Pathways Out of Poverty Act of 2017

Pathways Out of Poverty Act of 2017

This bill establishes and expands various programs related to education, housing, employment, and social welfare.

The Department of Education must award grants to states for the development and implementation of prekindergarten programs.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the Department of Justice may award grants to assist communities in addressing juvenile delinquency and gang prevention.

The bill expands:

• the Pell Grant program,
• the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and
• the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs.

With respect to housing, the bill:

• phases out the federal mortgage-interest income-tax deduction, replacing it with a new mortgage-interest income-tax credit;
• expands the federal low-income housing income-tax credit;
• expands certain affordable-housing programs; and
• establishes a federal income-tax credit for low-income renters.

With respect to employment, the bill:

• expands unemployment compensation benefits;
• establishes several new employment-related programs to be carried out by the Department of Labor;
• establishes a tax credit for employers that hire long-term unemployed individuals;
• establishes prohibitions on employment discrimination based on an individual's status as unemployed;
• increases the federal minimum wage, incrementally over a period of seven years, to $15.00 per hour.

In addition, the bill:

• expands the federal earned-income tax credit,
• makes refundable a federal income-tax credit for dependent care expenses,
• and expands eligibility for certain child-care benefits.

The bill also establishes:

• within the Congressional Budget Office, a Poverty Impact Division; and
• within the Department of Health and Human Services, a Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty.