MEDIA ADVISORY:
LEAVE NO FAMILY BEHIND: HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE RISING NUMBER OF AMERICAN FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY?
With More than 37 Million Americans Reported to Be Living in Poverty According to the Census, Can Better Federal Guidelines Help State and Local Governments Reach More Families in Need?
Mayor Cicilline, Experts to Examine Poverty Statistics and Offer Solutions to Improve Programs by Improving Measurement
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairman and Vice Chair respectively of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), will hold a hearing on poverty in the United States on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 10:00 am in Room 562 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The JEC hearing entitled, “Leave No Family Behind: How Can We Reduce the Rising Number of Americans Families Living in Poverty?”, will feature Mayor David N. Cicilline and poverty experts who will examine whether the outdated federal poverty measurements are preventing resources from reaching families and elderly Americans and what legislation may be appropriate to drastically reduce the number of U.S. families living in poverty. Since 2000, the number of Americans living in poverty jumped by 5.7 million to 37.3 million; and the poverty rate rose to 12.5 percent in 2007.
WHAT: Joint Economic Committee Hearing: “Leave No Family Behind: How Can We Reduce the Rising Number of Americans Families Living in Poverty?”
WHO: Mayor David N. Cicilline, Providence, RI
Rebecca M. Blank, Robert V. Kerr Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute
Angela Glover Blackwell, Co-chair, Half-in-Ten Campaign
John W. Edwards, President of the Board of the National Community Action Partnership
Robert E. Rector, Senior Research Fellow, Domestic Policy, The Heritage Foundation
Additional witnesses may be added.
WHEN: 10:00 am, Thursday, September 25, 2008
WHERE: Room 562, Dirksen Senate Office Building
The Joint Economic Committee, established under the Employment Act of 1946, was created by Congress to review economic conditions and to analyze the effectiveness of economic policy.
www.jec.senate.gov
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