Opinion ID: 623898
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Welfare Reform Act of 1996

Text: In 1996 Congress passed the Welfare Reform Act (or “PRWORA”),2 which dramatically altered alien-eligibility requirements for federal public benefits3 and for state and local public benefits.4 One of its stated purposes was to fur- 2 As used herein, the “Welfare Reform Act” or “PRWORA” refers to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act as amended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Pub. L. No. 105-33, §§ 5301-5304, 5306, 5562-5563, 111 Stat. 251 (1997), and the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, Pub. L. No. 105-185, §§ 503-508, 112 Stat. 523 (1998). 3 Title IV of PRWORA defines a “federal public benefit” as one “for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by [(1)] an agency of the United States or [(2)] by appropriated funds of the United States.” 8 U.S.C. § 1611(c). 4 Title IV of PRWORA defines a “state or local public benefit” as one “for which payments or assistance are provided to an individual, household, or family eligibility unit by [(1)] an agency of a State or local government or [(2)] by appropriated funds of a State or local government,” PIMENTEL v. DREYFUS 2207 ther the national immigration policy that “aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs, but rather rely on their own capabilities and the resources of their families, their sponsors, and private organizations, and . . . [that] the availability of public benefits not constitute an incentive for immigration to the United States.” 8 U.S.C. § 1601(2). The Act classifies aliens into two general categories: “qualified aliens” and “non-qualified aliens.” See id. § 1641. Qualified aliens include aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, asylees, refugees, aliens paroled into the United States for at least one year, aliens whose deportation is being withheld, aliens who have been granted conditional entry, certain Cuban and Haitian entrants, and certain victims of battery or extreme cruelty by a spouse or other family member. See 8 U.S.C. § 1641(b)-(c). All other aliens are deemed nonqualified aliens. “Qualified” status is essentially a prerequisite for federal benefits: non-qualified aliens are, with some exceptions not relevant here, ineligible for federal benefits, see id. § 1611(a) & (b), whereas qualified aliens are eligible for federal benefits, including SNAP, only if they meet additional criteria. Generally, only qualified aliens who have maintained their qualified status for five or more years are eligible for federal benefits, though there are numerous exceptions to this rule.5 excluding any federal public benefit as defined under 8 U.S.C. § 1611(c). 8 U.S.C. § 1621(c)(1), (3). Thus, a federally funded benefit is still considered a “federal public benefit” even if administered by a state or local agency. Likewise, a joint federal-state cooperative partnership is considered a federal public benefit even if the state contributes its own funds. Though states administer SNAP and fund fifty percent of the program’s administrative costs, SNAP is a federal public benefit as defined under PRWORA. 5 The following subclasses of qualified aliens are eligible for SNAP benefits: (1) refugees, asylees, aliens whose deportation is being withheld, 2208 PIMENTEL v. DREYFUS Initially, the Act barred nearly all non-qualified aliens from even receiving state (or local) public benefits, including statefunded food assistance.6 On the other hand, states administering state-funded programs are required to extend eligibility to certain classes of qualified aliens.7 For any aliens neither barred from receiving nor required to receive state benefits, states were to determine their own eligibility requirements. See id. § 1622(a). A year after enactment, Congress extended certain Cuban and Haitian entrants, and certain Amerasian immigrants, who remain eligible for SNAP for seven years after the date they are admitted into the United States or granted the relevant status, see 8 U.S.C. § 1612(a)(2)(A); (2) permanent resident aliens who have worked for forty qualifying quarters under the Social Security Act, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(B); (3) aliens who are veterans or on active duty, as well as their spouses and dependent children, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(C); (4) aliens who were lawfully residing in the United States when PRWORA was enacted and who are receiving benefits or assistance for blindness or disability within the meaning of the Food Stamp Act of 1977, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(F); (5) members of Indian tribes and certain American Indians born in Canada, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(G); (6) aliens who were 65 or older and lawfully residing in the United States when PRWORA was enacted, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(I); (7) aliens under age 18, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(J); (8) certain Hmong or Highland Laotians lawfully residing in the United States, as well as their spouses and dependent children, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(K); and (9) any qualified alien who has resided in the United States with a status within the meaning of the term “qualified alien” for at least five years, beginning on the date of the alien’s entry into the United States, see id. § 1612(a)(2)(L); see also id. § 1613(a) (general five-year residency requirement for all federal means-tested public benefits). See also 7 U.S.C. § 2015(f) (containing SNAP eligibility restrictions based on alienage). 6 This bar did not apply to nonimmigrants as defined under the Immigration and Nationality Act or aliens paroled into the United States under 8 U.S.C. § 1182(d)(5) for less than one year. See 8 U.S.C. § 1621(a) & (b). 7 This group includes: (1) refugees, asylees, aliens whose deportation is being withheld, and certain Cuban and Haitian entrants, who remain eligible for five years after attaining the relevant status, as well as Amerasian immigrants, see id. § 1622(b)(1); (2) permanent resident aliens who have worked for forty qualifying quarters under the Social Security Act, see id. § 1622(b)(2); and (3) aliens who are veterans or on active duty, as well as their spouses and dependent children, see id. § 1622(b)(3). PIMENTEL v. DREYFUS 2209 this discretionary authority to cover any legal aliens rendered ineligible for federal food stamps by PRWORA’s restrictions. See Title VII of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1997, Pub. L. No. 105-18 (1997), codified at 7 U.S.C. § 2016(i). Under 7 U.S.C. § 2016(i), states may even issue SNAP benefits to such persons so long as the state then reimburses the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for the value of the benefit and for all administrative costs associated with its issuance. In other words, though states may issue federally ineligible legal aliens food benefits pursuant to the Food Stamp Act, such benefits are to be wholly funded by the state itself.