HOPE Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3484 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 MARCH 12, 2020 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 2020’’ or ‘‘HOPE Act 5 of 2020’’. 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 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3484 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 2017, according to the Bureau of the 4 Census, 38,100,000 individuals (including 5 13,200,000 children) lived below the Federal poverty 6 line. The majority of these individuals living in pov- 7 erty were working people, children, older individuals, 8 and individuals with disabilities. 9 (3) Many low-income individuals work multiple 10 jobs and, contrary to common misconceptions, if un- 11 employed, they spend a great deal of time looking 12 for work. They often travel by public transportation, 13 laboriously making multiple connections to shuttle 14 between home, work, social service agencies, houses 15 of worship, and grocery stores. For those living in 16 rural and suburban areas far from work and without 17 adequate public transportation they rely upon vehi- 18 cles to get to work, but these are often less reliable 19 secondhand vehicles, that often break down. From 20 traveling greater distances between available jobs 21 and livable areas with affordable housing options, 22 seeking out scarce childcare options that fit a tight 23 budget and a constrained travel schedule, and caring 24 for elderly parents or grandparents because a senior 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3484 IS living facility is not financially realistic, low-income 1 individuals have little spare time. 2 (4) While government safety net programs help 3 tens of million of individuals avoid starvation, home- 4 lessness, and other outcomes even more dreadful 5 than everyday poverty, there are significant obstacles 6 that those seeking and maintaining government as- 7 sistance face for as long as they are eligible. Quali- 8 fied applicants are often required to travel signifi- 9 cant distances to multiple government offices, pre- 10 paring and submitting piles of nearly identical pa- 11 perwork to access the different government assist- 12 ance programs. Even when the application process 13 begins online, the eligible applicant is typically still 14 required to physically follow up with each govern- 15 ment office with physical copies, for near identical 16 meetings. As a result, many low-income people are 17 actually unaware of all the government benefits for 18 which they are eligible, reducing the amount of help 19 going to individuals in need by tens of billions of 20 dollars every year. The lines in these offices can 21 seem endless, and sometimes clients need to wait 22 outside, for hours, in the worst kinds of weather. 23 Many offices don’t have weekend or night hours, so 24 an applicant is at risk of losing wages when often 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3484 IS their only option is to apply for government help 1 during work hours. 2 (5) Each year, many vital government programs 3 go underutilized because eligible beneficiaries are 4 hindered by obtrusive, time consuming, and repet- 5 itive application barriers. In 2015, according to the 6 Department of Agriculture, 15 percent of all people 7 eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance pro- 8 gram (referred to in this section as ‘‘SNAP’’), 25 9 percent of the ‘‘working poor’’ eligible for SNAP, 10 and 55 percent of seniors over 60 who were eligible 11 failed to receive it. 12 (6) The United States has hundreds of thou- 13 sands of nonprofit groups providing high quality and 14 much needed social services, but it is nearly impos- 15 sible for struggling people to determine which of 16 those organizations provides services they need, 17 whether the organization is conveniently located, and 18 for which services they are eligible. If they do deter- 19 mine that a nonprofit (or multiple nonprofits) could 20 help, they need to take yet more time to visit each 21 one. 22 (7) Since many government and nonprofit pro- 23 grams require frequent reapplications and recertifi- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3484 IS cations, a low-income person often has to repeat the 1 same endless and frustrating process. 2 (8) Technology has fundamentally revamped the 3 lives of most individuals, usually for the better. Ac- 4 cording to the Pew Research Center, 64 percent of 5 low-income individuals have a smart phone as of 6 2016 (not because a smart phone is a luxury but be- 7 cause it is an essential tool of learning and work in 8 modern America) but they rarely can use these de- 9 vices to apply for benefits. Digital technology, com- 10 bined with policy improvements, can simplify the 11 lives and boost the long-term self-sufficiency of our 12 lowest income residents. 13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 14 In this Act: 15 (1) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 16 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 17 the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of 18 Housing and Urban Development, acting collabo- 19 ratively. 20 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible pilot 21 community’’ means a State, unit of general purpose 22 local government, Tribal government, or an entity 23 that represents a smaller geographical area therein 24 (including a neighborhood). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:10 Mar 24, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3484 IS (3) TARGET POPULATION.—The term ‘‘target 1 population’’ includes an individual or household 2 that— 3 (A) earns an income below 200 percent of 4 the Federal poverty line; 5 (B) suffers from food insecurity; 6 (C) earns insufficient income to ensure 7 food security or economic security; 8 (D) lives in a rural, suburban, or urban 9 community that suffers from poverty, hunger, 10 or food insecurity; 11 (E) is homeless; 12 (F) receives (or recently received) assist- 13 ance under a State program funded under part 14 A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 15 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), relating to temporary as- 16 sistance to needy families; 17 (G) is eligible for benefits under any Fed- 18 eral nutrition assistance program or Federal 19 antipoverty program; or 20 (H) is formerly a youth in transition from 21 foster care or the juvenile detention facilities. 