Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: 
    Title I:  Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance 
    Title II:  Promoting Self-Sufficiency 
    Title III:  Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance 
    Title IV:  Commodity Distribution to Needy Families 
    Title V:  Implementation and Effective Dates 
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - 
Title I:  Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance
 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. 
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan. 
Eliminates food stamp reductions for certain reapplying households. 
Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income. 
Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico. 
Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income. 
Excludes the income of high school students from consideration as program income. 
Title II:  Promoting Self-Sufficiency
 - Excludes from consideration as program income:  (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members. 
Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own. 
Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use when transported fuel or water is the household's primary source of such item. 
Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities. 
Title III:  Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance
 - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions. 
Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. 
Repeals provisions authorizing benefit reductions due to insufficient funding. 
Title IV:  Commodity Distribution to Needy Families
 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture's spending authority for the temporary emergency food assistance program. 
Title V:  Implementation and Effective Dates
 - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Mickey Leland 
Childhood Hunger Relief Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. References to Act.
               TITLE I--ENSURING ADEQUATE FOOD ASSISTANCE

Sec. 101. Families with high shelter expenses.
Sec. 102. Basic benefit level.
Sec. 103. Continuing benefits to eligible households.
Sec. 104. Homeless families in transitional housing.
Sec. 105. Improving the nutritional status of children in Puerto Rico.
Sec. 106. Households benefiting from general assistance vendor 
                            payments.
Sec. 107. Helping low-income high school students.
                  TITLE II--PROMOTING SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Sec. 201. Child support disregard.
Sec. 202. Child support payments to non-household members.
Sec. 203. Vehicles needed to seek and continue employment and for 
                            household transportation.
Sec. 204. Vehicles necessary to carry fuel or water.
Sec. 205. Improving access to employment and training activities.
        TITLE III--SIMPLIFYING THE PROVISION OF FOOD ASSISTANCE

Sec. 301. Simplifying the household definition for households with 
                            children and others.
Sec. 302. Resources of households with disabled members.
Sec. 303. Assuring adequate funding for the food stamp program.
           TITLE IV--COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION TO NEEDY FAMILIES

Sec. 401. Commodity purchases.
              TITLE V--IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVE DATES

Sec. 501. Effective dates.
Sec. 502. Budget neutrality requirement.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO ACTS.

    Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, references to 
``the Act'' and sections thereof shall be deemed to be references to 
the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and the sections 
thereof.

               TITLE I--ENSURING ADEQUATE FOOD ASSISTANCE

SEC. 101. FAMILIES WITH HIGH SHELTER EXPENSES.

    (a) Removal of Cap.--(1) The fourth sentence of section 5(e) of the 
Food Stamp Act of 1977 (hereinafter referred to as ``the Act'') (7 
U.S.C. 2014(e)) is amended by striking ``: Provided, That the amount'' 
and all that follows through ``June 30''.
    (2) The fifth sentence of section 5(e) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 
2014(e)) is amended by striking ``under clause (2) of the preceding 
sentence''.
    (b) Transitional Cap.--(1) Effective on the date of enactment of 
this Act, section 5(e) of the Act is amended by inserting after the 
fourth sentence the following: ``In the 12-month period ending 
September 30, 1994, such excess shelter expense deduction shall not 
exceed $230 a month in the forty-eight contiguous States and the 
District of Columbia, and shall not exceed, in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, 
and the Virgin Islands of the United States, $400, $328, $279, and $170 
a month, respectively; in the 12-month period ending September 30, 
1995, shall not exceed $260 a month in the forty-eight contiguous 
States and the District of Columbia, and shall not exceed, in Alaska, 
Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, $452, $371, 
$315, and $192 a month, respectively; in the 12-month period ending 
September 30, 1996, shall not exceed $300 a month in the forty-eight 
contiguous States and the District of Columbia, and shall not exceed, 
in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, 
$521, $420, $364, and $221 a month, respectively; and in the 12-month 
period ending September 30, 1997, shall not exceed $360 a month in the 
forty-eight contiguous States and the District of Columbia, and shall 
not exceed, in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the 
United States, $626, $514, $437, and $266 a month, respectively.''.
    (2) Effective October 1, 1997, section 5(e) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 
2014(e)) is amended by striking the fifth sentence.

SEC. 102. BASIC BENEFIT LEVEL.

