Mr.

Rogers / 4 Senator McNamara

S.R.__

A BILL
To increase the level of aid to those whom are below the Federal Poverty line.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Humanitarian Revival Act of 2016.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) Children are one of the most expensive segments of a family.
2) Too many teens and adults are having children before they are ready to have them.
3) One third of the population earn less than the National Poverty Line ($38,000).
4) The average poverty rate is around fifteen percent of the population of this state.
5) ...America has the best-dressed poverty in the world (Harrington).
6) Twenty nine percent of the legally disabled population classify as being in poverty.
7) When medical finances are added in, an additional four percent of people classify as being in poverty.
8) The average poverty rate in rural areas is several percentage points higher than those in urban areas.
9) Children with a family in poverty often lack sufficient emotional attention and/or food.
10) Those in poverty are less likely to start a family than those not in poverty.
11) Nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of U.S. respondents said that once they have covered their basic living
expenses, they have no money left over (Glasmeier).
12) The average income for an American , in 2015 was $56,516.
13) Nearly 54% of all Americans will, at least once in their lifetime, live in and/or near poverty.
14) Incomes are down since 1999, 5.9 percent nationally and in some states more than 10 percent (Glasmeier).
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) To commence the beginning of this Act, the construction of basic, habitable apartment units in areas that are as
close to a city and/or town as possible. The habitation(s) of poverty stricken families shall be torn down and/or
renovated when construction of the apartment units is completed. Individuals will be able to chose whether to move
into the apartments or to renovate their current habitat. During the construction of these units, a program designed to
allow only those whom are in poverty will occur in order to prevent those whom seek to take advantage of the
relatively cheap units. Once the program and construction are completed, the newly registered residents shall be
relocated to the units. The residents shall be granted a small stipend to spend solely on basic furnishings to their
respective apartment. They shall also be granted a sizeable stipend that can be used to pay for home necessities
including but not limited to: child care products and services, electricity, etc for them to pursue an education that will
further their career. The residents, if found to be misusing the allocated funds will be guided by select individuals,
who will be paid, to aid the individual(s) in managing their finances.
B) To provide funding for the Humanitarian Revival Act of 2016, the sales tax shall be raised by half of a percent for
all states with sales tax rate below eight percent. Select states and/or cities who have a sales tax rate higher than eight
percent are only required to pay one half of the half of the percent increase (). Additional funding for the
Humanitarian Revival Act of 2016 shall come from the Defense Budget at five Percent of its current budget (585
Billion) and from the Department of Homeland Security at half of a percent (0.005%). Administration and
enforcement of this bill shall be tasked to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
C) The reduction in those whom can be classified as being in poverty will result in a content populous whom will pay
more taxes (dependent on salary) which shall aid in the other department's funding. If the allocated funds provided
to Department of Housing and Urban Development, to combat poverty, are found to be misused (as in utilized for
matter not related to the aid of those in poverty), designated individuals from a specially formed committee outside
the Department, will be tasked to handle the management of the provided funds. Multiple validation checks, each
with their own unique allowance pass, will be done in order to remove or add funds to the collection. This bill shall
be enacted on January 1st, 2018.

Ever since the conception of civilization, poverty has been an undesired yet generally ignored factor.
This is quite ironic because those whom are comfortably above the poverty level constantly complain
about there being too many homeless individuals, but those complaining do not realize the fact that
homelessness is not an identity, but rather an unfortunate circumstance. Many people in the United
States are in danger of becoming homeless because of the increasing costs of necessities and slow rise of
incomes.
Poverty rates in the United States are dismal. Within the United States poverty rates can and do
vary wildly. In order to encompass poverty discrepancies regionally, all of these differing rates are
collected and summarized. Varying poverty rates state by state and city by city can affect ones
perception of poverty in the United States, but according to Proctor, Semega and Kollar, The official
poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent, down 1.2 percentage points from 14.8 percent in 2014 (Kollar,
Proctor, and Semega). While the evidence may prove that poverty is becoming less of an issue in the
United States, it shows that poverty is still in abundance and that the rate of poverty reduction is rather
slow. In addition, Nearly 54% of all Americans will, at least once in their lifetime, live in and/or near
poverty (Rank). It means that in the United States, theres a rather high chance that any citizen could
become poor especially if one is single and female, as supported with the following: Poverty rates are
highest for families headed by single women...30.6 percent of households headed by single women were
poor, while 15.7 percent of households headed by single men and 6.2 percent of married-couple
households lived in poverty (University of Michigan). So, it would seem that single mothers are most
vulnerable to poverty, and that families with children are susceptible in to poverty in general.
Education and health are two significant factors that influence productivity and happiness.
Poverty, however, can prevent one from attaining education access to healthcare. Education and
healthcare can be quite expensive. Medical care is often the expense that pushes families into poverty.
When medical bills are taken into consideration, more people fall under the poverty line. What is even
more surprising is that a seemingly high average American salary no longer suffices in terms of
covering necessities like medical care and education. For instance, In 2015, the average income for an
American was $56,516 (Kollar, Proctor, and Semega). This average income for a single individual is
well above the poverty line but Nearly one-quarter (22 percent) U.S. respondents said that once they
have covered their basic living expenses, they have no money left over (Glasmeier). The necessities of
life are expensive, and costs of necessary expenses such as medical care and education become lower
priorities for those with average incomes. What is troubling is that many families who do not fit the
definition of being in poverty cannot afford medical expenses or higher education, expenses that some
do not regard as essential. The ones who are hurt the most are children because they necessitate
resources to grow and thrive. Not only are children living in poverty often deprived of adequate medical
care and higher education, Children with family in poverty often lack sufficient emotional attention
and/or food (Sherman). The research shows that children suffer the most from poverty. This is very
dangerous because children are still developing, so a lack of attention and/or food has detrimental
effects on both the mind and the body for years to come. Being in poverty is a reality for many families
and children.This factor is quite troubling, after all, poverty affects children the most as theyre the ones
developing, both physically and psychologically.
Since having a family on the average American income is almost impossible, many families are
deciding not to have children. Does this mean having children is a privilege only for the wealthy elite?
The fact is, many families cannot support children: One third of the population earn less than the
National Poverty Line ($38,000) (Edelman). This rather low line of poverty along with, the previously
mentioned, low average income means theres a chance that Those in poverty are less likely to have a
family than normal (Chen). This is due the fact that child care services and products make up a
significant portion of a family's expenses until children leave to form their own lives and/or families.
Poverty is often generational in the United States and children of families in poverty cannot always
overcome it in their adulthood.