I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 482
To direct that certain Federal financial benefits be provided only to citizens
and nationals of the United States.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 11, 1995
Mr. HUNTER (for himself, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. DORNAN, Mr. STUMP, Mr.
HANCOCK, Mr. SAXTON, and Mr. JONES) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and, in addi-
tion, the Committees on Banking and Financial Services and Agriculture,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
A BILL
To direct that certain Federal financial benefits be provided
only to citizens and nationals of the United States.
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 ‘‘Federal Benefit Integ-
rity Act’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsection (a) shall take effect at the end of the 1-year
period that begins with the date of the enactment of this
Act, and shall apply to payments under part A of title
IV of the Social Security Act for calendar quarters ending
after such 1-year period, without regard to whether regu-
lations to implement such amendments are promulgated
by the end of such 1-year period.
SEC. 3. PROVISION OF SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME
BENEFITS ONLY TO CITIZENS AND NATION-
ALS OF THE UNITED STATES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1614(a)(1) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1382c(a)(1)) is amended by strik-
ing subparagraph (B)(i) and inserting the following:
‘‘(B)(i) is a citizen or national of the United
States, or’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1621 of
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1382j) is hereby repealed.
(c) PHASE-OUT OF BENEFITS CURRENTLY PAID TO
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE NOT CITIZENS OR NATIONALS.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any individual
who, on the date of the enactment of this Act, is not a
citizen or national of the United States and is receiving
supplemental security income benefits under title XVI of
the Social Security Act shall, for purposes of such title,
be considered a citizen or national of the United States
during the 3-year period that begins with such date of en-
actment, except that the benefits to which the individual
shall be entitled under such title shall be reduced by 1⁄3
from the level of such benefits as of such date of enact-
ment, each year during such 3-year period.
SEC. 4. USE OF ASSISTED HOUSING BY ALIENS.
Section 214 of the Housing and Community Develop-
ment Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 1436a) is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘SEC. 214. RESTRICTION ON USE OF ASSISTED HOUSING.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment may not make financial assistance available for
the benefit of any individual after the expiration of the
3-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of
the Federal Benefit Integrity Act unless the individual is
a citizen or national of the United States.
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION OF NEW ASSISTANCE.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development may not make financial
assistance available for the benefit of any individual who
is not a citizen or national of the United States after the
expiration of the 1-year period beginning on the date of
the enactment of the Federal Benefit Integrity Act unless
such individual is receiving financial assistance on such
date.
‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—For
purposes of this section, the term ‘financial assistance’
means financial assistance made available pursuant to the
United States Housing Act of 1937, section 235 or 236
of the National Housing Act, or section 101 of the Hous-
ing and Urban Development Act of 1965.
‘‘(d) DISCRETIONARY CONTINUATION OF FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE.—If, following completion of the applicable
hearing process, financial assistance for any individual re-
ceiving such assistance on the date referred to in sub-
section (a) is to be terminated, the public housing agency
or other local governmental entity involved (in the case
of public housing or assistance under section 8 of the
United States Housing Act of 1937) or the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development (in the case of any other
financial assistance) may, in its discretion, take one of the
following actions:
‘‘(1) CONTINUED PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE.—
Permit the continued provision of financial assist-
ance, if necessary to avoid the division of a family
in which the head of household or spouse is a citizen
or national of the United States.
‘‘(2) DEFERRED
TERMINATION
OF
ASSIST-
ANCE.—Defer the termination of financial assist-
ance, if necessary to permit the orderly transition of
the individual and any family members involved to
other affordable housing, except that—
‘‘(A) any deferral under this paragraph
shall be for a 6-month period and may be re-
newed by the public housing agency or other
entity involved for an aggregate period of 3
years; and
‘‘(B) at the beginning of each deferral pe-
riod, the public housing agency or other entity
involved shall inform the individual and family
members of their ineligibility for financial as-
sistance and offer them other assistance in find-
ing other affordable housing.
For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘family’ means
a head of household, any spouse, any parents of the head
of household, any parents of the spouse, and any children
of the head of household or spouse.
‘‘(e) DECLARATION OF CITIZENSHIP.—Financial as-
sistance may not be provided for the benefit of an individ-
ual unless the following requirements are met:
‘‘(1) STATEMENT.—There is a declaration in
writing by the individual (or, in the case of an indi-
vidual who is a child, by another on the individual’s
behalf), under penalty of perjury, stating that the
individual is a citizen or national of the United
States.
‘‘(2) DOCUMENTATION.—There is presented
such documentation as the Secretary determines
constitutes reasonable evidence indicating that the
individual is a citizen or national of the United
States.’’.
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD STAMP ACT OF 1977.
(a) AMENDMENTS.—The Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7
U.S.C. 2011–2032) is amended—
(1) in section 5 by striking subsection (i),
(2) in the first sentence of section 6(f) by strik-
ing ‘‘(2) either’’ and all that follows through ‘‘house-
hold.’’, and inserting ‘‘(2) a citizen or national of the
United States.’’, and
(3) in section 11(e)(2) by striking ‘‘either citi-
zens or are aliens’’ and inserting ‘‘citizens or nation-
als of the United States’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION
OF AMEND-
MENTS.—
(1) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take
effect 1 year after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(2) 
APPLICATION
OF
AMENDMENTS.—The
amendments made by subsection (a) shall not apply
with respect to certification periods beginning before
the effective date of this section.
Æ