"New Jersey Intergenerational Poverty Reduction Act."

A2331

ASSEMBLY, No. 2331

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Spearman and Assemblywoman Rowan

SYNOPSIS

���� "New Jersey Intergenerational Poverty Reduction
Act."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
concerning
poverty and economic insecurity in
New Jersey and supplementing Title 44 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This act shall be known,
and may be cited, as the �Intergenerational Poverty Reduction Act.�

���� 2.��� As used in this act:

���� �Anti-poverty program� means a
program that has the primary goal of lifting individuals out of poverty or
improving economic opportunities for individuals, and which operates, in whole
or in part, with funding from the State or federal government.

���� �Asset poverty� means the
inability of an individual to access wealth resources sufficient to provide for
the individual�s basic needs for a period of three months or more.

���� �Child� means an individual
who is under the age of 18.

���� �Commission� means the New
Jersey Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security that is
established under section 3 of this act.

���� �Cycle of poverty� means the
set of factors or events by which the long-term poverty of an individual is
likely to continue and be experienced by each child of the individual when the
child becomes an adult, in the absence of outside intervention.

���� �Deep poverty� means an
economic condition where an individual or family has a total annual income that
is less than 50 percent of the federal poverty level for the individual or
family, as provided by the United States Census Bureau in its annual reports on
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.

���� �Department� means the
Department of Human Services.

���� �Deprivation� means an
individual�s lack of adequate nutrition, health care, housing, or other
resources necessary to satisfy the individual�s basic needs.

���� �Digital divide� means the gap
that exists between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas
at different socioeconomic levels in relation to their ability to access
various information and communication technologies, including computers and the
Internet, and which results in an imbalance in physical access to appropriate
technology and the resources, education, and skills that are needed to
effectively use that technology for a wide variety of activities.

���� �Disconnected youth� means an
individual who is 16 to 25 years-of-age and is both unemployed and not enrolled
in school.

���� �Disparate impact� means the
historic and ongoing impacts that result from a pattern and practice of
discrimination in employment, education, housing, banking, or other aspects of
the economy, society, or culture, regardless of whether those patterns or practices
were motivated by discriminatory intent, and which have an adverse impact on
minorities, women, or other protected groups.

���� �Economic insecurity� means
the inability of an individual to financially cope with adverse or costly life
events and recover from the monetary consequences of those events, or an
individual�s lack of economic means sufficient to maintain an adequate standard
of living.

���� �Economic outcome� means a
change in the economic status, economic instability, or economic security of an
individual, household, or other population group that is attributable to a
planned intervention, benefit, service, or series of interventions, benefits,
and services, regardless of whether the intervention, benefit, or service was
intended to change the economic status, economic stability, or economic
security of the individual, household, or other population group.

���� �Economic security� means that
an individual has access to the financial means and supports that are necessary
to effectively cope with, and recover from the monetary consequences of,
adverse or costly life events while maintaining an adequate standard of living.

���� �Intergenerational poverty�
means poverty in which two or more successive generations of a family continue
in the cycle of poverty and government dependence.� �Intergenerational poverty�
does not include situational poverty.

���� �Poverty� means an economic
condition in which an individual or family has a total annual income that is
less than the federal poverty level for the individual or family, as provided
by the United States Census Bureau in its annual reports on Income, Poverty,
and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States.

���� �Poverty measure� means a
uniform method for measuring poverty in the State, which uses indicators other
than traditional income-based measures to provide a detailed picture of
low-income populations and populations living in poverty in a manner that meaningfully
accounts for non-income-related factors contributing to poverty, including, but
not limited to:� available access to health care, housing, proper nutrition,
and quality education; the number of individuals kept out of poverty through
the use of government supports; the number of individuals who are impoverished
due to medical expenses, child-care expenses, or work expenses; the rate of
food insecurity; the number of individuals in asset poverty; the number of
disconnected youth; the teen birth rate; the participation rate in State and
federal anti-poverty programs for all eligible populations; the number of
individuals who do not use a bank or similar financial institution; the
cost-of-living differences in various regions of the State, including urban and
rural regions; the income levels necessary to achieve economic security and a
livable standard of living in different regions of the State; the impact of
rising income inequality; the impact of the digital divide; and the impact of
trauma on intergenerational poverty.

���� �Situational poverty� means
temporary poverty that is generally traceable to a specific incident or time
period within the lifetime of an individual, and which is not carried over into
the next generation.

���� �Strategic plan� means the
strategic plan that is adopted by the commission, pursuant to section 4 of this
act, to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty and economic insecurity in the
State.

