[Senate Report 117-148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                                   Calendar No. 487

117th Congress  }                                      {  Report
                             SENATE   
 2d Session     }                                     {  117-148
                                                                
_______________________________________________________________________

                                     

                                                       


         TARGETING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED ACT OF 2022

                               __________

                              R E P O R T

                                 of the

                   COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND

                          GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                              to accompany

                                S. 3552

                 TO PROVIDE AN INCREASED ALLOCATION OF
             FUNDING UNDER CERTAIN PROGRAMS FOR ASSISTANCE
         IN AREAS OF PERSISTENT POVERTY, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES




               September 13, 2022.--Ordered to be printed
        COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

                   GARY C. PETERS, Michigan, Chairman
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              RAND PAUL, Kentucky
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
ALEX PADILLA, California             MITT ROMNEY, Utah
JON OSSOFF, Georgia                  RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     JOSH HAWLEY, Missouri

                   David M. Weinberg, Staff Director
                    Zachary I. Schram, Chief Counsel
            Lena C. Chang, Director of Governmental Affairs
         Matthew T. Cornelius, Senior Professional Staff Member
                Pamela Thiessen, Minority Staff Director
            Sam J. Mulopulos, Minority Deputy Staff Director
       Cara G. Mumford, Minority Director of Governmental Affairs
                     Laura W. Kilbride, Chief Clerk
                     



                                                              Calendar No. 487
                                                       
                                                       
117th Congress  }                                              {   Report
                              SENATE
 2d Session     }                                              {  117-148

======================================================================



 
              TARGETING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED 
                              ACT OF 2022

                                _______
                                

               September 13, 2022.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Peters, from the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                    Affairs, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 3552]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs, to which was referred the bill (S. 3552) to provide an 
increased allocation of funding under certain programs for 
assistance in areas of persistent poverty, and for other 
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon 
with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute) and 
recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose and Summary..............................................1
 II. Background and Need for the Legislation..........................2
III. Legislative History..............................................2
 IV. Section-by-Section Analysis of the Bill, as Reported.............3
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
 VI. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................4
VII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............5

                         I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    S. 3552, the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need 
Act, requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Director to develop and implement a plan to increase the share 
of federal investments targeted to areas of persistent poverty 
and other places with high and persistent poverty. In addition, 
the bill requires OMB to issue guidance to agencies that 
identifies the scope, share, and manner of targeted investment 
programs and outlines measures to track these investments over 
time.
    The bill specifies that OMB must include a minimum goal for 
federal investments in the targeted areas, which is an amount 
that is greater than the amount proportional to their share of 
the U.S. population. Additionally, the bill requires OMB to 
annually report to Congress on programs that received increases 
in funds, the amount of funds targeted to a covered area, the 
percentage change of funds from the previous fiscal year, and 
an assessment of the economic impact of the funding and 
programs.
    The bill also directs the Census Bureau to publish a list 
of all defined ``areas of persistent poverty'' within 60 days 
of this bill's enactment and annually thereafter. Finally, the 
bill requires GAO to provide a report on the effectiveness of 
the bill two years after enactment.

              II. BACKGROUND AND THE NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau (Census), persistent 
poverty counties are counties where at least 20 percent of the 
population have remained at or below the poverty level for the 
last 30 years.\1\ According to some of the most recent Census 
data on persistent poverty, there are between 355 and 397 
counties nationwide that fit the current definition.\2\ 
Further, recent Census data shows that approximately 41 million 
people live in poverty in the United States.\3\ This bill aims 
to ensure that federal dollars and resources distributed to 
programs across the government reach communities that need them 
the most. This bill would ensure that the agencies continuously 
assess which programs they manage that may be able to provide 
resources to high poverty areas, in alignment with guidance by 
OMB.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\U.S. Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 
Program (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html) (accessed 
June 17, 2022).
    \2\Congressional Research Service, The 10-20-30 Provision: Defining 
Persistent Poverty Counties (https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R45100.pdf) 
(accessed June 17, 2022).
    \3\U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey Data Table (https:/
/data.census.gov/cedsci/
table?t=Official%20Poverty%20Measure%3APoverty&tid=ACSST5Y2020.S1701) 
(accessed June 17, 2022).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced S. 3552, the 
Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022, on 
February 1, 2022, with Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-OH). The 
bill was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs.
    The Committee considered S. 3552 at a business meeting on 
May 25, 2022. During the business meeting, a substitute 
amendment was offered by Chairman Peters and Ranking Member 
Portman and adopted by voice vote. The Peters-Portman 
substitute amendment updated the definition of ``High-Poverty 
Census Tract'' to include estimates for areas when no survey 
data from the American Community Survey is available. The 
substitute amendment also makes technical corrections to align 
the composition of requirements in the legislation to the text 
of a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
    Senator Scott offered an amendment that would have required 
the OMB Director to review and study potential guidance and 
measures to increase the share of federal investments for 
communities in need, as opposed to issuing guidance and 
measures within one year as required by the Peters-Portman 
substitute amendment. The amendment was not adopted by a roll 
call vote of 6 yeas and 8 nays. Senators Lankford, Romney, 
Scott and Hawley voted in the affirmative. Senators Johnson and 
Paul voted yea by proxy. Senators Peters, Hassan, Sinema, 
Rosen, Padilla, Ossoff, and Portman voted in the negative. 
Senator Carper voted no by proxy.
    The bill, as amended, was ordered reported favorably by 
voice vote. Senators Peters, Hassan, Sinema, Rosen, Padilla, 
Ossoff, Portman, Lankford, Romney, Scott, and Hawley were 
present. Senators Lankford, Romney, Scott, and Hawley were 
recorded ``No.''

