PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 18, 2025
Poverty Line Act of 2025
This bill revises the methodology used to calculate the federal poverty guidelines. The federal poverty guidelines are used to determine eligibility for many federal and state public assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the National School Lunch Program. The poverty guidelines are currently calculated by adjusting the Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index.
The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to calculate regional poverty guidelines based on a combination of factors including average household expenditures on food, clothing, utilities, and transportation; the average cost of rental housing; and the average cost of health insurance. These factors must be calculated using regional data as applicable. HHS must make available to the public a tool for determining the poverty guideline applicable to a given household.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The new regional poverty guidelines established by HHS may not be lower than existing, corresponding poverty guidelines as of the date of enactment of the bill. HHS must review and evaluate the poverty guidelines at least every four years and propose changes to this methodology as appropriate.
The bill takes effect three years after its enactment.
People & committees
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Apr 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Poverty Line Act of 2025 would change how the federal poverty line—a benchmark used to help determine eligibility for assistance—is calculated. The calculation would account for household size and geographic differences in costs, with protections against certain reductions. The bill’s stated goal is to expand access to federal assistance by better reflecting basic household expenses; that is an intended result, not an established effect.
This Act may be cited as the Poverty Line Act of 2025.
The purpose of this Act is to update the calculation of the Federal poverty line, updated periodically in the Federal Register under the authority of section 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), to expand eligibility for and utilization of Federal assistance and benefits such that it incorporates more accurate costs of basic needs, keeps pace with changing household spending norms, accounts for regional variations in the cost of living, and reflects the minimum expenditures required by a household to have the opportunity to achieve social and economic mobility.
The poverty line as revised shall be calculated at household sizes from 1 to 8 members
For each factor determined under clauses (i) and (ii), the Secretary shall— (I) use State-level data, any available county-level data, and, for clauses (i)(V) and (VI), geographic rating area data, and (II) subject to clause (viii), produce poverty line variants for each such geographic area.
The Secretary shall not set the poverty line for any State or county below the poverty line as determined under this paragraph prior to the date of enactment of the Poverty Line Act of 2025 and adjusted for inflation up to the present time.
The bill and its amendment would take effect three years after enactment. This is a proposed delay measured from enactment, not a fixed calendar date.
This Act and the amendment made by this Act shall take effect 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
The bill would replace the cited statutory definition of the poverty line. The Office of Management and Budget would define the official line according to the Secretary’s published line. The Secretary would coordinate with the Census Bureau to revise and publish it at least annually, with more frequent updates allowed when considered feasible and desirable.
Section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) is amended to read as follows:
(A) In general The term poverty line means the official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and Budget according to the Secretary’s published poverty line under subparagraph (B). (B) Revision and publication In coordination with the Bureau of the Census, the Secretary shall revise and publish the poverty line in the manner described in subparagraph (C) at least annually (or at any shorter interval the Secretary determines to be feasible and desirable).
For households of one to eight people, the poverty line would add together specified expense components. Food, clothing, telephone and internet costs would use a five-year rolling spending average at 83 percent of the average spending in the 47th through 53rd percentiles—near the middle of surveyed spending. That amount would be adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers and multiplied by the bill’s factor for other basic goods.
The poverty line as revised shall be calculated at household sizes from 1 to 8 members and shall be the sum of— (I) a 5-year rolling average of household expenditures for food, clothing, telephone, and internet, calculated at 83 percent of the averages of the 47th through the 53rd percentiles of spending in the Consumer Expenditure Survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjusted for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI–U), and multiplied by the other basic goods factor set under clause (iv)
The housing component would use the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Market Rent estimate for a rental home with a number of bedrooms appropriate for the household size. This amount would also be multiplied by the factor for other basic goods.
(II) the cost of a rental housing unit with the number of bedrooms appropriate for the household size as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Fair Market Rents estimate determined by such Secretary as required under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), and multiplied by the other basic goods factor set under clause (iv)
The calculation would include average child care prices for up to six household members younger than five, using the Department of Labor’s National Database of Childcare Prices.
