H. Con. Res. 102 (111th)Bill Overview

Set National Goal to Halve Poverty in Ten Years

Concurrent ResolutionSocial Welfare|Poverty and welfare assistanceSocial Welfare
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Apr 21, 2009
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
Congressional Activities
01 · The brief
Concurrent ResolutionWhat this resolution actually does

This resolution expresses Congress's view that the United States should set a national goal to cut poverty in half over ten years. It is a non-binding statement of opinion and a goal, not a law, and does not itself create programs, funding, or legal duties. It does not require federal agencies or officials to take specific actions.

Passage rules

Concurrent resolutions must be passed by both the House and the Senate but are not sent to the President and do not have the force of law.

This non‑binding concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the United States has a moral responsibility to address poverty and should set a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years.

The text cites poverty statistics from 2007–2009 and does not itself create programs, funding, or new legal requirements.

Passage0/100

Concurrent resolutions do not become law; content likely to pass as a statement but cannot create binding law.

CredibilityAligned

Relative to its intended legislative type, this concurrent resolution is a well-constructed expressive statement that clearly defines the problem and sets a quantitative, time-bound national goal but provides minimal operational, fiscal, or accountability detail.

Contention68/100

Liberals see moral imperative and want funding; conservatives fear federal expansion and costs.

02 · What it does

Who stands to gain, and who may push back.

Likely benefits vs burdens50% / 50%
Federal agenciesFederal agencies

These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.

Likely helped
  • Federal agenciesCreates a clear national target to guide federal and state policy priorities and program design.
  • Potential benefitCould spur new or expanded antipoverty programs and funding allocations from Congress and agencies.
  • Potential benefitMay encourage cross-government coordination and performance measurement toward reducing poverty.
Likely burdened
  • Potential burdenNonbinding language may produce only symbolic effects without legislative changes or funding.
  • Federal agenciesCould create pressure for unfunded federal initiatives, increasing potential future budgetary commitments.
  • Potential burdenMay provoke disputes over poverty measurement and whether the official threshold is appropriate.
03 · Why people split

Why the argument around this bill splits.

Liberals see moral imperative and want funding; conservatives fear federal expansion and costs.
Progressive95%

This persona will broadly welcome the resolution as a necessary moral and policy pledge to combat inequality and child poverty.

They view a 10‑year halving goal as the kind of bold national target that can drive legislation and spending to expand social supports and reduce concentrated poverty.

Leans supportive
Centrist70%

A pragmatic centrist will view the resolution as a useful aspirational goal but will want concrete, fiscally responsible implementation details.

They will support aiming to reduce poverty but press for measurable metrics, cost estimates, and bipartisan, evidence‑based strategies.

Leans supportive
Conservative25%

Mainstream conservatives will be wary of the resolution's implicit call for government action, though they may not oppose the goal of reducing poverty in principle.

They will emphasize the resolution's vagueness, potential for expanded federal programs, and the need for market‑based, state‑led solutions.

Likely resistant
04 · Can it pass?

The path through Congress.

Introduced

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Committee

Reached or meaningfully advanced

Floor

Still ahead

President

Still ahead

Law

Still ahead

Passage likelihood0/100

Concurrent resolutions do not become law; content likely to pass as a statement but cannot create binding law.

Scope and complexity
52%
Scopemoderate
24%
Complexitylow
Why this could stall
  • Whether the Senate will prioritize taking it up
  • Possible partisan amendments or messaging votes
05 · Recent votes

Recent votes on the bill.

No vote history yet

The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.

06 · Go deeper

Go deeper than the headline read.

Included on this page

Liberals see moral imperative and want funding; conservatives fear federal expansion and costs.

Concurrent resolutions do not become law; content likely to pass as a statement but cannot create binding law.

Unlocked analysis

Relative to its intended legislative type, this concurrent resolution is a well-constructed expressive statement that clearly defines the problem and sets a quantitative, time-bound national goal but provides minimal op…

Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.

Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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