‘‘(1) were lawfully residing in the United States
on August 22, 1996; and
‘‘(2) are residents of a nursing facility (as de-
fined in section 1919(a) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1396r(a)), or require the level of care
provided in a such a facility or in an intermediate
care facility, the cost of which could be reimbursed
under the State plan under title XIX of that Act.’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made
by paragraph (1) shall take effect as if included in
the enactment of title IV of the Personal Responsi-
bility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996 (8 U.S.C. 1611 et seq.).
SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN ALIENS FOR SSI.
(a) AGED ALIENS LAWFULLY RESIDING
IN
THE
UNITED
STATES
ON
AUGUST
22, 
1996.—Section
402(a)(2) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Oppor-
tunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2))
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(L) SSI EXCEPTION FOR AGED ALIENS
LAWFULLY RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES
ON AUGUST 22, 1996.—With respect to eligibility
for the program defined in paragraph (3)(A),
paragraph (1) shall not apply to any individual
who was lawfully residing in the United States
on August 22, 1996, and has attained age 65.’’.
(b) BLIND OR DISABLED QUALIFIED ALIENS WHO
ENTERED
THE UNITED STATES AFTER AUGUST 22,
1996.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 402(a)(2) of the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec-
onciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)), as
amended by subsection (a), is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(M) SSI EXCEPTION FOR BLIND OR DIS-
ABLED QUALIFIED ALIENS WHO ENTERED THE
UNITED STATES AFTER AUGUST 22, 1996.—With
respect to eligibility for the program defined in
paragraph (3)(A), paragraph (1) and section
421 shall not apply to any individual who en-
tered the United States on or after August 22,
1996 with a status within the meaning of the
term ‘qualified alien’, and became blind or dis-
abled (within the meaning of section 1614(a) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1382c(a)))
after the date of such entry.’’.
(2) EXCEPTION
FROM
5-YEAR
BAN.—Section
403(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op-
portunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C.
1613(b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(3) CERTAIN BLIND OR DISABLED ALIENS.—
An alien described in section 402(a)(2)(M), but only
with respect to the programs specified in subsections
(a)(3)(A) and (b)(3)(C) of section 402 (and, with re-
spect to such programs, section 421 shall not apply
to such an alien).’’.
(3) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
421(a) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op-
portunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C.
1631(a)), as amended by section 2(c)(4), is amended
by inserting ‘‘, section 402(a)(2)(M), and section
403(b)(3)’’ after section ‘‘405’’.
(4) ENFORCEMENT
OF
AFFIDAVITS
OF
SUP-
PORT.—For provisions relating to the enforcement
of affidavits of support in cases of individuals made
eligible for benefits under the amendment made by
paragraph (1), see section 213A of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1183a).
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsections (a) and (b) are effective with respect to bene-
fits payable for months after the month in which this Act
is enacted, but only on the basis of applications filed on
or after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOR FOOD
STAMPS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 402(a)(2) of the Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)), as amended by section
5(b)(1), is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(N) 
FOOD
STAMP
EXCEPTION
FOR
ALIENS LAWFULLY RESIDING IN THE UNITED
STATES ON AUGUST 22, 1996.—With respect to
eligibility for benefits for the specified Federal
program described in paragraph (3)(B), para-
graph (1) shall not apply to an individual who
was lawfully residing in the United States on
August 22, 1996.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
subsection (a) applies to benefits under the food stamp
program, as defined in section 3(h) of the Food Stamp
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2012(h)) for months beginning at
least 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 7. ELIGIBILITY OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS SUFFERING
FROM DOMESTIC ABUSE.
(a) EXEMPTION FROM SSI AND FOOD STAMPS
BAN.—Section 402(a)(2) of the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8
U.S.C. 1612(a)(2)), as amended by section 6(a), is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(O) BATTERED
IMMIGRANTS.—With re-
spect to eligibility for benefits for a specified
Federal program (as defined in paragraph (3)),
paragraph (1) shall not apply to any individual
described in section 431(c).’’.
(b) EXEMPTION FROM 5-YEAR BAN.—Section 403(b)
of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec-
onciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1613(b)), as amended
by section 5(b)(2), is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(4) BATTERED
IMMIGRANTS.—An alien de-
scribed in section 431(c).’’.
(c) EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF BATTERED IMMI-
GRANTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 431(c) of the Per-
sonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec-
onciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1641(c)) is
amended—
(A) in paragraphs (1)(A), (2)(A), and
(3)(A) by inserting ‘‘ or the benefits to be pro-
vided would alleviate the harm from such bat-
tery or cruelty or would enable the alien to
avoid such battery or cruelty in the future’’ be-
fore the semicolon; and