���� �Two-generation approach�
means an approach to breaking the cycle of poverty by improving family economic
security through programs that create opportunities for, and address the needs
of, parents and children together.

���� �Working group� means the
Interagency Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity that is
established pursuant to section 7 of this act.

���� 3.��� a.�� The New Jersey
Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security is established in, but
not of, the Department of Human Services.� Notwithstanding this allocation, the
commission shall be independent of any supervision or control by the department
or any officer or employee thereof.�

���� b.��� The purpose of the
commission shall be to:

���� (1)�� improve policymakers�
understanding of the root causes of poverty and economic insecurity, including
the societal, economic, and cultural factors that contribute to or facilitate
poverty or economic insecurity, and the reasons that poverty and economic insecurity
persist in the State;

���� (2)�� expand policymakers�
understanding of poverty by establishing and distinguishing between a standard
that measures an individual�s level of freedom from deprivation and a standard
that measures an individual�s level of economic security;

���� (3)�� educate policymakers on
the impact that poverty has on other measures of economic stability and
economic outcomes, including educational attainment levels, rates of
incarceration, lifetime earnings rates, access to housing, access to health
care, and health care outcomes;

���� (4)�� support governmental
efforts to ensure that residents of the State have the equal opportunity to
achieve economic security; and

���� (5)�� develop a strategic
plan, as provided by section 4 of this act, and otherwise provide
recommendations to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of
government, to reduce and ultimately eliminate poverty and economic insecurity
in the State.

���� c.���� The commission shall be
composed of 25 voting members, as follows:

���� (1)�� four members of the
Legislature, one of whom shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, one
of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, one of whom
shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, and one of whom shall
be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly;

���� (2)�� one member of the
judiciary, who shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the New Jersey
Supreme Court;

���� (3)�� twenty public members,
including: (a) one representative of an organization that focuses on rural
poverty, who shall serve as co-chair of the commission; (b) one representative
of an organization that focuses on urban and suburban poverty, who shall serve
as co-chair of the commission; (c) two individuals who have lived experience
with deep poverty; (d) one representative of an organization that advocates for
health care access, affordability, and availability; (e) one representative of
an organization that advocates for individuals with mental illness; (f) one
representative of an organization that advocates for children and youth; (g)
one representative of an organization that advocates for equity and equality in
education; (h) one representative of an organization that advocates for
individuals who are homeless; (i) one representative of a Statewide hunger
relief organization; (j) one representative of an organization that advocates
for military veterans; (k) one representative of an organization that advocates
for individuals with disabilities; (l) one representative of an organization
that advocates for immigrants; (m) one representative of a Statewide
faith-based organization that provides direct social services in the State; (n)
one representative of an organization that advocates for economic security for
women; (o) one representative of an organization that advocates for adults who
are 60 years of age or older; (p) one representative of a labor organization
that represents primarily low-wage and middle-wage earners; (q) one person
representing school districts in the State; (r) one person representing the
interests of county governments in the State; and (s) one person representing
the interests of municipal governments in the State.

���� d.��� The members of the
interagency working group established pursuant to section 7 of this act shall
additionally serve as non-voting, ex officio members of the commission.

���� e.���� Of the public members
appointed to the commission, four shall be appointed by the Governor, four
shall be appointed by the President of the Senate, four shall be appointed by
the Speaker of the General Assembly, four shall be appointed by the Minority Leader
of the Senate, and four shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the
General Assembly. �Not more than 10 public members shall be of the same
political party.� Each public member shall serve for a term of five years, but
of the public members first appointed, four shall serve an initial term of one
year, four shall serve an initial term of two years, four shall serve an
initial term of three years, four shall serve an initial term of four years,
and four shall serve an initial term of five years.� Any public member of the
commission may be removed by the Governor, for cause, following a public
hearing.

���� f.���� Public members
appointed to the commission shall:�

���� (1)�� be appointed within 45
days after the effective date of this act;

���� (2)�� be residents of New
Jersey who have lived in the State for at least one year;

���� (3)�� maintain residence in
the State during the members� respective terms of service on the commission;

���� (4)�� reflect the racial,
gender, and geographic diversity of this State;

���� (5)�� include representatives
of regions in the State that are experiencing significant economic insecurity
and the highest rates of deep poverty; and

���� (6)�� be eligible for
reappointment to the commission upon the conclusion of their respective
membership terms.

���� g.��� Vacancies in the
membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner provided for
the original appointments.

���� h.��� The commission shall
organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of a majority of its
members, but in no case more than 60 days after the effective date of this
act.�

���� i.���� Members of the
commission shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel
and other miscellaneous expenses incurred in the necessary performance of their
duties, within the limits of funds made available to the commission for its
purposes.�

���� j.���� In effectuating its
purposes and duties under this act, the commission may establish subcommittees
to address specific issues or populations, and may collaborate with individuals
who have relevant expertise and are not members of the commission, as necessary
to assist the commission or a subcommittee thereof in carrying out its duties.

���� k.��� The commission shall
meet at such times and places as the co-chairs may designate, but not less than
once per year.

���� l.���� A majority plus one of
the voting members appointed to the commission shall constitute a quorum.� The
commission may conduct business without a quorum, but may only vote on a
recommendation when a quorum is present.

���� m.�� All actions undertaken by
the commission or by any subcommittee established thereby shall be approved by
a majority vote of the commission or the subcommittee, as applicable.�

���� n.��� The commission shall be
entitled to receive assistance and services from any State, county, or
municipal department, board, commission, or agency, as it may require, and as
may be available to it for its purposes.� The commission is further authorized
to consult with any association, organization, or individual having knowledge
of, or experience with, poverty or economic insecurity. �The Department of
Human Services shall provide staff and administrative support as may be
necessary to assist the commission in carrying out its duties.�

���� o.��� The commission may
solicit, receive, and expend any grant moneys or other funds that may be made
available, for the commission�s purposes, by any government agency or any
private for-profit or not-for-profit organization or entity.

���� 4.��� a.�� Not later than 18
months after the effective date of this act, the commission shall develop and
adopt a strategic plan to address poverty and economic insecurity in the State.

���� b.��� The goals of the
strategic plan shall be to:

���� (1)�� ensure that State
programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity reflect the
goal of helping individuals and families to rise above poverty and achieve
long-term economic stability, rather than simply providing relief from
deprivation;

���� (2)�� eliminate disparate
rates of poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, and intergenerational poverty
that are based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or identity,
English language proficiency, ability, or geographic location in a rural, urban,
or suburban area;

���� (3)�� reduce deep poverty in
the State by 50 percent by 2026;

���� (4)�� eliminate child poverty
in the State by 2031; and

���� (5)�� eliminate all poverty in
the State by 2036.

���� c.���� In developing the
strategic plan, the commission shall:

���� (1)�� collaborate with the
interagency working group established pursuant to section 7 of this act,
including with respect to the sharing and analysis of relevant data and
information;

���� (2)�� identify the unmet
needs, if any, of children, adults, and families who are living in deep poverty
or are experiencing intergenerational poverty in the State;

���� (3)�� review each program and
service that targets poverty and economic insecurity in the State in order to:�
(a) determine which programs and services are the most effective and of the
highest importance in reducing poverty and economic insecurity in the State;
(b) identify shortcomings in program and service areas; (c) analyze the
capacity of the State�s existing programs and services to address the unmet
needs identified under paragraph (2) of this subsection; and (d) where
appropriate, identify new programs or services that can be used to address the
unmet needs identified under paragraph (2) of this subsection;

���� (4)�� study the feasibility of
using public and private partnerships and social impact bonds to improve
innovation and cost-effectiveness in the development of programs and the
delivery of services that advance the goals of the strategic plan;

���� (5)�� hold at least six public
hearings in different geographic regions of the State, including regions that
have disparate rates of poverty or historical experience with economic
insecurity, in order to collect information, take testimony, and solicit input
and feedback from interested parties, including members of the public who have
personal experience with State programs and services targeting poverty, deep
poverty, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, and economic insecurity.�
Information collected pursuant to this paragraph shall be made available to the
public; and

���� (6)�� request and receive from
any State or local government agency relevant information relating to poverty
or economic security in the State, including, but not limited to, statistical
data, audit and other reporting data, planning data, and projections for the
future.

���� d.��� At a minimum, the
strategic plan shall:

���� (1)�� identify, or provide for
the development of, fact-based measures to be used both in identifying rates of
poverty and economic insecurity in the State and in evaluating the long-term
effectiveness of existing and proposed programs and services targeting poverty
and economic insecurity in the State;

���� (2)�� evaluate the current
status of, and establish interim goals for the improvement, throughout the
State, of: (a) access to adequate food and nutrition; (b) access to affordable
and quality health care; (c) equal access to safe and affordable housing; (d) equal
access to quality education and training; (e) equal access to affordable,
quality post-secondary education options; (f) access to dependable and
affordable transportation; (g) access to quality and affordable child care; (h)
opportunities to engage in meaningful and sustainable work that pays a living
wage; (i) barriers that prevent low-income individuals in poverty from
accessing available affordable housing, nutritious food, quality health care,
education, transportation, and child care, from utilizing programs and services
available to address poverty and economic instability, or from accessing or
taking advantage of meaningful and sustainable work opportunities; (j) equal
access to justice through a fair system of criminal justice that does not, in effect,
criminalize poverty; (k) access to adequate income supports; and (l) retirement
security;

���� (3)�� provide policy and
fiscal recommendations regarding the actions that should be undertaken by
State, local, and private actors, as appropriate, to:

���� (a)�� increase the enrollment
of individuals, children, and families in programs and services targeting
poverty and economic insecurity, and reduce the complexity and difficulty of
program and service enrollment procedures;

���� (b)�� maximize the
effectiveness of programs and services targeting poverty and economic
instability in order to consistently achieve positive economic outcomes;

���� (c)�� expand the reach of, and
the number of eligible persons and families that are served by, programs and
services targeting poverty and economic insecurity in the State, and ensure
that relevant State and local agencies have adequate resources and funding, as
necessary to implement and expand programs and services targeting poverty and
economic insecurity and to promote public awareness of such programs,
particularly in historically disenfranchised communities;

���� (d)�� ensure that income and
asset limitations established as a condition of eligibility for programs and
services targeting poverty and economic instability do not create gaps in
necessary service and benefit delivery systems, do not prevent beneficiaries
from improving their long-term economic outcomes or achieving long-term
economic stability and independence, and do not restrict access to benefits as
individuals and families attempt to transition out of the programs and attain
economic self-sufficiency;

���� (e)�� improve the ability of
community-based organizations to participate in the development and
implementation of State and local programs focused on poverty and economic
instability;

���� (f)�� improve the ability of
low-income individuals, unemployed individuals, and individuals living in
poverty to access critical job training and skills upgrade programs, as well as
quality jobs that provide economic security and can help the individual and the
individuals� family to rise above poverty;

���� (g)�� connect low-income
children, disconnected youth, and the families thereof with education
providers, job training opportunities, and available jobs in the communities in
which the children or young adults live;

���� (h)�� improve communication
and collaboration between State agencies and local governments in association
with the establishment and implementation of programs and services targeting
poverty and economic insecurity;

���� (i)��� create or improve
efficiencies in the administration and coordination of State and local programs
and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity;

���� (j)��� ensure that the State�s
public benefits programs, emergency programs, discretionary economic programs,
and other programs and services targeting poverty and economic insecurity are
sufficiently funded to enable the State to mount effective responses to economic
downturns and increases in economic insecurity and poverty rates;

���� (k)�� develop and implement
programs, services, and policies that use a two-generation approach when
analyzing pertinent data; and

���� (l)��� facilitate the
development of public and private partnerships and the use of social impact
bonds to advance the goals of the strategic plan, to the extent that such
actions are deemed to be feasible pursuant to paragraph (4) of subsection c. of
this section;

���� (4)�� identify best practices
for the collection of data related to:�

���� (a)�� the reduction of poverty
and economic insecurity in the State;

���� (b)�� the reduction of racial,
ethnic, age, gender, sexual orientation and sexual identity-based disparities
in the rates of poverty and economic instability;

���� (c)�� the accurate evaluation
of program and service effectiveness, efficiency, and impact on economic
outcomes for individuals, families, and communities receiving benefits and
services;

���� (d)�� the streamlining of
program and service enrollment and eligibility processes and determinations;

���� (e)�� the improvement of
long-term economic outcomes for individuals enrolled in service and benefit
programs;

���� (f)�� the reduction of
individuals� and families� reliance on public programs;

���� (g)�� the improvement of
access and connections to employment that provides a living wage;

���� (h)�� the improvement of
economic security;

���� (i)��� the improvement of
retirement security;

���� (j)��� the improvement of the
State�s understanding of the impact of extreme weather and natural disasters on
economically vulnerable communities, and the improvement of those communities�
resilience to, and recovery from, extreme weather and natural disasters; and

���� (k)�� the improvement of
access to employment-based benefits.

���� e.���� In addition to the
content described in subsection d. of this section, the strategic plan shall
contain all of the following:

���� (1)�� a suggested timeline for
the stages of implementation in association with each recommendation developed
under paragraph (3) of subsection d. of this section;

���� (2)�� short-term,
intermediate-term, and long-term benchmarks to measure the State�s progress
toward achieving the general goals of the strategic plan, as outlined in
subsection b. of this section, and the specific interim goals identified in the
plan under subsection d. of this section; and

���� (3)�� a summary of the extent
to which the commission has collaborated with the interagency working group
with respect to the review and analysis of relevant data as provided by
paragraph (1) of subsection c. of this section.

���� f.���� For each recommendation
adopted pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection d. of this section, the
strategic plan shall identify, in measurable terms, the actual or potential
impact the recommendation will have on poverty and economic insecurity in the
State, and on achieving the general goals of the strategic plan as outlined in
subsection b. of this section, and the more specific interim goals identified
under paragraph (2) of subsection d. of this section.

���� 5.��� The commission shall
submit to the Governor, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, the following written reports:

���� a.���� an interim report on
the commission�s activities, which shall be submitted not later than six months
after the effective date of this act;

���� b.��� a report summarizing the
commission�s activities and containing a copy of the commission�s strategic
plan, which report shall be submitted immediately following the commission�s
adoption of the strategic plan pursuant to section 4 of this act, and not later
than 18 months after the effective date of this act; and

���� c.���� an annual report
evaluating the status of the implementation of the strategic plan and the
recommendations contained therein, and providing any supplemental
recommendations the commission deems necessary to reduce or eliminate poverty
and economic insecurity in the State, which report shall be submitted one year
after the publication of the commission�s strategic plan and annually
thereafter.

���� 6.��� a.���� The State
Treasurer shall include, in the materials submitted to the Legislature
outlining the Governor�s proposed annual budget, a description of any budget
proposals or other activities, ongoing projects, or plans of the executive
branch that are designed to meet the goals and objectives of the strategic
plan.�

���� b.��� The information provided
pursuant to this section shall include the following:

���� (1)�� an accounting of the
savings to the State that will be realized from any increased efficiencies in
the delivery of services;

���� (2)�� any savings realized
from a reduction in the number of individuals living in poverty or from a
reduction in the demand for need-based services and benefits;

���� (3)�� a projection of any
increase in revenue collections that is anticipated due to any increase in the
number of individuals who are employed and pay taxes into the State Treasury;
and

���� (4)�� any other information
related to the proposed annual budget that the State Treasurer believes is
relevant to the implementation of the strategic plan or the achievement of the
goals or objectives established therein.

���� 7.��� a.�� There is
established, in, but not of, the Department of Human Services, an Interagency
Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity.� Notwithstanding this
allocation, the interagency working group shall be independent of any
supervision or control by the department or any officer or employee thereof.

���� b.��� The Interagency Working
Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity shall be composed of the following ex
officio members:

���� (1)�� the Commissioner of
Human Services or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within
the Department of Human Services;

���� (2)�� the Commissioner of
Health or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within the
Department of Health;

���� (3)�� the Commissioner of
Labor and Workforce Development or a designee thereof who is an assistant
commissioner within the Department of Labor and Workforce Development;

���� (4)�� the Commissioner of
Education or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within the
Department of Education;

���� (5)�� the Commissioner of
Community Affairs or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within
the Department of Community Affairs;

���� (6)�� the Commissioner of
Corrections or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within the
Department of Corrections;

���� (7)�� the Commissioner of
Agriculture or a designee thereof who is an assistant commissioner within the
Department of Agriculture; and

���� (8)�� the State Treasurer or a
designee thereof who is an assistant treasurer within the Department of the
Treasury.

���� c.���� The working group shall
meet at least four times a year.

���� 8.��� a.�� The Interagency
Working Group on Poverty and Economic Insecurity shall have the power and duty
to:

���� (1)�� identify, analyze, gain
an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address, the root causes of
poverty and economic insecurity, including the social, economic, and cultural
factors that contribute to poverty and economic insecurity;

���� (2)�� identify, analyze, gain
an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address intergenerational
poverty, in accordance with the provisions of subsection b. of this section;

���� (3)�� study and measure the
effect that poverty and economic insecurity have on:� (a) worker productivity
and economic output; and (b) the health and welfare of children, including
children�s access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality education;

���� (4)�� identify State programs,
including those programs related to economic development, job creation, job
training, the environment, disaster relief, hazard mitigation, extreme weather,
and climate change, which require reform in order to better target resources to
low-income, minority, rural, urban, and other populations or geographic areas
suffering from economic insecurity and disparate rates of poverty;

���� (5)�� measure the fiscal
impact on the State of successfully transitioning individuals and families from
poverty to long-term economic stability;

���� (6)�� establish an ongoing
system of data sharing, policy coordination, and communication among and within
State agencies, local agencies, and other organizations, including the
commission, which are involved in the provision of programs or services that
are aimed at improving economic security and eliminating poverty;

���� (7)�� identify knowledge gaps,
research needs, and policy and program deficiencies associated with economic
insecurity and poverty;

���� (8)�� assist the commission in
the development of the strategic plan under section 4 of this act, including
through the sharing of data and information identified under paragraphs (1)
through (7) of this subsection, and the analysis of that data and information;
and

���� (9)�� coordinate the
implementation of the strategic plan adopted pursuant to section 4 of this act,
including by advising and assisting relevant agencies in the implementation of
the strategic plan, advising relevant agencies on specific programmatic and
policy matters related to the strategic plan, providing relevant subject matter
expertise to each agency for the purposes of implementing the strategic plan,
and identifying and addressing issues that may influence the future
implementation of the strategic plan.

