has a specified octane rating or other specified 
characteristic. 
(B) DETERMINATION OF CALCULATION.— 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 
shall determine a method for calculating the av-
erage per gallon price of the covered grade of 
gasoline in each State. 
(C) BASELINE.—The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Energy, shall calculate, in accord-
ance with subparagraph (B), the average per 
gallon price of the covered grade of gasoline in 
each State for January 2005. 
(D) TRIGGER AND RELEASE PRICES.—The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall 
calculate— 
(i) the trigger price for each State by 
multiplying the price calculated under sub-
paragraph (C) by 115 percent; and 
(ii) the release price for each State by 
multiplying the price calculated under sub-
paragraph (C) by 110 percent. 
(2) PAYMENTS.—
(A) AVAILABILITY.— 
(i) MONTHLY PRICE CALCULATION.— 
The Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Energy, shall calculate, in accordance with 
paragraph (1)(B), the average per gallon 
price of the covered grade of gasoline in 
each State for each month. 
(ii) DETERMINATION.—If the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Energy, 
determines that the price in a State cal-
culated under paragraph (1)(B) for a 
month— 
(I) is more than the trigger price 
for the State, the State shall provide 
payments in accordance with this sub-
section for the following month; and 
(II) is less than the release price 
for the State, the State shall suspend 
provision of the payments, not earlier 
than 30 days after the date of the de-
termination, for the following month. 
(B) GENERAL
AUTHORITY.—Except as 
provided in paragraph (3), the State shall use
funds received through a grant made under 
subsection (c)(including a grant increased pur-
suant to subsection (j)) and any funds made 
available to the State under section 404(d)(4) 
of 
the 
Social 
Security 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
604(d)(4)) to make payments under this Act to 
eligible households. 
(C) PERIOD.—An eligible household with 
an application approved under subsection (e) 
may receive payments under this Act for not 
more than 3 months. The household may sub-
mit additional applications under subsection (e), 
and may receive payments under this Act for 
not more than 3 months for each such applica-
tion approved by the State. 
(D) AMOUNT.—The State shall make the 
payments in amounts of not less than $25, and 
not more than $75, per month. The State may 
determine the amount of the payments on a 
sliding scale, taking into consideration the 
household income of the eligible households. 
(3) STATE ADMINISTRATION.—The State may 
use not more than 10 percent of the funds described 
in paragraph (2)(B) to pay for the cost of admin-
istering this Act.
(4) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section: 
(A) COVERED GRADE.—The term ‘‘covered 
grade’’ means the grade of gasoline determined 
under paragraph (1)(A). 
(B) RELEASE PRICE.—The term ‘‘release 
price’’ means the release price calculated under 
paragraph (1)(D)(ii). 
(C) TRIGGER PRICE.—The term ‘‘trigger 
price’’ means the trigger price calculated under 
paragraph (1)(D)(i). 
(i) TREATMENT OF BENEFITS.— 
(1) INCOME OR RESOURCES.—Notwithstanding 
any other law, the value of any payment provided 
under this section shall not be treated as income or 
resources for purposes of— 
(A) any other Federal or federally assisted 
program that bases eligibility, or the amount of 
benefits, on need; or 
(B) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
(2) TANF ASSISTANCE.—For purposes of part 
A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.), a payment provided under this section 
shall not be considered to be assistance provided by 
a State under that part, regardless of whether the
State uses funds made available under section 
404(d)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
604(d)(4)) to make payments under this Act. The 
period for which such payments are provided under 
this section shall not be considered to be part of the 
60-month period described in section 408(a)(7) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)). 
(j) AUTHORITY TO USE FUNDS FOR TEMPORARY AS-
SISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES.—Section 404(d) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1) or (4)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) OTHER STATE PROGRAMS.—A State may 
use funds from any grant made to the State under 
section 403(a) for a fiscal year to carry out a State 
program pursuant to the Low-Income Gasoline As-
sistance Program Act.’’. 
(k) DISCRETIONARY
ACTIVITIES
BY
THE
SEC-
RETARY.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
may reserve not more than 5 percent of the funds appro-
priated under subsection (l) for a fiscal year— 
(1) to pay for the cost of administering this sec-
tion; and