Bill > HJR029

This resolution expresses the Utah Legislature's support for the Upward Mobility Act, a proposed federal law aimed at reforming anti-poverty programs to help individuals achieve financial independence. The resolution highlights Utah's top ranking in national upward mobility and acknowledges that federal programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), and Section 8 housing assistance, while intended to help low-income families, can sometimes create "benefits cliffs" where earning slightly more income leads to a significant loss of benefits, hindering progress. The Upward Mobility Act, introduced by Utah's Representative Blake Moore, seeks to address this by creating a pilot program where up to five states can receive a combined grant from various anti-poverty funds to design their own programs, with federal oversight from the Administration for Children and Families to ensure these programs effectively remove benefits cliffs and promote self-sufficiency, with rigorous evaluations to measure their impact on employment, earnings, and poverty reduction.

https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/HJR029.html