I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3192
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 appropria-
tions to purchase and make available additional commodities under the
emergency food assistance program, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 1, 1999
Mr. WALSH (for himself, Mr. HALL of Ohio, Mrs. CLAYTON, Mrs. KELLY, Mr.
DIAZ-BALART, and Ms. KAPTUR) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
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 Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hunger Relief Act of
2000’’.
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 Per-
sonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec-
onciliation 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 ‘‘Fed-
eral 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 sub-
clauses (II) through (IV) as
clauses (ii) through (iv) and in-
denting appropriately;
(cc) by striking ‘‘subclause
(I)’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘clause (i)’’; and
(dd) in clause (iv) (as redes-
ignated by item (bb)), by striking
‘‘this clause’’ and inserting ‘‘this
subparagraph’’;
(iii) in subparagraph (E), by striking
‘‘paragraph (3)(A) (relating to the supple-
mental security income program)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘paragraph (3)’’;
(iv) in subparagraph (F);
(I) by striking ‘‘Federal pro-
grams’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal pro-
gram’’;
(II) in clause (ii)(I)—
(aa) by striking ‘‘(I) in the
case of the specified Federal pro-
gram 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 ‘‘Fed-
eral program’’;
(vi) in subparagraph (H), by striking
‘‘paragraph (3)(A) (relating to the supple-
mental security income program)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘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 ‘‘sub-
section (a)(3)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(3)’’.
(b) FIVE-YEAR LIMITED ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED
ALIENS
FOR FEDERAL MEANS-TESTED PUBLIC BEN-
EFIT.—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 insert-
ing ‘‘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 AT-
TRIBUTION OF SPONSOR’S INCOME AND RESOURCES TO
THE ALIEN WITH RESPECT TO STATE PROGRAMS.—Sec-
tion 422(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op-
portunity 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 ben-
efits 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 ex-
periences 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.—Sec-
tion 436 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Oppor-
tunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1646) is re-
pealed.
(f) APPLICATION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), this section and the amendments made by
this section shall apply to assistance or benefits pro-
vided under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
2011 et seq.) for months beginning on or after Octo-
ber 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 Rec-
onciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)(A)),
this section and the amendments made by this sec-
tion 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
ALLOW-
ANCE.—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 house-
holds than under subparagraph (B)(iv), in lieu
of applying subparagraph (B)(iv), the State
agency may elect to apply the State vehicle al-
lowance 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, respec-
tively;
‘‘(v) for fiscal year 2001, $340, $543,
$458, $399, and $268 per month, respec-
tively; 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 Novem-
ber 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 ADDI-
TIONAL 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 sec-
tion, there are authorized to be appropriated to pur-
chase 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 para-
graph (1) shall be used to pay direct expenses (as
defined in section 204(a)(2)) incurred by emergency
feeding organizations to distribute additional com-
modities to needy persons.’’.
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