[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6531 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6531

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To provide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs 
 for assistance in areas of persistent poverty, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Targeting Resources to Communities 
in Need Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. INCREASING SHARE OF FEDERAL RESOURCES TO AREAS OF PERSISTENT 
              POVERTY AND OTHER HIGH-POVERTY AREAS.

    (a) Increasing Share of Federal Resources.--
            (1) Guidance and measures to increase federal 
        investments.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
        of this Act, the Director, in consultation with Federal 
        agencies, shall implement guidance to increase the share of 
        Federal investments targeted to--
                    (A) areas of persistent poverty; and
                    (B) other areas of high and persistent poverty that 
                the Director, in consultation with Federal agencies, 
                determines to be appropriate.
            (2) Guidance for agencies.--Not later than 120 days after 
        the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue 
        guidance to Federal agencies identifying--
                    (A) the scope and type of programs subject to the 
                guidance and measures required by paragraph (1);
                    (B) the share of Federal investments to be targeted 
                to the areas described under paragraph (1);
                    (C) the manner in which Federal investments are to 
                be targeted to the areas described under paragraph (1); 
                and
                    (D) measures to track the Federal investments 
                targeted to the areas described under paragraph (1) 
                over time.
            (3) Investment amount.--In developing the guidance and 
        measures under paragraph (1), the Director shall include a 
        minimum goal that Federal investments targeted to areas of 
        persistent poverty or other areas with high and persistent 
        poverty be in an amount that is greater than the amount that is 
        proportional to the population of such areas in the United 
        States relative to the population of the United States as a 
        whole.
            (4) Reports to congress.--The Director, in consultation 
        with Federal agencies, shall submit each fiscal year to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes--
                    (A) a list of the programs, by agency, under which 
                the amount of Federal funds targeted to areas described 
                under paragraph (1) were increased in the previous 
                fiscal year, in accordance with such paragraph; and
                    (B) for each program listed under subparagraph 
                (A)--
                            (i) the amount of funds that were targeted 
                        under the program to an area of persistent 
                        poverty or other area with high and persistent 
                        poverty during the previous fiscal year;
                            (ii) the percent change from the fiscal 
                        year before the previous fiscal year in the 
                        amount of funds that were targeted under the 
                        program toward an area of persistent poverty or 
                        other area with high and persistent poverty; 
                        and
                            (iii) to the extent practicable, an 
                        assessment of the economic impact of the 
                        program on the area, including data on the 
                        categories of individuals impacted by the 
                        targeting of funds to such areas under the 
                        program, disaggregated by household income, 
                        race, gender, age, national origin, disability 
                        status, and whether the individuals live in an 
                        urban area, suburban area, or rural area.
    (b) Publication of List of Areas of Persistent Poverty.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Bureau of the Census shall publish a 
        list of all areas of persistent poverty.
            (2) Update.--The Bureau of the Census shall update annually 
        the list published under paragraph (1).
    (c) GAO Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than two years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
        United States shall provide to the appropriate committees of 
        Congress a report on the effectiveness of the measures 
        implemented under subsection (a), including an assessment 
        regarding the impact of increasing Federal investments spent in 
        areas of persistent poverty and other areas with high and 
        persistent poverty.
            (2) Subsequent reports.--Not later than 10 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
        United States shall provide at least two subsequent reports (as 
        described in paragraph (1)) to the appropriate committees of 
        Congress.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for fiscal year 2023, $5,000,000 for salaries and expenses 
(including for entering contracts with non-Federal persons) to carry 
out this Act.
    (e) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on the Budget, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation, and the Committee on Homeland Security 
                and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee 
                on the Budget, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
                the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
                the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (C) any other committee of Congress that has 
                jurisdiction over an agency with a role developing or 
                implementing measures under subsection (a).
            (2) Area of persistent poverty.--The term ``area of 
        persistent poverty'' means an area that is a high-poverty 
        census tract or a persistent poverty county.
            (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Management and Budget.
            (4) High-poverty census tract.--The term ``high-poverty 
        census tract'' means a census tract that has a poverty rate of 
        not less than 20 percent in the most recent American Community 
        Survey 5-year data published by the Bureau of the Census, and 
        in the case of areas where no such data is collected from the 
        American Community Survey, such term includes a census tract 
        with a poverty rate of not less than 20 percent in the most 
        recent decennial census of population conducted by the Bureau.
            (5) Persistent poverty county.--The term ``persistent 
        poverty county'' means--
                    (A) a county, parish, or other equivalent county 
                division (as determined by the Bureau of the Census) 
                with a poverty rate of not less than 20 percent in the 
                Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates by the Bureau 
                of the Census in at least 25 of the last 30 years, 
                including the most recent year for which the estimates 
                are available; or
                    (B) for areas where Small Area Income and Poverty 
                Estimates are not available, a county, parish, or 
                equivalent level of geography, with a poverty rate of 
                not less than 20 percent in at least 25 of the last 30 
                years, including the most recent year for which an 
                estimate is available, as determined by the Bureau of 
                the Census.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 18, 2022.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
117th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 6531

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To provide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs 
 for assistance in areas of persistent poverty, and for other purposes.