HOPE Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1181 To authorize the establishment of HOPE Account Pilot Projects, HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects, and competitive grants for pilot projects. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 15, 2021 Mrs. GILLIBRAND introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To authorize the establishment of HOPE Account Pilot Projects, HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects, and com- petitive grants for pilot projects. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health, Opportunity, 4 and Personal Empowerment Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘HOPE 5 Act of 2021’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 (1) In 2018, according to the Department of 9 Agriculture, 37,200,000 individuals in the United 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1181 IS States (including 11,100,000 children) lived in food 1 insecure households. That equals 1 in 9 individuals 2 and 1 in 7 children. 3 (2) In 2020, during the COVID–19 pandemic, 4 food insecurity in the United States soared, with the 5 Census Household Pulse Survey finding that at least 6 22 percent of Americans, and 28 percent of children 7 in the United States, suffered from food insecurity 8 in the height of the pandemic. 9 (3) In 2018, according to the Bureau of the 10 Census, 34,000,000 individuals (including 11 10,500,000 children) lived below the Federal poverty 12 line. The majority of these individuals living in pov- 13 erty were working people, children, older individuals, 14 and individuals with disabilities. 15 (4) Many low-income individuals work multiple 16 jobs and, contrary to common misconceptions, if un- 17 employed, they spend a great deal of time looking 18 for work. They often travel by public transportation, 19 laboriously making multiple connections to shuttle 20 between home, work, social service agencies, houses 21 of worship, and grocery stores. For those living in 22 rural and suburban areas far from work and without 23 adequate public transportation they rely upon vehi- 24 cles to get to work, but these are often less reliable 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1181 IS secondhand vehicles, that often break down. From 1 traveling greater distances between available jobs 2 and livable areas with affordable housing options, 3 seeking out scarce childcare options that fit a tight 4 budget and a constrained travel schedule, and caring 5 for elderly parents or grandparents because a senior 6 living facility is not financially realistic, low-income 7 individuals have little spare time. 8 (5) While government safety net programs help 9 tens of millions of individuals avoid starvation, 10 homelessness, and other outcomes even more dread- 11 ful than everyday poverty, there are significant ob- 12 stacles that those seeking and maintaining govern- 13 ment assistance face for as long as they are eligible. 14 Qualified applicants are often required to travel sig- 15 nificant distances to multiple government offices, 16 preparing and submitting piles of nearly identical 17 paperwork to access the different government assist- 18 ance programs. Even when the application process 19 begins online, the eligible applicant is typically still 20 required to physically follow up with each govern- 21 ment office with physical copies, for near identical 22 meetings. As a result, many low-income people are 23 actually unaware of all the government benefits for 24 which they are eligible, reducing the amount of help 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1181 IS going to individuals in need by tens of billions of 1 dollars every year. The lines in these offices can 2 seem endless, and sometimes clients need to wait 3 outside, for hours, in the worst kinds of weather. 4 Many offices don’t have weekend or night hours, so 5 an applicant is at risk of losing wages when often 6 their only option is to apply for government help 7 during work hours. 8 (6) Each year, many vital government programs 9 go underutilized because eligible beneficiaries are 10 hindered by obtrusive, time consuming, and repet- 11 itive application barriers. In 2017, according to the 12 Department of Agriculture, 16 percent of all people 13 eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance pro- 14 gram (SNAP), 53 percent of the ‘‘working poor’’ eli- 15 gible for SNAP, and 52 percent of adults over 60 16 who were eligible failed to receive it. 17 (7) The United States has hundreds of thou- 18 sands of nonprofit groups providing high quality and 19 much needed social services, but it is nearly impos- 20 sible for struggling people to determine which of 21 those organizations provides services they need, 22 whether the organization is conveniently located, and 23 for which services they are eligible. If they do deter- 24 mine that a nonprofit (or multiple nonprofits) could 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1181 IS help, they need to take yet more time to visit each 1 one. 2 (8) Since many government and nonprofit pro- 3 grams require frequent reapplications and recertifi- 4 cations, a low-income person often has to repeat the 5 same endless and frustrating process. 6 (9) Technology has fundamentally revamped the 7 lives of most individuals, usually for the better. Ac- 8 cording to the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of 9 low-income individuals have a smart phone as of 10 2019 (not because a smart phone is a luxury but be- 11 cause it is an essential tool of learning and work in 12 modern America) but they rarely can use these de- 13 vices to apply for benefits. Digital technology, com- 14 bined with policy improvements, can simplify the 15 lives and boost the long-term self-sufficiency of our 16 lowest income residents. 17 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 18 In this Act: 19 (1) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 20 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 21 the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of 22 Housing and Urban Development, acting collabo- 23 ratively. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1181 IS (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible pilot 1 community’’ means a State, unit of general purpose 2 local government, Tribal government, or an entity 3 that represents a smaller geographical area therein 4 (including a neighborhood). 5 (3) TARGET POPULATION.