; and (2) with the full recognition of the constitutional right of the House of Representatives to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House of Representatives. 1704. Effective date The amendments made by this title shall apply to any bill or joint resolution reported by a committee of the House of Representatives after the 90-day period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. II Half in Ten Act to Create a National Strategy to Reduce Poverty 1801. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The persistence of poverty, and especially intergenerational poverty, in America can be seen as a deep, structural problem that implicates our value system and our educational and economic institutions. (2) Poverty may be defined as the lack of basic necessities of life such as food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, economic security, and economic opportunity. (3) Policy initiatives and many safety net programs addressing poverty have not kept pace with the needs of millions of Americans. (4) The lack of an equitable distribution of housing choices across the country leads to isolation and concentrated poverty. (5) The number of Americans living in poverty rose by over 2.6 million from 2009 to 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2011). (6) There were 46.2 million Americans living in poverty in 2010, consisting of 15.1 percent of the American people (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2011). (7) Poverty has a disproportionate impact on minority communities in America with 27.4 percent of African Americans, 26.6 percent of Hispanics, 12.1 percent of Asian Americans, and 9.9 percent of Whites living in poverty in the United States in 2010 (U.S. Census Bureau, September 2011). (8) In 2010 a family of 4 was considered poor under the U.S. Census Bureau’s official measure if the family’s income was below $22,314. (9) The economic consequences of poverty in the United States are estimated to be at least $500 billion per year (Center for American