[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1158-S1159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION
By Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Ms. Collins):
S. 3338. A bill to establish programs to improve family economic
security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleague from
New Mexico, Senator Heinrich, in introducing the Two-Generation
Economic Empowerment Act. Our bipartisan bill would support an
innovative approach to fighting poverty, one that focuses on addressing
the needs of children and their parents--two-generations together--in
order to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
Many current conversations about lifting families out of poverty
highlight record low unemployment and the booming U.S. economy as proof
that we are finally headed in the right direction. I see many
encouraging signs, such as the U.S. poverty rate finally in 2018
falling below the pre-recession level and Maine experiencing the
largest decline in child poverty in the Nation from 2016 to 2017, but I
also know far too many families still struggle financially. Over 38
million people, or about one in eight Americans, lived below the
poverty line in 2018. This sadly includes nearly 13 million children,
including 35,000 children in Maine. Despite recent progress, Maine's
child poverty rate is still higher than all the other New England
states.
In addition to recognizing the continued need to lift up families and
provide a brighter future for our Nation's youth, the economic
motivation for addressing intergenerational poverty points to one
simple fact--we must do something different. It is estimated that child
poverty costs the U.S. between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion a year.
For a sense of scale, the high end estimate of $1.1 trillion annually
is similar to the amount Congress appropriated in December to fund
programs across the entire government.
Our legislation marks an important first step toward reevaluating our
approach to poverty-reducing programs and encouraging innovative, more
effective uses of taxpayer dollars. We support an approach that is
aimed at equipping both parents and their children with the tools they
need to succeed and become self-sufficient. Oftentimes, Federal
programs intended to help low-income individuals address certain issues
in silos, overlooking the fact that the needs of family members are
usually interconnected. Our bill aims to change that. For example,
helping a mother secure safe, high-quality child care can have a
positive impact on her ability to succeed in the workforce, as well as
improving her child's ability to be ready for school. While that child
receives care and an education, her mother can be connecting with
skills training to help her improve her income. Connecting various
Federal programs that target both parents and children with supports
aimed at increasing economic security, educational success, social
capital, and health and wellbeing has the potential to lift whole
families out of poverty.
Listen to the story of Ambrosia Ross, a mother of three from
Washington County, Maine, who was part of the first cohort of
participants at Family Futures Downeast, a two-generation program
designed to improve economic outcomes for low-income families through
post-secondary education for parents at the same time their children
access high quality early childhood education. In a testimonial about
her experience, Ambrosia says, ``Family Futures Downeast opened up a
whole new world, not just for me but also for my children . . . . Both
of my boys talk about going to ``Mama's school'' and assure me that
they are going to go to college also! They watch me doing homework and
ask to do theirs as well. It means so much to me to know that not only
has FFD changed my life but also set my children on a brand new path.''
In addition to continuing to attend college full time, Ambrosia is
putting her new skills and education into practice by serving as a WIC
Breastfeeding Peer Support Counselor. Her sons are also both eager to
continue learning and her young daughter is already a ``wanna-be
reader.''
Family Futures Downeast is just one example of the great strides we
have made in bringing communities and service providers together to
implement two-generation strategies. By blending federal dollars with
the help of the State of Maine, Family Futures Downeast has reached
nearly 230 individuals in Maine's most impoverished county with
astounding results. In 2015 when the program was just getting started,
I was proud to support Family Future Downeast's application to
participate in a federal demonstration project aimed at combatting
rural child poverty, which provided critical technical assistance and,
with additional support from the John T. Gorman Foundation in Portland,
helped the program get off the ground. The legislation we are
introducing today would build on efforts like Family Futures Downeast
that are increasing opportunities for families in need across the
country by funding projects that work.
Specifically, the Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act would
create an Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty and Economic
Mobility to better coordinate federal efforts aimed at supporting
vulnerable families and moving them out of poverty. The Council would
also make recommendations to Congress on ways to improve coordination
of anti-poverty programs and to identify best practices. While I
applaud ongoing efforts across the federal government to implement two-
generation strategies, this Council is needed to tackle logistical
challenges, such as lack of coordination and communication across
federal agencies--and in some cases different departments within a
single agency--and improve the dissemination of information and best
practices.
Our bill would also authorize a pilot program that would provide
additional flexibility for states and local governments to improve the
administration of programs using Two-Generation models. It would
authorize five states to participate in Two-Generation Performance
Partnerships, allowing states to achieve reductions in poverty by
blending similarly purposed funds across multiple federal programs.
Two-generation approaches are often created ``from the bottom up,''
meaning local organizations and states are at
[[Page S1159]]
the forefront of responding to local or regional needs. Therefore, our
role as federal policymakers should be to give states and local
organizations the flexibility they need to be creative in solving their
unique challenges. For this reason, our legislation would reduce
duplicative reporting and application requirements that may deter local
agencies and organizations from making the most effective use of
taxpayer dollars. To ensure accountability, the bill would require that
these pilot programs be targeted at specific, poverty-reducing
outcomes.
While federal programs have helped many of those living in poverty
manage day-to-day hardships, they are falling short of breaking the
cycle of poverty that has trapped too many families. With this bill, we
have the chance to make a permanent difference in the lives of families
and to break the multigenerational cycle of poverty. Just as a child's
ZIP code should not determine his or her future success, so should the
bureaucratic siloed approach to poverty not make it so difficult for
families to get the help they need to escape poverty. The federal
government can be an effective partner in providing opportunities for
parents and their children, lifting up families, and in turn, building
stronger communities. State and local governments can be at the
forefront of these efforts, and the increased flexibility proposed by
this bill would help reform practices across government.
In addition to strong support from national organizations like Ascend
at the Aspen Institute, I want to thank the Maine Community Action
Association and the Maine Head Start Directors Association for
endorsing this important legislation. I also thank Senator Heinrich for
his continued leadership and urge my colleagues to support this
innovative approach to moving families out of poverty by giving them
the tools they need to succeed.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Reed, Ms. Duckworth,
Mr. Jones, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs.
Murray, Mr. Tester, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Casey, Mr. Whitehouse,
Mr. Menendez, Mr. Warner, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Sanders,
Mr. Cardin, Mr. Udall, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Shaheen,
Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Carper, Mr. Van
Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Coons):
S. 3339. A bill to restore military priorities, and for other
purposes; read the first time.
S. 3339
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 ``Restoring Military
Priorities Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF REPROGRAMMED FUNDS.
All amounts transferred under the Department of Defense
reprogramming action FY 20-01 RA, ``Support for DHS Counter-
Drug Activity Reprogramming Action'', shall be restored to
the appropriation accounts and the programs, projects, and
activities for which such amounts were appropriated or
otherwise made available by the Department of Defense
Appropriations Act, 2020 (division A of Public Law 116-93).
SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON GENERAL TRANSFER AUTHORITY.
Section 8005 of the Department of Defense Appropriations
Act, 2020 (division A of Public Law 116-93; ) is amended by
striking ``$4,000,000,000'' and inserting ``$1,798,000,000''.
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS/GLOBAL
WAR ON TERRORISM TRANSFER AUTHORITY.
Section 9002 of the Department of Defense Appropriations
Act, 2020 (division A of Public Law 116-93; ) is amended by
striking ``$2,000,000,000'' and inserting ``$371,000,000''.
____________________