—The term ‘‘target 6 population’’ includes an individual or household 7 that— 8 (A) earns an income below 200 percent of 9 the Federal poverty line; 10 (B) suffers from food insecurity; 11 (C) earns insufficient income to ensure 12 food security or economic security; 13 (D) lives in a rural, suburban, or urban 14 community that suffers from poverty, hunger, 15 or food insecurity; 16 (E) is homeless; 17 (F) receives (or recently received) assist- 18 ance under a State program funded under part 19 A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 20 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), relating to temporary as- 21 sistance to needy families; 22 (G) is eligible for benefits under any Fed- 23 eral nutrition assistance program or Federal 24 antipoverty program; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1181 IS (H) is formerly a youth in transition from 1 foster care or the juvenile detention facilities. 2 (4) PARTNER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The 3 term ‘‘partner nonprofit organization’’ means any 4 national, regional, State, or local nonprofit group de- 5 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 6 Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 7 501(a) of such Code. 8 SEC. 4. HOPE ACCOUNTS PILOT PROJECTS. 9 (a) PILOT PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretaries 10 shall allow eligible entities that apply to such Secretaries 11 to carry out Health, Opportunity, and Personal Empower- 12 ment (‘‘HOPE’’) Accounts Pilot Projects to enable target 13 populations of individuals to establish through banks, 14 credit unions, and any governmental or Tribal agencies 15 HOPE accounts that enable such individuals— 16 (1) to have their paychecks deposited directly in 17 such accounts; 18 (2) to use such accounts to increase savings 19 that would be matched with funds provided by gov- 20 ernment and private sources, including individual de- 21 velopment accounts; 22 (3) to use an account mobile application on a 23 smart phone to easily locate and sign up for job 24 training and placement services online; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1181 IS (4) to enable such individuals to use any smart 1 phone, tablet, or computer— 2 (A) to learn about the public and philan- 3 thropic programs that provide benefits to such 4 individuals, including aid to improve health, nu- 5 trition, job training and placement, housing, 6 and income; 7 (B) to receive Federal and State tax cred- 8 its; and 9 (C) to apply for, submit eligibility docu- 10 ments for, enroll in, and manage the use of 11 such benefits at once through the convenience 12 of their device if individuals or their households 13 are eligible for one or more of such benefits; 14 (5) to receive a basic smart phone, tablet, or 15 computer, along with a subsidized internet Wi-Fi ac- 16 cess plan, if such individuals do not own a smart 17 phone, tablet, or computer; 18 (6) to obtain the access and information de- 19 scribed in paragraph (4) with assistance at libraries, 20 government offices, or nonprofit agencies if such in- 21 dividuals are uncomfortable using internet tech- 22 nology themselves; 23 (7) to obtain access to the information de- 24 scribed in paragraph (4), with the assistance of gov- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1181 IS ernment or nonprofit employees, AmeriCorps na- 1 tional service participants, or Senior Corps members, 2 to receive home visits if such individuals are elderly 3 or disabled; 4 (8) to access health care information that speci- 5 fies medical benefits, and any out-of-pocket costs, 6 for each of the health plans for which such individ- 7 uals may be eligible, and to empower such individ- 8 uals to easily select the plan that works best for 9 them; 10 (9) to enable such individuals to file directly 11 (and without expending funds to obtain third-party 12 tax filing services) to obtain Federal tax credits and 13 refunds, and in States and localities with their own 14 supplemental tax credits, to simultaneously file for 15 credits and refunds; 16 (10) to deposit cash in the account that is set 17 aside for education, job training, starting a business, 18 or buying a home and that would be nontaxable; 19 (11) to easily access and monitor, in 1 central 20 online account— 21 (A) to be able to check the status, 22 amounts, and recertification deadlines for some 23 or all their benefits and savings; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1181 IS (B) to pay all bills online, saving high 1 check cashing fees and enormous amounts of 2 time; 3 (12) to budget resources by using real-time 4 cash flow data and long-term financial planning 5 data, including calculating how much such individ- 6 uals would lose in interest on credit cards versus 7 how much such individuals would gain in interest by 8 saving more; 9 (13) to access calendar and scheduling func- 10 tions that enable individuals to keep track of all job 11 search, work, family, and school obligations, as well 12 as any social service filing or appointment dates; 13 (14) to be protected by security and privacy 14 systems so that only such individuals, and not the 15 government, nonprofit, or banking partners, would 16 be able to see or track private financial and appoint- 17 ment information; and 18 (15) notwithstanding other provisions of law, to 19 allow program applicants to easily and clearly au- 20 thorize their sharing of personal and financial infor- 21 mation with multiple government agencies, solely for 22 the purpose of those government agencies enabling 23 the individuals to apply for and utilize government 24 benefits. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1181 IS (b) FISCAL YEARS.—Pilot projects authorized by 1 subsection (a) shall be carried out for a 1-year period in 2 each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2026. 3 SEC. 5. HOPE ACTION PLANS PILOT PROJECTS. 4 (a) PILOT PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretaries 5 shall allow eligible entities that apply to such Secretaries 6 to carry out HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects to enable 7 target populations of individuals to partner with govern- 8 ment and nonprofit organizations by entering into vol- 9 untary agreements to carry out long-term HOPE action 10 plans that— 11 (1) specify exactly how the parties to such plans 12 will help such individuals and their families earn, 13 learn, and save better in order to ensure greater eco- 14 nomic opportunity for themselves and their children 15 by working together in a long-term, positive relation- 16 ship for the purpose of ensuring upward mobility; 17 (2) are designed to empower such individuals 18 and their families to better organize their time and 19 focus their activities on productive endeavors while 20 providing them extra resources to do so; 21 (3) may be— 22 (A) short-term, conducted over a year or 2 23 years, and aimed at helping families achieve 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:07 Apr 27, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1181.IS S1181 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1181 IS very basic goals, such as avoiding homelessness 1 and hunger; or 2 (B) long-term with far more ambitious 3 goals for upward mobility; and 4 (4) would require that participating individuals 5 and [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]