Poverty Measurement Improvement Act

Poverty Measurement Improvement Act

This bill requires the Bureau of the Census, for each of FY2019-FY2028, to conduct a new survey of income and poverty in the United States and to supplement and verify the information obtained using data from the most recent available Current Population Survey (CPS), data furnished by state and federal agencies that administer such benefits, and income-tax data. The Census Bureau shall include in the survey questions related to whether an individual has previously been incarcerated or is on probation. In addition, the Census Bureau shall: (1) collect data from the appropriate administering agencies regarding the income of, and federal means-tested benefits received by, individuals who have previously been incarcerated or are on probation; (2) produce tables and graphs showing for each year the poverty rates and related data calculated using the survey responses and other information collected; and (3) create a database that contains data from the survey, data from the most recent available CPS, and data furnished by administering agencies. 

State agencies that administer federal means-tested benefits shall report annually on the benefits received by each household.

The Census Bureau must annually provide specified summary statistics comparing income levels to consumption habits.