    Section 3(o) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2012(o)) is amended by striking 
``(4) through'' and all that follows through the end of the subsection, 
and inserting the following: ``(4) on October 1, 1993, adjust the cost 
of such diet to reflect 103\1/3\ percent of the cost of thrifty food 
plan in the preceding June (without regard to adjustments made under 
clauses (9), (10), and (11) of this subsection as in effect before the 
date of the enactment of the Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief 
Act), as determined by the Secretary, and round the result to the 
nearest lower dollar increment for each household size, (5) on October 
1, 1994, adjust the cost of such diet to reflect 103\2/3\ percent of 
the cost of the thrifty food plan in the preceding June (without regard 
to adjustments made under such clauses (9), (10), and (11) and under 
clause (4)), as determined by the Secretary, and round the result to 
the nearest lower dollar increment for each household size, (6) on 
October 1, 1995, adjust the cost of such diet to reflect 104 percent of 
the cost of the thrifty food plan in the preceding June (without regard 
to adjustments made under such clauses (9), (10), and (11) and under 
clauses (4) and (5)), as determined by the Secretary, and round the 
result to the lowest dollar increment for each household size, (7) on 
October 1, 1996, adjust the cost of such diet to reflect 104\1/3\ 
percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan in the preceding June 
(without regard to adjustments made under such clauses (9), (10), and 
(11) and under clauses (4), (5), and (6)), as determined by the 
Secretary, and round the result to the nearest lower dollar increment 
for each household size, (8) on October 1, 1997, adjust the cost of 
such diet to reflect 104\2/3\ percent of the cost of the thrifty food 
plan in the preceding June (without regard to adjustments made under 
such clauses (9), (10), and (11) and under clauses (4), (5), (6), and 
(7)), as determined by the Secretary, and round the result to the 
nearest lower dollar increment for each household size, and (9) on 
October 1, 1998, and on every October 1 thereafter, adjust the cost of 
such diet to reflect 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan 
in the preceding June (without regard to previous adjustments made 
under such clauses (9), (10), and (11), under clauses (4), (5), (6), 
(7), and (8), and under this clause), as determined by the Secretary, 
and round the result to the nearest lower dollar increment for each 
household size.''.

SEC. 103. CONTINUING BENEFITS TO ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS.

    Section 8(c)(2)(B) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2017(c)(2)(B)) is amended 
by inserting ``of more than one month in'' after ``following any 
period''.

SEC. 104. HOMELESS FAMILIES IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING.

    Section 5(k)(2)(F) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(k)(2)(F)) is amended 
to read as follows:
            ``(F) housing assistance payments made to a third party on 
        behalf of a household residing in transitional housing for the 
        homeless;''.

SEC. 105. IMPROVING THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF CHILDREN IN PUERTO RICO.

    Section 19(a)(1)(A) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(1)(A)) is amended:
            (1) by striking ``$1,091,000,000'' and inserting 
        ``$1,111,000,000''; and
            (2) by striking ``$1,133,000,000'' and inserting 
        ``$1,158,000,000''.

SEC. 106. HOUSEHOLDS BENEFITING FROM GENERAL ASSISTANCE VENDOR 
              PAYMENTS.

    Section 5(k)(1)(B) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(k)(1)(B)) is amended 
to read as follows:
            ``(B) a benefit payable to the household for housing 
        expenses, not including energy or utility-cost assistance, 
        under--
                    ``(i) a State or local general assistance program; 
                or
                    ``(ii) another basic assistance program comparable 
                to general assistance (as determined by the 
                Secretary).''.

SEC. 107. HELPING LOW-INCOME HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

    Section 5(d)(7) is amended by striking ``, who is a student, and 
who has not attained his eighteenth birthday'' and inserting ``and who 
is an elementary or secondary student''.

                  TITLE II--PROMOTING SELF-SUFFICIENCY

SEC. 201. CHILD SUPPORT DISREGARD.

    Section 5 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014) is amended--
            (1) in clause (13) of subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``at the option'' and all that 
                follows through ``subsection (m),'' and inserting 
                ``(A)''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following: ``and (B) 
                the first $50 of any child support payments for each 
                month received in that month, and the first $50 of 
                child support of each month received in that month if 
                such payments were made by the absent parent in the 
                month when due,''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (m).

SEC. 202. CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS TO NON-HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS.

    Section 5(d)(6) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(d)(6)) is amended by 
striking the comma at the end and inserting the following: ``: 
Provided, That child support payments made by a household member to or 
for a person who is not a member of the household shall be excluded 
from the income of the household of the person making such payments if 
such household member was legally obligated to make such payments,''.

SEC. 203. VEHICLES NEEDED TO SEEK AND CONTINUE EMPLOYMENT AND FOR 
              HOUSEHOLD TRANSPORTATION.

