Statement of purpose

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.