Expressing support for the development of a national strategic plan to end deep poverty.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 763 Expressing support for the development of a national strategic plan to end deep poverty. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DECEMBER 12, 2019 Mr. SERRANO (for himself, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARSON of Indi- ana, and Mr. EVANS) submitted the following resolution; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform RESOLUTION Expressing support for the development of a national strategic plan to end deep poverty. Whereas despite the United States being a Nation of great wealth, 17,300,000 people still lived in deep poverty in 2018; Whereas the definition of deep poverty is having an income below half the Federal poverty line (in 2018 that equated to $6,392 or less for a single person; $12,850 or less for a family of 4); Whereas deep poverty is caused in large part by a continued history of structural inequalities that deepen economic hardship and limit opportunity; Whereas Native Americans, African Americans, and Latinos (and Latinas) disproportionately experience deep poverty VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR763.IH HR763 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 763 IH in the United States (and high rates of deep poverty are also found among people with disabilities, women (par- ticularly women-headed households), children, young adults, and people experiencing homelessness); Whereas poverty is dehumanizing and physically and psycho- logically harmful to children and adults, with negative ef- fects that accumulate over time; Whereas children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to experiencing deep poverty; Whereas, in 2017, over 30 percent of all children in the United States (5,900,000) and 8.9 percent of those age 65 and older (1,700,000) live in families experiencing deep poverty; Whereas exiting deep poverty is especially difficult because of extreme material hardship, social exclusion, and cumu- lative disadvantage, all of which compromise health and well-being, reduce opportunities and life chances, and heighten the likelihood of experiencing poverty that is ex- treme and chronic; Whereas people living in poverty are widely stereotyped as not working, when in fact many low-income people work but do not earn enough to move out of poverty; Whereas negative attitudes and beliefs about low-income peo- ple and communities result in stigma, decreased empathy, social and cognitive distancing from people experiencing poverty, and lower support for poverty alleviation pro- grams and policies; Whereas despite significant hardship, individuals living in deep poverty often express optimism and hope for the fu- ture, a creative ingenuity for making ends meet, a com- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR763.IH HR763 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 763 IH mitment to family and community, a strong work ethic, and pride in their work; and Whereas because deep poverty is the result of intersecting systemic factors (for example, lack of access to housing, health care, food, and living wages), its solution will ne- cessitate coordinated efforts to change systems through programs that have not been designed to work in concert with each other: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes that, even if we are not person- 2 ally experiencing deep poverty, we are all harmed by 3 poverty and economic inequality; 4 (2) believes that economic inequality affects 5 health outcomes of those with limited economic re- 6 sources by increasing chronic diseases, obesity, drug 7 and alcohol problems that ultimately shorten life 8 expectancies, and that there are higher rates of 9 these health issues across all income groups in coun- 10 tries with higher rates of income inequality; 11 (3) understands that there is no single, simple 12 solution to the problem of deep poverty because 13 some groups are more vulnerable to living in deep 14 poverty than others; 15 (4) acknowledges that while social science has 16 contributed to the understanding of poverty in gen- 17 eral, there are unique contributions that psycholo- 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR763.IH HR763 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 763 IH gists have made to the understanding of deep pov- 1 erty; 2 (5) recognizes that science must be used to ad- 3 dress the structural barriers and cognitive processes 4 that lead to, are a result of, and perpetuate deep 5 poverty, and should be used to generate solutions; 6 (6) believes the Federal Government has a clear 7 responsibility and the capacity to meet basic human 8 needs and to engender respect for the human dignity 9 of people living in deep poverty; and 10 (7) supports the development of a national stra- 11 tegic plan to end deep poverty, including Federal, 12 State, and local policy solutions that address the 13 complex factors and structures that contribute to 14 deep poverty. 15 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:56 Dec 12, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR763.IH HR763 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS