[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1048 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1048

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress 
 should enact the Poverty Bill of Rights to reaffirm the right of all 
      Americans to live a life free from poverty and its impacts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2020

Ms. Fudge (for herself, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Bass, Mr. Carson of 
 Indiana, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Evans, Ms. Garcia of 
  Texas, Mr. Green of Texas, Mr. Hastings, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. 
Kennedy, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rush, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Sewell of 
   Alabama, Ms. Velazquez, and Mrs. Beatty) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress 
 should enact the Poverty Bill of Rights to reaffirm the right of all 
      Americans to live a life free from poverty and its impacts.

Whereas according to the Census Bureau, more than 38,000,000 people, including 
        12,000,000 children, lived in poverty in 2018 based on the Official 
        Poverty Measure;
Whereas more than 17,000,000 people lived in deep poverty, defined as living in 
        a household with a total cash income below 50 percent of its poverty 
        threshold;
Whereas poverty disproportionately impacts communities of color, with the 
        poverty rate at 20.8 percent for Blacks, 17.6 percent for Hispanics, and 
        10.1 percent for Asians, versus 8.1 percent for non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas the Official Poverty Measure often understates the number of people who 
        have trouble making ends meet;
Whereas according to a 2020 Federal Reserve report on the economic well-being of 
        United States households, an estimated 37 percent of people cannot cover 
        an unexpected $400 expense;
Whereas the top one percent of United States households have experienced income 
        growth before taxes and transfer payments nearly seven times faster than 
        the bottom 20 percent of households since 1979;
Whereas wealth has become even more concentrated than income;
Whereas according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the top 10 percent 
        of United States households ranked by wealth own 77 percent of the 
        country's total wealth while those in the bottom 50 percent own one 
        percent;
Whereas a full-time, full-year minimum wage worker at the Federal minimum wage 
        level of $7.25 lives below the poverty line;
Whereas a vast majority of low wage earners lack access to paid family leave, 
        leaving them just one accident or illness away from economic 
        devastation;
Whereas unions increase workers' wages, ensure access to better benefits, 
        address wage inequality, and reduce poverty;
Whereas 5,140,000 Americans aged 65 and older lived in poverty in 2018;
Whereas according to the United States Census Bureau, 27,500,000 people did not 
        have health insurance at any point in 2018;
Whereas according to the Federal Reserve, 25 percent of adults reported skipping 
        medical care, such as a visit to a doctor or dentist, because they were 
        unable to afford the cost in 2019;
Whereas minority and low-income individuals are disproportionately affected by 
        air pollution and are more likely to face health conditions that put 
        them at greater risk when exposed to hazardous air pollution;
Whereas families living in poverty also struggle to afford childcare, housing, 
        utilities, and food expenses;
Whereas according to the United States Census Bureau, households with incomes 
        less than the Federal poverty level who pay for childcare spend on 
        average four times the percentage of their income on it as do other 
        families;
Whereas in 2017, 83 percent of renter households with incomes below $15,000 paid 
        more than 30 percent of their total household income for housing, 
        experiencing housing costs burdens, and 72 percent paid more than 50 
        percent of their income for housing, experiencing severe cost burdens;
Whereas water and wastewater bills are increasingly unaffordable for millions of 
        households nationwide;
Whereas according to the Energy Information Administration, nearly one-third of 
        United States households reported facing a challenge in paying energy 
        bills or sustaining adequate heating and cooling in their homes in 2015;
Whereas more than 20,000,000 Americans lack access to any broadband whatsoever 
        and many more are unable to adopt broadband, primarily due to 
        prohibitive costs;
Whereas limited access to technology and broadband services makes it difficult 
        for people to apply for jobs online, connect with health insurance, 
        apply for financial aid, telework, or complete online homework;
Whereas according to the Department of Agriculture, 37,200,000 people, including 
        11,200,000 children, lived in food-insecure households in 2018;
Whereas 5,600,000 households had very low food security, defined as households 
        in which the food intake of one or more members was reduced and eating 
        patterns disrupted because of insufficient money and other resources for 
        food;
Whereas according to a 2009 Department of Agriculture report on access to 
        affordable and nutritious food, millions of people live in food deserts, 
