Whereas there is broad consensus among researchers and policy experts that the 
        Federal poverty measure is outdated and inadequate in determining the 
        depth and extent of poverty in the United States;
Whereas rising levels of poverty and economic hardship have a severe impact on 
        the overall well-being of children in the Nation;
Whereas the U.S. Census Bureau and other organizations have highlighted the 
        unmet needs that existed for some of the most vulnerable families prior 
        to the recession;
Whereas while the Federal Government has provided critical assistance to needy 
        individuals and families in their time of need, more can and should be 
        done to strengthen the Nation's safety-net programs, and other programs 
        investing in communities and families to ensure that all needy people in 
        the United States have access to the support services for which they are 
        eligible;
Whereas, during the present economic downturn, Congress should do more to help 
        individuals and families rise out of poverty and maintain economic 
        stability through the use of a variety of programs promoting education 
        and training, childcare assistance, housing security, and related 
        services; and
Whereas it would be appropriate to designate the month of January 2010 as 
        Poverty in America Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) supports the designation of Poverty in America 
                Awareness Month; and
                    (B) recognizes the important contributions of those 
                individuals and organizations that have made a 
                commitment to providing critical support and services 
                to needy individuals and families; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) eradicating poverty in the United States should 
                be the goal for all people in the United States, 
                including all levels of government;
                    (B) the severe economic downturn has highlighted 
                the need to ensure that the Nation's most vulnerable 
                individuals and families are able to meet their most 
                fundamental needs during a time of financial crisis; 
                and
                    (C) Congress should recommit itself to helping 
                individuals and families facing economic hardship 
                receive the assistance they need and deserve in moving 
                towards greater economic security through programs 
                under Title IV of the Social Security Act and other 
                related programs.
                                 <all>