(III) for up to 6 household members who are under 5 years, the cost of average child care prices for such children as determined by National Database of Childcare Prices of the Department of Labor
For up to six household members enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans, the calculation would include median out-of-pocket medical costs other than premiums. The Secretary would determine those costs using the household portion of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to the extent practicable.
(IV) for up to 6 household members enrolled in employer-sponsored health care plans, the median non-premium out-of-pocket costs for such members as determined by the Secretary based on the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to the extent practicable
Clause (V) would include a premium for an Affordable Care Act Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan, plus median out-of-pocket costs other than premiums where practicable. It applies to up to six members who are not enrolled in employer-sponsored coverage “or are eligible for Medicare.” That wording overlaps with the separate Medicare component; the supplied text does not explain how the overlap would be reconciled.
(V) for up to 6 household members who are not otherwise enrolled in an employer-sponsored health care plan or are eligible for Medicare, the sum of the premium of an Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan defined by the Secretary as required under title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and, to the extent practicable, the median non-premium out-of-pocket costs for those enrolled in such a plan as determined by the Secretary based on the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
(VI) for up to 6 household members who are eligible for Medicare
For up to six Medicare-eligible household members, the calculation would include the premium for the lowest-cost available Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage. It would also include median out-of-pocket costs other than premiums for people in such a plan, using the specified medical spending survey to the extent practicable.
(VI) for up to 6 household members who are eligible for Medicare, the sum of the cost of the premium for the lowest cost Medicare Advantage plan available that provides prescription drug coverage and, to the extent practicable, the median non-premium out-of-pocket costs for those enrolled in such a plan as determined by the Secretary based on the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
For households larger than eight people, the Secretary would calculate the average added cost of each additional person. The Secretary would also adjust each expense component for whether costs per person fall or rise as household size increases.
(ii) The Secretary shall calculate the average incremental cost of each additional household member for households with more than 8 members.
(vi) The Secretary shall apply appropriate multipliers to each factor determined under in clause (i) to reflect economies or diseconomies of scale with additional household members.
The Secretary would use state data and any available county data for each cost factor. For the benchmark health plan and Medicare components, the calculation would also use geographic rating area data. The bill would require poverty lines for these geographic areas, subject to its lookup-tool provision.
(iii) For each factor determined under clauses (i) and (ii), the Secretary shall— (I) use State-level data, any available county-level data, and, for clauses (i)(V) and (VI), geographic rating area data, and (II) subject to clause (viii), produce poverty line variants for each such geographic area.
The factor for other basic goods would be set county by county and could not be less than 1.2. It would reflect basic needs not otherwise included in the calculation, including transportation where appropriate.
(iv) The Secretary shall set the other basic goods factor at the county level at a number that reflects spending on goods and services on which a household relies for basic needs, including transportation (where appropriate), and is otherwise not reflected in such clause but at not less than at 1.2.
The Secretary could issue rules substituting other data sources if the specified sources did not accurately reflect changes in relevant household spending because of a significant economic event or a substantial change in the sources’ methods or availability. The text gives a national emergency and above-average inflation as examples of significant economic events.
(v) The Secretary may issue rules that require the use of data sources in lieu of the data sources specified in clause (i) for determining any factor applicable under this subparagraph if the Secretary determines that such specified sources do not accurately reflect changes in otherwise applicable average household expenditures due to a significant economic event (such as a national emergency or above-average price inflation) or a substantial change in the underlying methodology or availability of such sources.
The official called the “Director” could create simplified poverty lines or per-person calculations for deciding program eligibility, provided they materially included all applicable costs required by the formula.
(vii) The Director may create simplified poverty line variants or per-person cost calculations for administrative purposes in determining household program eligibility as long as such variants or calculations materially incorporate all applicable costs specified under this subparagraph.