        IV. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE BILL, AS REPORTED

Section 1. Short title

    This section cites the short title of the bill 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

    Subsection (a) directs the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget (Director), within one year, to implement 
guidance and measures to increase the share of federal 
investments targeted to areas of persistent poverty and other 
places with high and persistent poverty determined by the 
Director in consultation with other federal agencies.
    The subsection also requires the Director to issue guidance 
to agencies, within 120 days after the date of enactment that 
identifies the scope, manner, and share of targeted investment 
programs and outlines measures to track these investments over 
time. This subsection also specifies that the minimum goal 
should be to provide funding to areas of persistent poverty and 
other places with high and persistent poverty at an amount 
greater than the amount proportional to their share of the U.S. 
population.
    Finally, subsection (a) requires the Director to submit an 
annual report to Congress that includes a list of agency 
programs within the plan, the amount and the percentage change 
of funds allocated to areas of persistent poverty and other 
places with high and persistent poverty under each program, and 
an assessment of their economic impacts that includes data on 
impacted individuals disaggregated by household income, race, 
gender, age, national origin, disability status, and whether 
the individual lives in an urban, suburban, or rural area.
    Subsection (b) directs the Bureau of the Census (Census) to 
publish a list of all defined ``areas of persistent poverty'' 
within 60 days of this bill's enactment and annually 
thereafter.
    Subsection (c) directs the Government Accountability Office 
to report to appropriate committees of Congress, as defined in 
section (e), on the effectiveness and impact of the measures 
not later than 2 years after the bill's enactment and two more 
times not later than 10 years after the bill's enactment.
    Subsection (d) authorizes $5,000,000 for the fiscal year 
2023 for salaries and expenses to carry out this act.
    Subsection (e) defines the terms ``appropriate committees 
of Congress,'' ``area of persistent poverty,'' ``covered 
area,'' ``Director,'' ``high-poverty census tract,'' and 
``persistent poverty county.'' Below are the definitions:
    ``Appropriate committees of Congress'' refers to Senate 
Committees including Appropriations, Budget, Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation, and Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs as well House Committees including Appropriations, 
Budget, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, 
and Oversight and Reform.
    ``Area of persistent poverty'' refers to high-poverty 
census tracts and persistent poverty counties.
    ``Covered area'' refers to an area of persistent poverty or 
other area of high and persistent poverty described in 
subsection (a).
    ``Director'' refers to the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget.
    ``High-poverty census tract'' refers to a census tract that 
has a poverty rate of at least 20% measured by the most recent 
American Community Survey 5-year survey published by the Census 
or, in cases where no such data is collected from the American 
Community Survey, a census tract in an area with a poverty rate 
of at least 20% in the most recent decennial census.
    ``Persistent poverty county'' refers to a county division 
with a poverty rate of at least 20% in the most recent year for 
which updates are available and at least 25 of the last 30 
years measured by the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates 
by the Census or other measure as determined by the Census.

                   V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

    Pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 11(b) of rule 
XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee has 
considered the regulatory impact of this bill and determined 
that the bill will have no regulatory impact within the meaning 
of the rules. The Committee agrees with the Congressional 
Budget Office's statement that the bill contains no 
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs 
on state, local, or tribal governments.

             VI. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                 Washington, DC, September 7, 2022.
Hon. Gary Peters,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. 
        Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 3552, the Targeting 
Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Matthew 
Pickford.
            Sincerely,
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.


    

    S. 3552 would direct the Office of Management and Budget to 
provide guidance to increase the share of funds government 
agencies target to areas of persistent poverty and to report on 
that effort. In addition, the bill would direct the Bureau of 
the Census to report a list of areas of persistent poverty and 
the Government Accountability Office to report on the results 
of implementing the bill. Finally, the bill would authorize the 
appropriation of $5 million in 2023 for salaries and expenses.
    S. 3552 would direct federal spending to areas of 
persistent poverty but would not increase program funding or 
alter legal authority for specific entitlement programs; thus, 
enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues. 
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amount, CBO estimates 
that implementing the bill would cost $5 million over the 2022-
2027 period.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew 
Pickford. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

       VII. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    This legislation would make no change in existing law, 
within the meaning of clauses (a) and (b) of subparagraph 12 of 
rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, because this 
legislation would not repeal or amend any provision of current 
law.