CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
House Bill 0017




    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                  HB 17

        By Representative Rodriguez-Chomat






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to welfare reform; prohibiting

  3         certain discrimination in the provision of

  4         Medicaid and other public assistance; providing

  5         for certain assistance to legal residents of

  6         the United States; providing conditions;

  7         providing an effective date.

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  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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11         Section 1.  Nondiscrimination.--Notwithstanding any

12  provision of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work

13  Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No.     ), the

14  State of Florida shall not discriminate between United States

15  citizens and legal residents of the United States in the

16  provision of public assistance to qualified persons residing

17  in the state.

18         (1)  A legal resident of the United States residing in

19  the state who has lost Medicaid, supplemental security income,

20  or food stamp benefits as a result of said federal act is

21  eligible to receive equivalent benefits under state law while

22  the resident's application for citizenship is pending,

23  provided the resident applied for citizenship not later than

24  120 days after the effective date of the federal act.  The

25  amount of benefits provided to a person under this subsection

26  may not exceed the amount of the benefits lost by that person

27  as a result of the federal act.

28         (2)  Legal residents of the United States residing in

29  the state who are 65 years of age or older on the effective

30  date of this act, and who have lost benefits and applied for

31  United States citizenship as provided for in this section but

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1997                  HB 17

    552-125A-97






  1  are unable to obtain citizenship through no fault of their

  2  own, are eligible to receive benefits under state law which

  3  are equivalent to the Medicaid and other public assistance

  4  benefits provided to United States citizens residing in the

  5  state who are 65 years of age or older.

  6         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  7  law.

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10                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Prohibits discrimination between United States citizens
12    and legal residents in the provision of Medicaid and
      other public assistance benefits in Florida.  Provides
13    certain assistance for legal residents who are applying
      for citizenship and for certain elderly persons who are
14    unable to obtain citizenship.

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