On July 25, 2017, Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL),
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congressman Gerald E. Connolly
(D-VA), and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) introduced the
Child Poverty Reduction Act of 2017 to develop evidence-based policies
to cut child poverty by half in 10 years.

Far more children in the U.S. grow up and remain trapped in poverty
compared to other industrialized countries. In America, approximately
20 percent of our children – or 14.7 million – live below the poverty
line, with roughly half of these children living in extreme poverty.
The injustice of high child poverty rates in our nation is magnified
by the tremendous suffering poverty inflicts on our youth, families,
communities, and nation and by the reality that poverty exacts a
greater toll on children of color.  Children who grow up in poverty
experience greater health and emotional problems as well as poorer
academic and economic success compared to their more affluent peers.
Impoverished communities endure high rates of unemployment, health
problems, crime, and economic hardship than more affluent communities.

The Child Poverty Reduction Act sets a national goal to cut childhood
poverty by 50 percent in 10 years and uses science to implement a
roadmap for success. The introduction of the bill unites federal
efforts with leadership by the National Association of Counties to
reduce early childhood poverty. A recent study found overwhelming
support - including 59 percent of Republicans and 89 percent of
Democrats – to reduce child poverty by half in 10 years and to seek to
eliminate it within 20 years by establishing a federal working group,
as proposed by the bill.

Congressman Danny K. Davis said, “We live in the wealthiest nation in
the world.  It is inexcusable and unacceptable for so many of our
children to be condemned to grow up in America under these conditions.
This bill says it is time to stop talking about child poverty and to
advance evidence-based policies coordinated at the federal, state, and
local levels to alleviate this plague. Counties are on the front line
of this effort, and Commissioner Roy Charles Brooks and the National
Association of Counties will provide important immediate help to
families through the early childhood poverty initiative.”

“Any child living in poverty is one child too many. Yet, nearly one in
five American children and one in three Black and Latino children live
in poverty,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), chair of the
Democratic Whip’s Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and
Opportunity. “This legislation establishes the vital infrastructure to
use proven, scientific and evidence-based programs to cut child
poverty in half over the next ten years. We can and must do more to
build pathways out of poverty for children and their families.”

“As the former Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, I
experienced firsthand the vast power that can be unleashed when a
local government combines clear goals, measurable metrics, and a
dedicated workforce. Our legislation applies the same principles at
the Federal level," Congressman Connolly said.  "Such an approach
could reduce America’s outrageously high child poverty rate over the
next decade through implementation of a national plan with clear
strategic goals, metrics, and evidence-based policies.”

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said, “No child should grow up in
poverty, no matter where they live, where they've come from, or who
they are.  That is why I am proud to help introduce the Child Poverty
Reduction Act.  This bill will help us pinpoint and push for
evidence-based policies to prevent future generations of American
youth from having to face the wrenching hunger, fear, and despair of
poverty."

“We need a strong federal-state-local partnership to effectively
combat poverty in the United States. Counties invest in critical
services that break cycles of poverty and help children and families
thrive. We applaud this legislation as part of this effort to reduce
childhood poverty by removing barriers and building opportunities for
children across the country,” said Tarrant County, Texas Commissioner
Roy Charles Brooks, the incoming president of the National Association
of Counties. During his term as president, Brooks will focus on
addressing early childhood poverty and the county role in helping
low-income families find paths to success.

The Child Poverty Reduction Act also is championed by Senator Robert
P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Senator
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and is supported by over 30 organizations,
including the following national organizations:   First Focus Campaign
for Children;  Children’s Advocacy Institute;  Children’s Home Society
of America;  Family Focused Treatment Association; Global Alliance for
Behavioral Health and Social Justice; HEAR US, Inc.; Leadership
Conference of Women Religious; National Alliance to Advance Adolescent
Health;  National Association for Counsel for Children;  National
Center on Adoption and Permanency; National Prevention Science
Coalition to Improve Lives; Provincial Council Clerics of St. Viator;
RESULTS; and Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law..