    Section 5(g)(2) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(2)) is amended by 
striking $4,500'' and inserting the following: ``a level set by the 
Secretary, which shall be $4,500 through September 30, 1993, and which 
shall be adjusted from $4,500 on October 1, 1993, and on each October 1 
thereafter, to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All 
Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for new 
cars, for the 12-month period ending the preceding June 30, and rounded 
to the nearest $50''.

SEC. 204. VEHICLES NECESSARY TO CARRY FUEL OR WATER.

    Section 5(g)(2) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(2)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: ``The Secretary shall exclude from 
financial resources the value of a vehicle that a household depends 
upon to carry fuel for heating or water for home use when such 
transported fuel or water is the primary source of fuel or water for 
the household.''.

SEC. 205. IMPROVING ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES.

    (a) Dependent Care Deduction.--Section 5(e) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 
2014(e)) is amended in clause (1) of the fourth sentence--
            (1) by striking ``$160 a month for each dependent'' and 
        inserting ``$200 a month for a dependent child under age 2 and 
        $175 a month for any other dependent''; and
            (2) by striking ``, regardless of the dependent's age,''.
    (b) Reimbursements to Participants.--(1) Section 6(d)(4)(I)(i)(I) 
of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)(4)(I)(i)(I)) is amended by striking 
``$25'' and inserting ``$75''.
    (2) Subclause (II) of section 6(d)(4)(I)(i) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 
2015(d)(4)(I)(i)(II)) is amended by striking ``reimbursements exceed 
$160'' and all that follows through the end of such subclause, and 
inserting ``reimbursements exceed the applicable local market rate as 
determined by procedures consistent with any such determination under 
the Social Security Act. Individuals subject to the program under this 
paragraph may not be required to participate if dependent care costs 
exceed the limit established by the State agency under this paragraph 
(which limit shall not be less than the limit for the dependent care 
deduction under section 5(e)).''.
    (c) Reimbursements to State Agencies.--Section 16(h)(3) of the Act 
(7 U.S.C. 2025(h)(3)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``$25'' and all that follows through 
        ``dependent care costs)'' and inserting ``the payment made 
        under section 6(d)(4)(I)(i)(I) but not more than $75 per 
        participant per month''; and
            (2) by striking ``representing $160 per month per 
        dependent'' and inserting ``equal to the payment made under 
        section 6(d)(4)(I)(i)(II) but not more than the applicable 
        local market rate''.

        TITLE III--SIMPLIFYING THE PROVISION OF FOOD ASSISTANCE

SEC. 301. SIMPLIFYING THE HOUSEHOLD DEFINITION FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH 
              CHILDREN AND OTHERS.

    The first sentence of section 3(i) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2012(i)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``(2)'' and inserting ``or (2)'';
            (2) by striking ``, or (3) a parent of minor children and 
        that parent's children'' and all that follows through ``parents 
        and children, or siblings,'' and inserting ``. Parents and 
        their minor children who live together and spouses''; and
            (3) by striking ``, unless one of'' and all that follows 
        through ``disabled member''.

SEC. 302. RESOURCES OF HOUSEHOLDS WITH DISABLED MEMBERS.

    Section 5(g)(1) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(1)) is amended by 
striking ``a member who is 60 years of age or older,'' and inserting 
``an elderly or disabled member,''.

SEC. 303. ASSURING ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR THE FOOD STAMP PROGRAM.

    Section 18 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 2027) is amended by striking 
subsections (b), (c), and (d) and redesignating subsections (e) and (f) 
as subsections (b) and (c), respectively.

          TITLE IV--COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION TO NEEDY FAMILIES.

SEC. 401--COMMODITY PURCHASES.

    Section 214(e) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 
U.S.C. 612c note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``$175,000,000'' and all that follows 
        through ``1992, and'';
            (2) by inserting after the first sentence the following:
``During fiscal year 1994, the Secretary shall spend $220,000,000 to 
purchase, process, and distribute additional commodities under this 
section.''; and
            (3) in the last sentence by striking ``1991 through'' and 
        inserting ``1993 and''.

              TITLE V--IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVE DATES

SEC. 501. EFFECTIVE DATES.

    (a) General Effective Date.--Except as otherwise provided in this 
Act, the provisions of this Act shall become effective and be 
implemented on October 1, 1993.
    (b) Special Effective Date.--Sections 103, 106, 201, 202, 204, 205, 
301, and 302 of this Act shall become effective and be implemented on 
July 1, 1994.

SEC. 502. BUDGET NEUTRALITY REQUIREMENT.

    None of the provisions of this Act shall become effective unless 
the costs are fully offset in each fiscal year through fiscal year 
1998. No agriculture price or income support program administered 
through the Commodity Credit Corporation under the Agricultural Act of 
1949 may be reduced to achieve such offset.