        or areas where they are more than a mile from a supermarket;
Whereas reliable and affordable public transportation is critical to accessing 
        employment, food, health care, and education;
Whereas the educational level attained by individuals has a dramatic impact on 
        poverty, with 25.9 percent of adults over 25 years old without a high 
        school diploma in poverty versus 12.7 percent for those with a high 
        school degree, but no college, and 4.4 percent for those with a college 
        degree;
Whereas according to the Government Accountability Office, socioeconomic and 
        racial segregation in schools has increased dramatically in the past 
        decade;
Whereas low-income individuals are more likely to be targeted by child welfare 
        services and the criminal justice system and live in communities with 
        high rates of violence and heavy police presence;
Whereas low-income parents have their children removed from the household every 
        day, because living in poverty is incorrectly treated as child neglect;
Whereas the criminal justice system often punishes poverty, as court fees and 
        fines disproportionately impact the poor;
Whereas police are most likely to use deadly force in low-income, more highly 
        segregated neighborhoods;
Whereas low-income communities often have limited social capital and political 
        voice;
Whereas strict voter ID requirements, closures of polling places, limited access 
        to alternatives to in-person voting and other voter suppression tactics 
        disproportionately impact poor and minority Americans;
Whereas the effects of poverty are widespread, long-lasting, and dangerous, and 
        leave families vulnerable to unexpected events;
Whereas adults who were poor during childhood are more likely to experience 
        poverty as adults, are less likely to graduate high school, and are less 
        likely to be consistently employed as young adults;
Whereas lower incomes are associated with shorter life expectancies;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to increase health, food, housing, and 
        economic insecurity and push millions of people into poverty;
Whereas low-income and minority communities have long experienced inadequate 
        access to health care, housing, nutritious food, and education and 
        economic opportunity, which increase the prevalence of COVID-19 risk 
        factors, such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and high blood 
        pressure; and
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated the inequality and 
        poverty afflicting the United States, as well as underlined the 
        shortcomings of its social safety net programs: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Congress should enact the Poverty Bill of Rights to reaffirm the 
right of all Americans to live a life free from poverty and its 
impacts, including the right to--
            (1) equal opportunity, irrespective of race, gender, or 
        socioeconomic status;
            (2) working family tax credits, such as the Child Tax 
        Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, that are proven to 
        lift families out of poverty, free from onerous eligibility 
        requirements;
            (3) a livable wage that is enough to ensure adequate 
        housing, food, clothing, and other basic household needs;
            (4) robust paid leave programs so they can care for 
        themselves, their families, and dependents without fear of 
        financial devastation;
            (5) emergency financial assistance in times of 
        unemployment;
            (6) unionize to negotiate for higher wages, better 
        benefits, and safe working conditions;
            (7) financial security for themselves and their families 
        during retirement years;
            (8) quality, affordable health care and prescription drugs;
            (9) clean air through robust environmental and public 
        health policies;
            (10) high-quality, affordable, and reliable childcare;
            (11) accessible, affordable, safe housing;
            (12) safe, clean, and affordable water and wastewater 
        services;
            (13) affordable, reliable energy service;
            (14) equitable access to technology and telephone and 
        broadband services;
            (15) adequate access to affordable and nutritious foods;
            (16) reliable, efficient, and affordable public 
        transportation;
            (17) high-quality, equitable PreK-12 public education;
            (18) safe public schools that promote racial and 
        socioeconomic diversity;
            (19) access to affordable higher education, registered 
        apprenticeships, and other vocational training opportunities;
            (20) live with their families and not be separated from 
        each other on the basis of poverty;
            (21) safe neighborhoods, where they are protected by law 
        enforcement, not targeted, profiled, harassed, and brutalized;
            (22) equal treatment in criminal justice settings, free 
        from discrimination; and
            (23) equal representation and participation in democracy 
        through unfettered, unabridged access to the ballot box, 
        accessible polling places, and alternatives to traditional in-
        person voting, such as early voting and voting by mail.
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