In 2023, Congressman Kevin Mullin (CA-15) introduced the Poverty Line Act with support from fellow lawmakers and more than 40 organizations from across the country to modernize the way the federal poverty line (FPL) is calculated, which has not been updated in nearly 60 years.

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The current method for calculating poverty line is out of step with what working families actually spend on housing, childcare, and healthcare, nor does it account for regional differences. This means that millions of struggling families make too little to afford their basic needs, yet because the federal poverty line is so low, they are not eligible for safety net benefits.

The Poverty Line Act would update the way the Federal government calculates the federal poverty line by accounting for real costs and adjusting for regional differences. This would make millions of more families eligible for safety net programs, including Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), LIHEAP, and many more.

Specifically, the Poverty Line Act would:

• Replace the outdated federal poverty line so that, for the first time, it is regionally adjusted and more accurately reflects the cost of living, including housing, food, clothing, phone, internet, health care, and, for families with children, child care costs;
• Prevent any individual from losing eligibility for a program based on the new calculation methodology if they were eligible under the old one;
• Ensure the poverty line is no lower than it is today anywhere in the country;
• Require the Office of Management and Budget to report to Congress on how federal law should be updated to reflect the new calculation where, for example, program eligibility is based on a percentage of the old poverty line; and
• Ensure that the new methodology is reviewed at least once every four years to determine whether it is still reflective of what households need to meet their basic needs and to identify additional changes needed in the future.

Read more in a news release. 

A copy of the bill text can be found here. 

Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Poverty Line Act.

Endorsing Organizations

• Alliance for a Just Society – Seattle, WA
• California Association of Food Banks – Oakland, CA
• Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee – Cambridge, MA
• Child Welfare League of America – Washington, DC
• Children’s Council of San Francisco – San Francisco, CA
• Children’s Defense Fund – Washington, DC
• City Harvest – Brooklyn, NY
• Community Change Action – Washington, DC
• Covenant House International – New York, NY
• Economic Security Project Action
• End Child Poverty in California (GRACE) – Pasadena, CA
• End Poverty in California – CA
• Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies – New York, NY
• Feeding America – Washington, DC
• Feeding New York State – Albany, NY
• Feeding Texas – Austin, TX
• Feeding Westchester – Elmsford, NY
• First Focus Campaign for Children – Washington, DC
• Florida Impact to End Hunger – Tallahassee, FL
• Illinois Hunger Coalition – Chicago, IL
• Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy (The New School) – New York, NY
• Liberation in a Generation
• Long Island Cares–The Harry Chapin Food Bank – Long Island, NY
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank – Los Angeles, CA
• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute – Boston, MA
• National Alliance to End Homelessness – Washington, DC
• National Association for State Community Services Programs – Washington, DC
• National Association of Social Workers – Washington, DC
• National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development – Washington, DC
• National Education Association – Washington, DC
• National Employment Law Project – New York, NY
• National Network for Youth – Washington, DC
• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – Washington, DC
• Peninsula Family Service – San Mateo, CA
• PolicyLink – Oakland, CA
• Puente de la Costa Sur – Pescadero, CA
• Samaritan House – Virginia Beach, VA
• San Francisco-Marin Food Bank – San Francisco, CA
• SchoolHouse Connection – Washington, DC
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley Food Bank – San Jose, CA
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU) – Washington, DC
• Shriver Center on Poverty Law – Chicago, IL
• Sojourners-SojoAction – Washington, DC
• Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund – Montgomery, AL
• Tennessee Justice Center – Nashville, TN
• UnidosUS – Washington, DC
• United Way Bay Area – San Francisco, CA
• United Way of Bucks County – PA
• United Way of Central Jersey – NJ
• United Way of Pennsylvania – PA
• United Way Worldwide
• United Ways of California – CA
• Western Center on Law & Poverty – Los Angeles, CA