���� b.��� In fulfilling its duties
under paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section, in relation to the study
of intergenerational poverty, the working group shall:�

���� (1)�� identify children who
are at risk of continuing in the cycle of poverty, absent outside intervention;

���� (2)�� identify and develop
effective and efficient plans, programs, and recommendations to help at-risk
children escape the cycle of poverty;

���� (3)�� to the extent authorized
by law, implement data-driven policies and programs to address issues related
to poverty, public assistance, education, economic development, criminal
justice, and other areas, as may be necessary to measurably reduce the incidence
of children in the State who remain in poverty as they become adults;

���� (4)�� establish and facilitate
improved cooperation, data sharing, and policy coordination among all persons,
including, but not limited to, State agencies and case workers, who are engaged
in the rescue of children from intergenerational poverty;

���� (5)�� study and measure the
effect of intergenerational poverty on the ability of parents and children to
achieve economic stability, including the effect on educational attainment,
rates of incarceration, lifetime earnings, access to healthcare, and access to
housing;

���� (6)�� study, evaluate, and
report on the status and effectiveness of policies, procedures, and programs
that provide services to children in this State who are affected by
intergenerational poverty;

���� (7)�� study and evaluate
policies, procedures, and programs implemented by other states and
nongovernmental entities that address the needs of children affected by
intergenerational poverty;

���� (8)�� identify State policies,
procedures, and programs or federal requirements that are impeding efforts to
help children affected by intergenerational poverty in the State to escape the
cycle of poverty; and

���� (9)�� facilitate the
development and implementation of programs and policies that use a
two-generation approach.

���� c.���� Fiscal impact
measurements performed under paragraph (5) of subsection a. of this section may
include an analysis of the following:

���� (1)�� any reduction in the
long-term costs of social safety net programs;

���� (2)�� any reduction in
long-term health care costs resulting from the improving health of households
that formerly faced economic insecurity or poverty;

���� (3)�� any increase in State
and local revenues that is attributable to new taxpaying individuals as a
result of increased employment and disposable income;

���� (4)�� any reductions in
enrollment in, or the costs of, need-based benefits and services programs; and

���� (5)�� any improvements to the
overall economy of this State and any reduced financial pressures on the State
and local governments that result from implementation of the strategic plan.

���� d.��� Not later than September
1 of each year, the working group shall post on the department�s Internet
website, and submit to the Governor, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991,
c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, a written report that includes:

���� (1)�� relevant data assessing
the scope and depth of intergenerational poverty in the State;

���� (2)�� a 20-year history of
poverty rates in this State, with a focus on any reduction or increase in the
rates that has occurred during the previous 10-year period or since the
inception of the working group;������ (3)���� a summary of actions taken and
outcomes obtained by the working group in fulfilling its duties under this
section;

���� (4)�� a summary of progress
that has been made in relation to the reduction of poverty and economic
insecurity in the State, including policies or procedures that have been
implemented to reduce or eliminate the cycle of poverty and intergenerational
poverty as a result of the data collected by the working group; and

���� (5)�� any recommendations for
legislative or regulatory action that can be undertaken to further the goals of
the strategic plan.

���� 9.��� a.�� The department
shall establish and maintain an electronic data tracking system to track
intergenerational poverty in the State.

���� b.��� The data tracking system
established pursuant to this section shall have the ability to do all of the
following:

���� (1)�� identify and track
groups that have a high risk of experiencing intergenerational poverty;

���� (2)�� identify incidents,
patterns, and trends that explain or contribute to intergenerational poverty;
and

���� (3)�� gather and track
available local, State, and national data on:� (a) official poverty rates; (b)
child poverty rates; (c) years spent by an individual in childhood poverty; (d)
years spent by an individual in adult poverty; (e) public assistance program enrollment
rates; and (f) related poverty information.

���� c.���� The department shall:

���� (1)�� develop and implement
methods to integrate, compare, analyze, and validate data for the purposes
described under subsection b. of this section;

���� (2)�� protect the privacy of
an individual living in poverty by ensuring that the use and distribution of
data contained within the data tracking system in done in compliance with
federal and State laws; and

���� (3)�� include a summary of the
data, findings, and potential additional uses of the data tracking system in
each annual report that is filed by the interagency working group under
subsection d. of section 8 of this act.

���� 10.� The Commissioner of Human
Services shall adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the �Administrative
Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to
implement the provisions of this act.

���� 11.� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish the
New Jersey Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security
(�commission�), and the Interagency Working Group on Poverty and Economic
Insecurity (�interagency working group�) in, but not of, the Department of
Human Services.� Notwithstanding this allocation, the commission and the
interagency working group will be independent of any supervision or control by
the department or any officer or employee thereof.�

���� The commission is to be
composed of 25 voting members, including four members of the legislative branch
of government, one member of the judicial branch of government, and 20 public
members.� The members of the newly established interagency working group will
also serve as ex officio non-voting members of the commission.�

���� The purpose of the commission
will be to:� 1) improve policymakers� understanding of poverty, including its
root causes, and its impacts on various measures of economic stability and
economic outcomes, including educational attainment levels, rates of incarceration,
lifetime earnings rates, access to housing, access to health care, and health
care outcomes; 2) support governmental efforts to ensure that residents of the
State have the equal opportunity to achieve economic security; and 3) develop a
strategic plan to address poverty and economic insecurity in the State, as
provided by the bill, and otherwise provide recommendations to the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of government, to reduce and ultimately
eliminate poverty and economic insecurity in the State.

���� The strategic plan is to be
developed within 18 months after the bill�s effective date.� The general goals
of the strategic plan will be to:� 1) ensure that State programs and services
targeting poverty and economic insecurity reflect the goal of helping
individuals and families to rise above poverty and achieve long-term economic
stability, rather than simply providing relief from deprivation; 2) eliminate
disparate rates of poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, and intergenerational
poverty that are based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation or
identity, English language proficiency, ability, or geographic location in a
rural, urban, or suburban area; 3) reduce deep poverty in the State by 50
percent by 2026; 4) eliminate child poverty in the State by 2031; and 5)
eliminate all poverty in the State by 2036.

���� In developing the strategic
plan, the commission will be required to collaborate with the interagency
working group established under the bill, and will further be required to hold
at least six public hearings in different geographic regions of the State,
including regions that have disparate rates of poverty or historical experience
with economic insecurity, in order to collect information, take testimony, and
solicit input and feedback from interested parties, including members of the
public who have personal experience with State programs and services targeting
poverty, deep poverty, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, and economic
insecurity.� Information collected will be made available to the public.

���� The strategic plan is to:

���� 1)��� identify, or provide for
the development of, fact-based measures to be used both in identifying rates of
poverty and economic insecurity in the State and in evaluating the long-term
effectiveness of existing and proposed programs and services targeting poverty
and economic insecurity in the State;

���� 2)��� evaluate the current
status of, and establish interim goals for the improvement, throughout the
State, of:� access to adequate food and nutrition; access to affordable and
quality health care; equal access to safe and affordable housing; equal access
to quality education and training; equal access to affordable, quality
post-secondary education options; access to dependable and affordable
transportation; access to quality and affordable child care; opportunities to
engage in meaningful and sustainable work that pays a living wage; barriers
that prevent low-income individuals in poverty from accessing available
affordable housing, nutritious food, quality health care, education,
transportation, and child care, from utilizing programs and services available
to address poverty and economic instability, or from accessing or taking
advantage of meaningful and sustainable work opportunities; equal access to
justice through a fair system of criminal justice that does not, in effect,
criminalize poverty; access to adequate income supports; and retirement
security;

���� 3)��� provide various policy
and fiscal recommendations regarding the actions that should be undertaken by
State, local, and private actors, as appropriate, to address certain specified
issues related to poverty and economic insecurity.� For each recommendation,
the strategic plan is to identify, in measurable terms, the actual or potential
impact the recommendation will have on poverty and economic insecurity in the
State and on the achievement of the goals of the strategic plan; and

���� 4)��� identify best practices
for the collection of data on various issues related to poverty and economic
insecurity.

���� The strategic plan is also to
contain:� 1) a suggested timeline for the stages of implementation for each
recommendation developed thereunder; 2) short-term, intermediate-term, and
long-term benchmarks to measure the State�s progress toward achieving the
general goals of the strategic plan, as outlined in the bill, and the specific
interim goals identified in the plan itself; and 3) a summary of the extent to
which the commission has collaborated with the interagency working group with
respect to the review and analysis of relevant data on poverty and economic
insecurity.

