New Jersey ACR 147: Urges President and Congress to enact "Poverty Line Act of 2023."

Bill Text

ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION No. 147
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 19, 2024

Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS
Urges President and Congress to enact “Poverty Line Act of 2023.”

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.

ACR147 PINTOR MARIN
2

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the President and Congress of 1
the United States to enact the “Poverty Line Act of 2023.” 2
3
WHEREAS, The federal poverty guidelines, more commonly known as 4
the federal poverty level, are a measure of income issued annually 5
by the United States Department of Health and Human Services 6
which are used to determine an individual’s or household’s 7
eligibility for certain State and federal programs and benefits; and 8
WHEREAS, The current method for calculating these guidelines was 9
established in the 1960s and is tied a household’s food budget from 10
that decade, adjusted for inflation; and 11
WHEREAS, For most modern American households, however, the cost 12
of food has decreased as a share of expenses relative to other costs 13
like housing, utilities, childcare, transportation, and healthcare; and 14
WHEREAS, Despite the federal poverty level’s benefit of providing a 15
nationally recognized income threshold for determining who is 16
poor, its shortcomings are well documented as it is not based on the 17
current cost of basic household necessities and, except for Alaska 18
and Hawaii, it is not adjusted to reflect cost of living differences 19
across the United States; and 20
WHEREAS, As a result, millions of struggling families across the 21
country make too little to afford their basic needs, yet because the 22
federal poverty line is so low, they are not eligible for safety net 23
benefits; and 24
WHEREAS, According to the 2023 United for ALICE (Asset Limited, 25
Income Constrained, Employed) report, 11 percent of households in 26
New Jersey in 2021, or 368,639, lived in poverty according to the 27
federal guidelines; however, another 26 percent of households, or 28
923,791, were above the federal poverty level but did not earn 29
enough to afford the basics necessities in the communities in which 30
they lived; and 31
WHEREAS, In December of 2023, Congressman Kevin Mullin of 32
California introduced the “Poverty Line Act of 2023,” with the 33
support of New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman 34
and others, which proposes to update the way the federal 35
government calculates the federal poverty line by accounting for real 36
costs and adjusting for regional differences; and 37
WHEREAS, These changes to the federal poverty level calculation 38
would make millions more families across the nation eligible for 39
safety net programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition 40
Assistance Program, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance 41
Program, which provide critical support to people during times of 42
economic hardship; and 43
WHEREAS, Notably, the bill would also ensure that the new 44
methodology is reviewed at least once every four years to determine 45
whether it is still reflective of what households need to meet their 46
basic needs and to identify additional changes needed in the future; 47
and 48

ACR147 PINTOR MARIN
3

WHEREAS, The “Poverty Line Act of 2023” has been endorsed by 1
more than 40 organizations, including Children’s Defense Fund, 2
Feeding America, Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, and 3
United Way Worldwide; and 4
WHEREAS, The enactment of the “Poverty Line Act of 2023” would 5
provide that the determination of poverty in New Jersey and the 6
United States reflects the current level of financial distress 7
experienced by millions of American families, ensuring greater 8
access to the vital government benefits that provide the necessary 9
short- and long-term support and stability to allow for economic 10
mobility; now, therefore, 11
12
BE IT RESOLVED by the General Assembly of the State of New 13
Jersey (the Senate concurring): 14
15
1. The President of the United States and Congress are urged to 16
enact the “Poverty Line Act of 2023” to provide that the 17
determination of poverty in New Jersey and the United States 18
reflects the current level of financial distress experienced by 19
millions of American families, ensuring greater access to the vital 20
government benefits that provide the necessary short- and long-term 21
support and stability to allow for economic mobility. 22
23
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, 24
shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the 25
Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States and 26
every member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation. 27
28
29
STATEMENT 30
31
This resolution urges the President and Congress to enact the 32
“Poverty Line Act of 2023,” which would update the way the federal 33
government calculates the federal poverty guidelines by accounting 34
for real costs and adjusting fo