Bipartisan Collins bill aims to streamline, align anti-poverty programs

Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Wednesday would align current programs and funding streams to help lift families out of poverty.

The Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act, introduced by Collins and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), would take steps to increase economic security, educational success, social capital, and the health and well-being of both children and parents.

“More than 50 years after President Johnson declared a ‘War on Poverty,’ millions of Americans still struggle to find the resources they need to meet the basic necessities of life,” Collins said on the Senate floor. “In Maine, the poverty rate stands at 13.4 percent, just slightly below the national rate.”

The bill resulted from a multi-year collaboration with, and input from, stakeholders, including Ascend at the Aspen Institute and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as well as service providers from Maine and New Mexico.

“Our bill proposes a new approach to fighting poverty, one that focuses on addressing the needs of children and their parents together – two-generations – in order to help break the cycle of intergenerational poverty,” Collins said. “It marks an important first step toward reevaluating our approach to poverty-reducing programs and encouraging innovative, more effective uses of taxpayer dollars.”

The bill would also create more flexibility for state and local government to develop anti-poverty programs that meet their needs, and would create more opportunities for families in need by prioritizing funding for projects with a successful track record.

“I’m proud to partner with my Republican colleague from Maine Sen. Susan Collins to introduce this bipartisan bill to give states, local governments and tribes more flexibility to develop innovative programs that really work to help families find a way out of poverty,” Heinrich said. “Over the last year, I visited programs across New Mexico that are already using the two-generation approach and was able to hear firsthand how providing robust services for parents and their children simultaneously, allowed families to grow together and get on a more prosperous path. By helping families pursue their dreams together, we can make the Land of Enchantment a land of opportunity for everyone.”