Improving Federal Assistance to Families Act

HR 702 establishes state-specific poverty lines called "Regionally Adjusted Poverty Lines" to replace the current uniform national standard. It requires the Census Bureau to calculate these lines annually for each state based on local costs (using Regional Price Parity data), and federal agencies must use whichever measure - regional or current - results in a higher poverty rate for that state when determining eligibility for programs like Medicaid and tax credits. This change aims to better reflect regional cost-of-living differences, potentially expanding access to assistance for low-income families in expensive areas. The bill also mandates a study on the ALICE poverty measure (which includes costs like housing and childcare) but does not incorporate it directly into policy.