S 1805 IS

To restore food stamp benefits for aliens, to provide States with flexibility in administering the food stamp vehicle allowance, to index the excess shelter expense deduction to inflation, to authorize additional appropriations to purchase and make available additional commodities under the emergency food assistance program, and for other purposes.

To restore food stamp benefits for aliens, to provide States with flexibility in administering the food stamp vehicle allowance, to index the excess shelter expense deduction to inflation, to authorize additional appropriations to purchase and make available additional commodities under the emergency food assistance program, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Hunger Relief Act of 1999'.

SEC. 2. RESTORATION OF FOOD STAMP BENEFITS FOR ALIENS.

(a) LIMITED ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED ALIENS FOR CERTAIN FEDERAL PROGRAMS-

(1) IN GENERAL- Section 402(a) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)) is amended--

(A) in paragraph (2)--

(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking `Federal programs' and inserting `Federal program';

(ii) in subparagraph (D)--

(I) by striking clause (ii); and

(II) in clause (i)--

SSI- ' and all that follows through `paragraph (3)(A)' and inserting the following:

`(i) IN GENERAL- With respect to the specified Federal program described in paragraph (3)';

(cc) by striking `subclause (I)' each place it appears and inserting `clause (i)'; and

(dd) in clause (iv) (as redesignated by item (bb)), by striking `this clause' and inserting `this subparagraph';

(iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking `paragraph (3)(A) (relating to the supplemental security income program)' and inserting `paragraph (3)';

(iv) in subparagraph (F);

(I) by striking `Federal programs' and inserting `Federal program';

(II) in clause (ii)(I)--

(bb) by striking `; and' and inserting a period; and

(III) by striking subclause (II);

(v) in subparagraph (G), by striking `Federal programs' and inserting `Federal program';

(vi) in subparagraph (H), by striking `paragraph (3)(A) (relating to the supplemental security income program)' and inserting `paragraph (3)'; and

(vii) by striking subparagraphs (I), (J), and (K); and

(B) in paragraph (3)--

(i) by striking `means any' and all that follows through `The supplemental' and inserting `means the supplemental'; and

(ii) by striking subparagraph (B).

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 402(b)(2)(F) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(b)(2)(F)) is amended by striking `subsection (a)(3)(A)' and inserting `subsection (a)(3)'.

(b) FIVE-YEAR LIMITED ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED ALIENS FOR FEDERAL MEANS-TESTED PUBLIC BENEFIT- Section 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1613) is amended--

(1) in subsection (c)(2), by adding at the end the following:

`(L) Assistance or benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).'; and

(2) in subsection (d)--

(A) by striking `not apply' and all that follows through `(1) an individual' and inserting `not apply to an individual'; and

(B) by striking `; or' and all that follows through `402(a)(3)(B)'.

(c) AUTHORITY FOR STATES TO PROVIDE FOR ATTRIBUTION OF SPONSOR'S INCOME AND RESOURCES TO THE ALIEN WITH RESPECT TO STATE PROGRAMS- Section 422(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1632(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(8) Programs comparable to assistance or benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).'.

(d) REQUIREMENTS FOR SPONSOR'S AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT- Section 423(d) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1183a note; Public Law 104-193) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(12) Benefits under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), if a sponsor is unable to make the reimbursement because the sponsor experiences hardship (including bankruptcy, disability, and indigence) or if the sponsor experiences severe circumstances beyond the control of the sponsor, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.'.

(e) DERIVATIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS- Section 436 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1646) is repealed.

(f) APPLICATION-

(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (2), this section and the amendments made by this section shall apply to assistance or benefits provided under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for months beginning on or after October 1, 2001.

(2) REFUGEES AND ASYLEES- In the case of an alien described in section 402(a)(2)(A) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)(A)), this section and the amendments made by this section shall apply to assistance or benefits provided under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for months beginning on or after April 1, 2000.

SEC. 3. VEHICLE ALLOWANCE.

(a) IN GENERAL- Section 5(g)(2) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(2)) is amended--

(1) in subparagraph (B)(iv)--

(A) by striking `subparagraph (C)' and inserting `subparagraphs (C) and (D)'; and

(B) by striking `to the extent that' and all that follows through the end of the clause and inserting `to the extent that the fair market value of the vehicle exceeds $4,650; and'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`(D) ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE ALLOWANCE- If the vehicle allowance standards that a State agency uses to determine eligibility for assistance under the State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) would result in a lower attribution of resources to certain households than under subparagraph (B)(iv), in lieu of applying subparagraph (B)(iv), the State agency may elect to apply the State vehicle allowance standards to all households that would incur a lower attribution of resources under the State vehicle allowance standards.'.

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by this section take effect on July 1, 2000.

SEC. 4. MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF EXCESS SHELTER EXPENSE DEDUCTION.

Section 5(e)(7)(B) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(7)(B)) is amended by striking clauses (iii) and (iv) and inserting the following:

`(iii) for fiscal year 1999, $275, $478, $393, $334, and $203 per month, respectively;

`(iv) for fiscal year 2000, $280, $483, $398, $339, and $208 per month, respectively;

`(v) for fiscal year 2001, $340, $543, $458, $399, and $268 per month, respectively; and

`(vi) for fiscal year 2002 and each subsequent fiscal year, the applicable amount during the preceding fiscal year, as adjusted to reflect changes for the 12-month period ending the preceding November 30 in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.'.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL COMMODITIES UNDER EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

Section 214 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7515) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- In addition to any other funds that are made available to carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to purchase and make available additional commodities under this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2005.

`(2) DIRECT EXPENSES- Not less than 15 percent of the amount made available under paragraph (1) shall be used to pay direct expenses (as defined in section 204(a)(2)) incurred by emergency feeding organizations to distribute additional commodities to needy persons.'.