Hunger Relief Act of 1999

Summary: Exempts food stamp provisions respecting aliens from: (1) the five-year waiting period for Federal means-tested public benefits eligibility; (2) inclusion of sponsor income and resources to an alien for State benefits eligibility; and (3) sponsor reimbursement requirements in cases of hardship.
Sets forth effective dates for: (1) aliens; and (2) refugees and asylees.
(Sec. 3) Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to authorize a State to use an alternative State auto valuation rather than the Federal one in order to provide a lower household resource attribution for food stamp program purposes.
(Sec. 4) Increases, and indexes for inflation, the food stamp excess shelter deduction.
(Sec. 5) Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to authorize additional appropriations for commodity purchases under the emergency food assistance program.

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)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``(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)'';
                                            (bb) by redesignating 
                                        subclauses (II) through (IV) as 
                                        clauses (ii) through (iv) and 
                                        indenting appropriately;
                                            (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)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``(I) in 
                                        the case of the specified 
                                        Federal program described in 
                                        paragraph (3)(A),''; and
                                            (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.''.