22 (4) PARTNER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The 23 term ‘‘partner nonprofit organization’’ means any 24 national, regional, State, or local nonprofit group de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3484 IS scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 1 Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 2 501(a) of such Code. 3 SEC. 4. HOPE ACCOUNTS PILOT PROJECTS. 4 (a) PILOT PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretaries 5 shall allow eligible entities that apply to such Secretaries 6 to carry out Health, Opportunity, and Personal Empower- 7 ment (‘‘HOPE’’) Accounts Pilot Projects to enable target 8 populations of individuals to establish through banks, 9 credit unions, and any governmental or Tribal agencies 10 HOPE accounts that enable such individuals— 11 (1) to have their paychecks deposited directly in 12 such accounts; 13 (2) to use such accounts to increase savings 14 that would be matched with funds provided by gov- 15 ernment and private sources, including individual de- 16 velopment accounts; 17 (3) to use an account mobile application on a 18 smart phone to easily locate and sign up for job 19 training and placement services online; 20 (4) to enable such individuals to use any smart 21 phone, tablet, or computer— 22 (A) to learn about the public and philan- 23 thropic programs that provide benefits to such 24 individuals, including aid to improve health, nu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:10 Mar 24, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3484 IS trition, job training and placement, housing, 1 and income; 2 (B) to receive Federal and State tax cred- 3 its; and 4 (C) to apply for, submit eligibility docu- 5 ments for, enroll in, and manage the use of 6 such benefits at once through the convenience 7 of their device if individuals or their households 8 are eligible for one or more of such benefits; 9 (5) to receive a basic smart phone, tablet, or 10 computer, along with a subsidized internet Wi-Fi ac- 11 cess plan, if such individuals do not own a smart 12 phone, tablet, or computer; 13 (6) to obtain the access and information de- 14 scribed in paragraph (4) with assistance at libraries, 15 government offices, or nonprofit agencies if such in- 16 dividuals are uncomfortable using internet tech- 17 nology themselves; 18 (7) to obtain access to the information de- 19 scribed in paragraph (4), with the assistance of gov- 20 ernment or nonprofit employees, AmeriCorps na- 21 tional service participants, or Senior Corps members, 22 to receive home visits if such individuals are elderly 23 or disabled; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3484 IS (8) to access health care information that speci- 1 fies medical benefits, and any out-of-pocket costs, 2 for each of the health plans for which such individ- 3 uals may be eligible, and to empower such individ- 4 uals to easily select the plan that works best for 5 them; 6 (9) to enable such individuals to file directly 7 (and without expending funds to obtain third-party 8 tax filing services) to obtain Federal tax credits and 9 refunds, and in States and localities with their own 10 supplemental tax credits, to simultaneously file for 11 credits and refunds; 12 (10) to deposit cash in the account that is set 13 aside for education, job training, starting a business, 14 or buying a home and that would be nontaxable; 15 (11) to easily access and monitor, in 1 central 16 online account— 17 (A) to be able to check the status, 18 amounts, and recertification deadlines for some 19 or all their benefits and savings; and 20 (B) to pay all bills online, saving high 21 check cashing fees and enormous amounts of 22 time; 23 (12) to budget resources by using real-time 24 cash flow data and long-term financial planning 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3484 IS data, including calculating how much such individ- 1 uals would lose in interest on credit cards versus 2 how much such individuals would gain in interest by 3 saving more; 4 (13) to access calendar and scheduling func- 5 tions that enable individuals to keep track of all job 6 search, work, family, and school obligations, as well 7 as any social service filing or appointment dates; 8 (14) to be protected by security and privacy 9 systems so that only such individuals, and not the 10 government, nonprofit, or banking partners, would 11 be able to see or track private financial and appoint- 12 ment information; and 13 (15) notwithstanding other provisions of law, to 14 allow program applicants to easily and clearly au- 15 thorize their sharing of personal and financial infor- 16 mation with multiple government agencies, solely for 17 the purpose of those government agencies enabling 18 the individuals to apply for and utilize government 19 benefits. 20 (b) FISCAL YEARS.—Pilot projects authorized by 21 subsection (a) shall be carried out for a 1-year period in 22 each of the fiscal years 2020 through 2025. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3484 IS SEC. 5. HOPE ACTION PLANS PILOT PROJECTS. 1 (a) PILOT PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretaries 2 shall allow eligible entities that apply to such Secretaries 3 to carry out HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects to enable 4 target populations of individuals to partner with govern- 5 ment and nonprofit organizations by entering into vol- 6 untary agreements to carry out long-term HOPE action 7 plans that— 8 (1) specify exactly how the parties to such plans 9 will help such individuals and their families earn, 10 learn, and save better in order to ensure greater eco- 11 nomic opportunity for themselves and their children 12 by working together in a long-term, positive relation- 13 ship for the purpose of ensuring upward mobility; 14 (2) are designed to empower such individuals 15 and their families to better organize their time and 16 focus their activities on productive endeavors while 17 providing them extra resources to do so; 18 (3) may be— 19 (A) short-term, conducted over a year or 2 20 years, and aimed at helping families achieve 21 very basic goals, such as avoiding homelessness 22 and hunger; or 23 (B) long-term with far more ambitious 24 goals for upward mobility; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Mar 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3484.IS S3484 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3484 IS (4) would require that participating individuals 1 and families, government entities, and nonprofit 2 partners have equal rights to hold each other ac- 3 countable for plan outcomes and funding. 4 (b) FISCAL YEARS.—Pilot projects authorized by 5 subsection (a) shall be carried out in each of the fiscal 6 years 2020 th [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]