Poverty Statistics Enhancement Act

This bill would require the Census Bureau, within one year, to create a new way to measure poverty in addition to the Official Poverty Measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure. The new measure would follow a Congressional Budget Office method and count a person's income as earnings plus government benefits (such as SNAP, Medicaid, housing aid, and refundable tax credits) minus taxes paid. Federal agencies would have to share requested data with the Census Bureau within 180 days, and the Bureau would report to Congress on the results, including comparisons with current measures. Future Census publications would use the new method, including for past years, and anyone who knowingly misuses or discloses personal information collected under the bill could face fines up to $300,000, up to 5 years in prison, or both.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• John Kennedy Republican sponsor
• 0 cosponsors