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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 4, 2019 10:59 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Malcolm Kenyatta |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Eradicating Poverty in Pennsylvania |
| Eradicating poverty is the moral and economic issue of our time. We must find new and bold approaches to combatting its effects with data and research. Across the Commonwealth, people are struggling to make ends meet. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.5 percent of our residents live below the poverty line. Combatting poverty in Pennsylvania is not going to be an easy task; we will need to work together to eradicate this pervasive issue. As such, I have partnered up with Senator Vincent Hughes and will be introducing a package of bills to help guide how the Commonwealth addresses poverty. The first piece of legislation will task the Department of Human Services with maintaining a system to track intergenerational poverty. The data collected will be analyzed by a commission made up of cabinet members who will use this data to implement policies and programs addressing poverty, public assistance, education, and other issues, as needed, to reduce the rate of childhood and adult poverty. The second piece of legislation will require the Independent Fiscal Office to complete a poverty impact analysis on the governor’s proposed budget, the enacted budget, and any bill, amendment, or joint resolution upon written request of a member of the General Assembly. As public servants, we must prioritize the needs of our most vulnerable citizens. Please join me in supporting these poverty initiatives so that we may have a better understanding of how we can best provide those in need with the tools they require to improve their lives. |
Introduced as HB1623