II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3338 To establish programs to improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 25, 2020 Mr. HEINRICH (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To establish programs to improve family economic security by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty, and for other purposes. 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act of 2020’’. 5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 6 this Act is as follows: 7 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings; purposes. Sec. 3. Definitions. VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6211 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3338 IS TITLE I—INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON MULTIGENERATIONAL POVERTY AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY Sec. 101. Interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty and Economic Mo- bility. Sec. 102. Information displayed on Council website. Sec. 103. Authorization of appropriations. TITLE II—2-GENERATION PROGRAM Sec. 201. Program. Sec. 202. General provisions. TITLE III—PERFORMANCE PARTNERSHIP PILOT PROGRAM Sec. 301. Definitions. Sec. 302. Performance partnership pilots. Sec. 303. Reporting; evaluations. Sec. 304. Applicability to existing performance partnership pilots. SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 1 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Almost half, or 40 percent, of children in 3 the United States are from low-income families, and 4 at least 60 percent of Black, Hispanic, and Native 5 American children live in low-income families. 6 (2) Individuals caught in multigenerational pov- 7 erty tend to lack the support needed to move beyond 8 day-to-day situations, make long-term financial 9 plans, and support the community around them. 10 (3) Twenty-five percent of children in the 11 United States live in single-parent households, and 12 69 percent of children who live in such households 13 are from low-income families. 14 (4) Many of the services and systems that are 15 intended to help low-income families are fragmented, 16 with approaches that address the needs of parents 17 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3338 IS and children separately. These fragmented ap- 1 proaches often leave either the parent or the child 2 behind and dim the family’s chance at success. 3 (5) In 2015, the Department of Agriculture es- 4 timated that more than 9,200,000 individuals in the 5 United States are from low-income families that re- 6 side more than 1 mile from a supermarket, and 7 2,100,000 of such individuals do not have access to 8 a car. 9 (6) Healthy communities have a variety of com- 10 ponents, including— 11 (A) safe, sustainable, accessible, and af- 12 fordable transportation options that enable— 13 (i) children to commute to and from 14 school safely; and 15 (ii) parents to seek work outside of 16 their community; 17 (B) housing that is affordable, high-qual- 18 ity, socially integrated, and location-efficient; 19 (C) access to quality schools, parks and 20 other recreational facilities, child care, libraries, 21 financial services, and resources for other daily 22 needs; and 23 (D) support for healthy behavioral develop- 24 ment of children and adolescents. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3338 IS (7) Economic research demonstrates— 1 (A) a 13-percent return on investment in 2 high-quality early childhood programs for a 3 child for each year of the child’s life; and 4 (B) that a college degree obtained by a 5 parent is expected to double the parent’s in- 6 come. 7 (8) For families who have an annual income of 8 $25,000, or less, and have young children, a $3,000 9 increase in such annual income during the years of 10 early childhood for such children yields a 17-percent 11 increase in earnings for those children when those 12 children become adults. 13 (9) A successful 2-generation program will— 14 (A) improve family economic security by 15 creating opportunities for, and addressing the 16 needs of, parents and children simultaneously, 17 which can be measured in outcomes for both 18 parents and children; 19 (B) seek the input of parents who are 20 served by the program and ensure their per- 21 spectives and experience inform the design of 22 the program; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3338 IS (C) break the cycle of multigenerational 1 poverty and create a cycle of family prosperity; 2 and 3 (D) foster and develop healthy commu- 4 nities. 5 (10) The return on investment in education for 6 children and their parents is high. Early childhood 7 education programs help children develop new skills 8 and prepare them for grade school. A parent’s level 9 of educational attainment is the best predictor of a 10 child’s success. Higher education opens the door to 11 a stable career with a family-sustaining wage, pro- 12 viding opportunities for families to break the cycle of 13 multigenerational poverty. 14 (11) Work-family supports (such as paid family 15 leave and access to high-quality child care), and eco- 16 nomic supports (such as affordable housing, trans- 17 portation, financial education and asset-building, tax 18 credits, child care subsidies, student financial aid, 19 health insurance, assistance under the temporary as- 20 sistance for needy families program under part A of 21 title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 22 et seq.), and food assistance), that encourage, sup- 23 port, and reward work provide a scaffold as parents 24 pursue the skill-building activities and education 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3338 IS that lead to better jobs and longer-term financial 1 stability. 2 (12) Postsecondary education, such as commu- 3 nity college associate degrees and credentials, and 4 employment pathways, such as workforce develop- 5 ment training and workforce partnerships, can build 6 skills leading to high-demand jobs and opportunities 7 for advancement that increase employment rates and 8 income for parents. 9 (13) Social capital is a key success factor of the 10 2-generation approach and builds on the strength 11 and resilience of families, bolstering the aspirations 12 parents have for their children and for themselves. 13 Family poverty is associated with a weaker social 14 network of support. For individuals living in certain 15 regions, the lack of community development contrib- 16 utes to a lack of economic mobility and a lack of 17 multigenerational success. 18 (14) Physical and mental health have a major 19 impact on the ability of a family to thrive. There is 20 a well-documented correlation between poor health 21 and poor family finances, with poor health causing 22 poor family finances and poor family finances caus- 23 ing poor health. Improved physical health and health 24 behaviors are associated with higher scores on stand- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3338 IS ardized tests. There is a link between mothers pro- 1 viding a higher level of emotional support and posi- 2 tive outcomes in children, such as children dem- 3 onstrating an improved social competence and en- 4 gagement in schooling. Meanwhile, social isolation of 5 children is associated with a higher rate of abuse 6 and neglect of children. 