WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced S. 3845, the National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act, legislation to utilize 21st century technology, ideas and policy proposals to confront the complex issues of poverty in America.
“Last year, 43.6 million people in the United States, or one in seven residents, lived in poverty. Of those, 15.5 million were children. This is unacceptable and it is time to look at new ideas and solutions to end poverty,” said Senator Casey. “I am proud to introduce the National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act, a bill to confront the complex issues of poverty in our country.”
The National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act will give ten communities the opportunity to test new ideas to combat poverty. These communities will receive five year waivers and would be released from many of the bureaucratic rules and procedures that currently prevent communities from addressing the root causes of poverty.
The bill is supported by Catholic Charities USA, a group that has advocated for those living in poverty for over 100 years.
The bill recognizes that there is no singular solution on how to reduce poverty. It also accounts for different geographic areas needing different programs and different people needing different levels of help. This legislation creates tiers of intervention to ensure that individuals and families get the help they need.
Additionally, the National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act will change the way poverty is measured to reflect the impact rent, health care and other necessities have on income.
Finally, in an effort to develop sufficient evaluations of poverty relief programs, the bill promotes creation of a system of gathering information on the effectiveness of current poverty relief programs.
###