���� The commission will be
required to submit a number of different reports to the Governor and the
Legislature, including:� 1) an interim report on the commission�s activities,
which is to be submitted within six months after the effective date of this
act; 2) a written report summarizing the commission�s activities and containing
a copy of the commission�s strategic plan, which is to be submitted immediately
following the commission�s adoption of the strategic plan, and not later than
18 months after the effective date of this act; and 3) an annual report
evaluating the status of the implementation of the strategic plan, and
providing any supplemental recommendations the commission deems necessary to
reduce or eliminate poverty and economic insecurity in the State, the first of
which is to be submitted one year after the publication of the commission�s
strategic plan.

���� The bill requires the State
Treasurer to include, in the materials that are submitted to the Legislature
outlining the Governor�s proposed annual budget, a description of any budget
proposals or other activities, ongoing projects, or plans of the executive
branch that are designed to meet the goals and objectives of the strategic
plan.�

���� The Interagency Working Group
on Poverty and Economic Insecurity, established under the bill, is to be
composed of the Commissioners of Human Services, Health, Labor and Workforce
Development, Education, Community Affairs, Corrections, and Agriculture, and
the State Treasurer, or their designees who are to be employed at the assistant
commissioner or assistant treasurer level of the respective department.� The
working group will be required to meet at least four times a year, and will
have the power and duty to:

���� 1)��� identify, analyze, gain
an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address, the root causes of
poverty and economic insecurity, including the social, economic, and cultural
factors that contribute to poverty and economic insecurity;

���� 2)��� identify, analyze, gain
an understanding of, and propose recommendations to address intergenerational
poverty, in accordance with the bill�s provisions;

���� 3)��� study and measure the
effect that poverty and economic insecurity have on worker productivity and
economic output, and on the health and welfare of children, including
children�s access to health care, housing, proper nutrition, and quality
education;

���� 4)��� identify State programs,
including those programs related to economic development, job creation, job
training, the environment, disaster relief, hazard mitigation, extreme weather,
and climate change, which require reform in order to better target resources to
low-income, minority, rural, urban, and other populations or geographic areas
suffering from economic insecurity and disparate rates of poverty;

���� 5)��� measure the fiscal
impact on the State of successfully transitioning individuals and families from
poverty to long-term economic stability;

���� 6)��� establish an ongoing
system of data sharing, policy coordination, and communication among and within
State agencies, local agencies, and other organizations, including the
commission, which are involved in the provision of programs or services that
are aimed at improving economic security and eliminating poverty;

���� 7)��� identify knowledge gaps,
research needs, and policy and program deficiencies associated with economic
insecurity and poverty;

���� 8)��� assist the commission in
the development of the strategic plan, including through the sharing and
analysis of relevant data and information; and

���� 9)��� coordinate the
implementation of the strategic plan, including by advising and assisting
relevant agencies in the implementation of the strategic plan, advising
relevant agencies on specific programmatic and policy matters related to the
strategic plan, providing relevant subject matter expertise to each agency for
the purposes of implementing the specific recommendations in the strategic
plan, and identifying and addressing issues that may influence the future
implementation of the strategic plan.

���� Not later than September 1 of
each year, the working group will be required to post on the Internet website
of the Department of Human Services, and submit to the Governor and
Legislature, a written report that includes:� 1) relevant data assessing the scope
and depth of intergenerational poverty in the State;� 2) a 20-year history of
poverty rates in this State, with a focus on any reduction or increase in the
rates that has occurred during the previous 10-year period or since the
inception of the working group; 3) a summary of actions taken and outcomes
obtained by the working group in fulfilling its duties; 4) a summary of
progress that has been made in relation to the reduction of poverty and
economic insecurity in the State, including policies or procedures that have
been implemented to reduce or eliminate the cycle of poverty and
intergenerational poverty as a result of the data collected by the working
group; and 5) any recommendations for legislative or regulatory action that can
be undertaken to further the goals of the strategic plan.

���� Finally, the bill requires the
Department of Human Services to establish and maintain an electronic data
tracking system to track intergenerational poverty in the State.� The data
tracking system is to identify and track groups that have a high risk of experiencing
intergenerational poverty; identify incidents, patterns, and trends that
explain or contribute to intergenerational poverty; and gather and track
available local, State, and national data on official poverty rates, child
poverty rates, years spent by an individual in childhood poverty, years spent
by an individual in adult poverty, public assistance program enrollment rates,
and related poverty information.� A summary of the data, findings, and
potential additional uses of the system is to be included in each annual report
that is submitted by the interagency working group under the bill�s provisions.