7 (15) More than 30 States have actively mobi- 8 lized around 2-generation approaches, with more 9 States with plans under consideration to link and 10 align social services, education, and job training to 11 address the needs of 2 generations at the same time 12 and give families the tools they need to succeed. 13 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to improve 14 family economic security by breaking the cycle of 15 multigenerational poverty, and to create a cycle of family 16 prosperity, including through developing 2-generation pro- 17 grams that involve initiatives of the Federal Government, 18 States, local governments, and Tribal governments and 19 initiatives of the private sector. 20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 21 In this Act: 22 (1) 2-GENERATION APPROACH.—The term ‘‘2- 23 generation approach’’ means the approach to break- 24 ing the cycle of multigenerational poverty by improv- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3338 IS ing family economic security through the implemen- 1 tation of 2-generation programs, with measurable 2 outcomes, that create opportunities for, and address 3 the needs of, parents and children simultaneously. 4 (2) 2-GENERATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘2- 5 generation program’’ means a pilot program estab- 6 lished under section 201(a). 7 (3) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 8 meaning given such term in section 551 of title 5, 9 United States Code. 10 (4) COUNCIL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Council 11 agency’’ means an agency listed in any of subpara- 12 graphs (A) through (O) of section 101(c)(1). 13 (5) DISCRETIONARY APPROPRIATIONS.—The 14 term ‘‘discretionary appropriations’’ has the mean- 15 ing given such term in section 250(c) of the Bal- 16 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 17 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900(c)). 18 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 19 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 20 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 21 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 22 (7) MULTIGENERATIONAL POVERTY.—The term 23 ‘‘multigenerational poverty’’ means pervasive poverty 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3338 IS transferred from parents to their children through 1 structural and systematic factors. 2 (8) SCHOOL READINESS.—The term ‘‘school 3 readiness’’ means the development of— 4 (A) physical well-being and motor skills; 5 (B) social and emotional skills; 6 (C) approaches to learning; 7 (D) language skills (including early lit- 8 eracy); and 9 (E) cognition and general knowledge. 10 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 11 the several States of the United States, the District 12 of Columbia, and each commonwealth or territory of 13 the United States. 14 (10) VULNERABLE POPULATION.—The term 15 ‘‘vulnerable population’’ means a population con- 16 sisting of individuals who, as determined by the ap- 17 plicable lead agency designated under section 18 202(a)— 19 (A) are economically disadvantaged; 20 (B) are historically underrepresented, such 21 as racial or ethnic minorities; 22 (C) are low-income children; 23 (D) are elderly; 24 (E) are homeless; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3338 IS (F) are reentering a community after in- 1 carceration; 2 (G) are individuals with a disability, as de- 3 fined in section 3 of the Americans with Dis- 4 abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102); 5 (H) are veterans, as defined in section 101 6 of title 38, United States Code; 7 (I) are infected with the human immuno- 8 deficiency virus (HIV); or 9 (J) have any other chronic health condi- 10 tion, including a severe mental illness or sub- 11 stance use disorder. 12 TITLE I—INTERAGENCY COUN- 13 CIL ON MULTIGENERATIONAL 14 POVERTY AND ECONOMIC 15 MOBILITY 16 SEC. 101. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON 17 MULTIGENERATIONAL POVERTY AND ECO- 18 NOMIC MOBILITY. 19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 20 the Federal Government an interagency council to be 21 known as the ‘‘Interagency Council on Multigenerational 22 Poverty and Economic Mobility’’ (referred to in this Act 23 as the ‘‘Council’’) to carry out the objectives under sub- 24 section (b) and the 2-generation approach, including by 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3338 IS providing guidance, and addressing questions pertaining, 1 to 2-generation programs and other programs engaging in 2 efforts to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty. 3 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Council are 4 each of the following: 5 (1) Establish an ongoing system of coordination 6 among and within agencies or organizations related 7 to programs aimed at breaking the cycle of 8 multigenerational poverty. 9 (2) Identify knowledge gaps, research needs, 10 and policy and program deficiencies associated with 11 multigenerational poverty. 12 (3) Identify best practices of programs, includ- 13 ing the 2-generation programs, and methodologies to 14 break the cycle of multigenerational poverty. 15 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 16 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Council shall be com- 17 posed of at least 1 designee from each of the fol- 18 lowing: 19 (A) The Office of Management and Budg- 20 et. 21 (B) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 22 (C) The Department of Agriculture. 23 (D) The Department of Education. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Feb 26, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3338.IS S3338 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3338 IS (E) The Department of Health and 1 Human Services. 2 (F) The Department of Housing and 3 Urban Development. 4 (G) The Department of Justice. 5 (H) The Department of Labor. 6 (I) The Department of Transportation. 7 (J) The Department of the Treasury. 8 (K) The Department of Veterans Affairs. 9 (L) The Corporation for National and 10 Community Service. 11 (M) The Domestic Policy Council. 12 (N) The National Economic Council. 13 (O) The White House Faith and Oppor- 14 tunity Initiative, established by Executive Order 15 13831 (83 Fed. Reg. 20715; relating to the es- 16 tablishment of a White House Faith and Op- 17 portunity Initiative). 18 (2) DESIGNATION.— 19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The head of each 20 Council agency shall designate [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]