The Director would have to provide a household poverty-line lookup tool on the Department of Health and Human Services website for states, counties and the public.
(viii) The Director shall provide a lookup tool on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services for use by States, counties, and the public to determine the poverty line of a given household based on the factors in this paragraph.
The poverty line would be an eligibility criterion for the Community Services Block Grant program. A state could use a revised line no higher than 125 percent of the otherwise applicable official line if it determined that doing so served the program’s objectives.
(D) Block grant program usage (i) If a State determines that it serves the objectives of the block grant program established under this subtitle, the State may revise the poverty line to not to exceed 125 percent of the official poverty line otherwise applicable under this paragraph. (ii) The poverty line shall be used as a criterion of eligibility in the community services block grant program established under this subtitle.
For a participant or household in a federal program, moving to another location could not by itself reduce the applicable poverty line for two years after the move. The provision protects the poverty-line benchmark; it does not expressly guarantee an unchanged benefit amount.
(E) Safe harbors (i) The poverty line applicable to a participant or household in a Federal program on the date the participant moves from one geographic location to another shall not be reduced by reason of the move for the 2-year period beginning on the date of the move.
The Secretary could not set a state or county poverty line below the pre-enactment poverty line adjusted for inflation through the present.
(ii) The Secretary shall not set the poverty line for any State or county below the poverty line as determined under this paragraph prior to the date of enactment of the Poverty Line Act of 2025 and adjusted for inflation up to the present time.
Within one year after the bill took effect, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget would have to report to Congress identifying federal laws and regulations that use the poverty line for program eligibility and that the Director recommended updating to reflect the amendment. This provision requires recommendations, rather than itself rewriting those other laws and regulations.
Not later than 1 year after the effective date of this Act, the Director of Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report that specifies the Federal laws and regulations that apply the Federal poverty line in effect under section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) as a factor in determining eligibility for Federal programs and that the Director recommends be updated to reflect the changes required by the amendment made by this Act.
In the fourth year after the bill took effect, and at least once every four years afterward, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to evaluate the poverty line, publish the results and propose changes that would better achieve the bill’s purpose.
In the 4th year after the effective date of this Act, and at least once every 4 years thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall— (1) evaluate the efficacy of the poverty line as determined under section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)), as amended by this Act, (2) publish a report on the results of the evaluation, and (3) propose any change to such poverty line that would better achieve the purpose of this Act.
The bill would not preclude the Census Bureau or other federal agencies from collecting, calculating or publishing other poverty measures for other purposes.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preclude the Bureau of the Census or any other Federal agency from collecting, calculating, or publishing other measures of poverty for other purposes.
The supplied April 10, 2026 source snapshot records introduction in the House on February 18, 2025, and referral that day to the Committees on Education and Workforce and Oversight and Government Reform for provisions within their respective jurisdictions. The supplied snapshot does not establish subsequent passage or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-04-10T08:05:36Z.
2025-02-18: Introduced in House
2025-02-18: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, or an amendment’s attachment history.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence or formal earmark status in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The complete supplied introduced text contains a limited exception to its geographic poverty-line framework. Classification as a targeted benefit is not a judgment about its justification.
Federal program participants or households who move receive a two-year protection against a reduction in their applicable poverty line caused by the move. This is a temporary exception to applying a lower geographic poverty line following relocation, within the bill’s broader policy of geographically varying thresholds. The protection concerns the poverty-line benchmark and does not expressly guarantee unchanged benefit amounts.
(iii) For each factor determined under clauses (i) and (ii), the Secretary shall— (I) use State-level data, any available county-level data, and, for clauses (i)(V) and (VI), geographic rating area data, and (II) subject to clause (viii), produce poverty line variants for each such geographic area.
The poverty line applicable to a participant or household in a Federal program on the date the participant moves from one geographic location to another shall not be reduced by reason of the move for the 2-year period beginning on the date of the move.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Apr 10, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI