To amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to limit the collection from households of claims for nonfraudulent overissuance of food stamp benefits.

To amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to limit the collection from households of claims for nonfraudulent overissuance of food stamp benefits.

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 `Food Stamp Overpayment Protection Act of 2001'.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT.

Section 13 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2022) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(e) LIMITATION ON COLLECTION OF NONFRAUDULENT OVERISSUANCES- Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no member of a household shall be liable for the nonfraudulent overissuance in any calendar year to such household of coupons having a value of $1000 or less in the aggregate. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, an overissuance for which no member of a household is liable under the preceding sentence may not be collected.'.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION OF AMENDMENT.

(a) EFFECTIVE DATE- This Act and the amendment made by this Act shall take effect on the first day of the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(b) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENT- The amendment made by this Act shall not apply with respect to certification periods beginning before the effective date of this Act.