Originally published on June 14, 2024 by the San Mateo Daily Journal and written by Kevin Mullin

My wife and I went through a lot to become parents of our twin boys and, while it isn’t always easy, being a dad is the most rewarding experience I’ll ever have. The impact we have on our children is unparalleled, and it’s the reason why so many of us obsess over what the future will bring and how we might be able to make it better for the next generation.

My own father, Gene Mullin, inspired me to enter public service and there are countless times that I wish he were still here for his wisdom and guidance. He was a civics teacher at a public high school who eventually went on to serve in the California Assembly. Growing up, our conversations around the dinner table were spirited, and we spent time talking about what it means to live in a democracy and be part of a community. What is it that each of us can do to support one another and leave our world a better place for our children? The conversations we have with our children matter and can have a lasting impact on their values and the life they will choose to lead.

A future-focused mindset guided my run for public office, first on the South San Francisco City Council, then serving in the California Assembly, and now as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. It’s also why I joined the Congressional Dads Caucus, which is dedicated to championing the needs of working families and uplifting children across the country. Traveling back and forth to Washington, D.C., nearly every week, I’ve become even more acutely aware of how much support working parents need.

School drop-offs, doctor’s visits, grocery shopping, getting dinner on the table, helping with homework, arranging child care — these are all fundamental experiences of being a parent. I’m lucky to have a wife, Jessica, who is passionate about her own public service career and a supportive family network that helps us raise our 6-year-old boys.

Raising my kids in the town where I grew up, I’ve witnessed change over the years and there’s good reason why so many people want to call the Bay Area home. We’re in a beautiful environment with great weather, good schools and a robust economy. This also means the cost to live here has become one of the highest in the nation. It’s increasingly challenging for working families who earn too little to make ends meet but are unable to access safety net benefits like Medicaid, SNAP and other supportive services.

The cost of living varies greatly across the United States, and the Bay Area isn’t the only place where the price of housing, food, child care and other essential needs have far outpaced what the federal government considers enough to raise a family. That’s why I’ve proposed a bill that would be a long-overdue update to the antiquated federal poverty line.

The current FPL is a 1960s calculation of 1950s household budgets based primarily just on the average household’s spending on food. It also isn’t adjusted regionally. Currently, it’s set at $31,200 for a family of four — regardless of whether you live in a high- or low-cost region.

In California, an estimated 12% of people fall below the FPL. But statistical measures like United Way of California’s Real Cost Measure indicate that actually 34% of people don’t earn enough to meet their basic needs.

My Poverty Line Act would update the calculation of the FPL to account for expenses like health care, child care, clothing, utilities and, most importantly, the cost of housing — all adjusted by region.

Helping families and supporting working parents is a benefit to us all — it means more moms and dads can be present for their kids. It would mean parents could have more time to engage their kids in conversations around the dinner table and for a child, I know firsthand how that can really have a lasting impression.

I don’t know what my kids will choose to do with their lives, but I do know I want to encourage them to think about their impact on their community and to one day, impart those values on their own kids.

Kevin Mullin represents California’s 15th Congressional District.