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HR 5069 116th Congress House

The Recognizing Poverty Act

Official title: To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop for consideration of the Congress a poverty line for purposes of the Community Services Block Grant Act, and for other purposes.

Introduced: November 13, 2019 Introduced by: Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria Democratic · New York See on congress.gov
Social Welfare Census and government statisticsChild care and developmentGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigations
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Health care costs and insuranceHomelessness and emergency shelterHousing finance and home ownershipInflation and pricesPoverty and welfare assistancePublic contracts and procurement
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Nov 13, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Nov 13, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action November 13, 2019

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

The Recognizing Poverty Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, to enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) to examine certain poverty measures relevant to the Community Services Block Grant. As background, this grant provides funding to states, tribes, territories, and other entities to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty. Currently, to be eligible for activities funded by this grant, individuals must have incomes at or below 100% of the federal poverty line.

Specifically, the National Academies must assess the adequacy of the current poverty line as a measure of the resources a family needs to afford basic goods and services and must propose a new poverty guide that accounts for costs related to health insurance, childcare, and other factors, such as the prevalence of food insecurity at different levels of income. This proposed measure may not be lower than the current poverty line.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 8
All 8 Democratic 8
D
Khanna, Ro
California · Feb 6, 2020
 D
Lynch, Stephen F.
Massachusetts · Feb 6, 2020
 D
Raskin, Jamie
Maryland · Feb 6, 2020
 D
Garcia, Sylvia R.
Texas · Nov 13, 2019
 D
García, Jesús G. "Chuy"
Illinois · Nov 13, 2019
 D
Meng, Grace
New York · Nov 13, 2019
 D
Moore, Gwen
Wisconsin · Nov 13, 2019
 D
Tlaib, Rashida
Michigan · Nov 13, 2019
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5069: The Recognizing Poverty Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5069/
MLA
"H.R. 5069: The Recognizing Poverty Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5069/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5069, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5069/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5069: The Recognizing Poverty Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5069/)
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