Senate Bill 2060c1
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2060
By the Committee on Children, Families and Seniors and
Senators Gutman and Turner
300-1923A-98
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Legal Immigrant's
3 Temporary Income Bridge Program; amending s.
4 10, ch. 97-259, Laws of Florida; providing that
5 unused program funds for the current fiscal
6 year may be used for food stamps for legal
7 immigrants who are in the naturalization and
8 citizenship process or in the process of
9 seeking an exemption thereto and who are
10 children, recipients of Supplemental Security
11 Income, or persons of a specified age;
12 providing an appropriation; providing an
13 effective date.
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15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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17 Section 1. Section 10 of chapter 97-259, Laws of
18 Florida, is amended to read:
19 Section 10. Notwithstanding the proviso language
20 following Specific Appropriation 1499A of the 1997-1998
21 General Appropriations Act, funds are provided to establish
22 and implement a Legal Immigrant's Temporary Income Bridge
23 Program. The program shall be administered by the Department
24 of Children and Family Services. The program will provide
25 temporary food-stamp income assistance to legal immigrants who
26 have lost will lose their eligibility for benefits while they
27 are awaiting completion of the citizenship process; or an
28 exemption thereto. All relevant state agencies are instructed
29 to cooperate with the Department of Children and Family
30 Services to implement this program.
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2060
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1 (1) The program shall be designed to provide temporary
2 income assistance to legal immigrants who have lost their
3 eligibility for federal benefits and meet one or more of the
4 following criteria:,
5 (a) Were 65 years of age or older at the time their
6 eligibility for federal benefits ceased;,
7 (b) Were in receipt of Supplemental Security Income at
8 the time their eligibility for federal benefits ceased; or
9 (c) Met and continue to meet the definition of a child
10 under federal food stamp law at the time their eligibility for
11 federal benefits ceased.
12 (2) In addition to the criteria in subsection (1),
13 eligibility for assistance requires that each individual:
14 (a) Was a resident who were residents of the State of
15 Florida prior to February 1, 1997; who,
16 (b) After August 1, 1997, under the Federal Personal
17 Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
18 1996, became have become ineligible for federal benefits,
19 specifically Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or food
20 stamp benefits; who
21 (c) Will be screened to verify that there exists no
22 other sustainable means of support or assistance to make up
23 for these lost benefits; and who
24 (d) Can demonstrate that he or she is they are engaged
25 in the process of becoming a United States citizen citizens or
26 is are seeking an exemption thereto. The total amount of
27 temporary income assistance provided to an adult individual
28 shall not exceed the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or
29 food stamp stamps benefits for which he or she has they have
30 become ineligible. The department shall use the maximum
31 federal food stamp benefit allowable for a family of four to
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2060
300-1923A-98
1 determine the per-person benefit amount to be used for
2 children. The department shall give priority to dually
3 eligible persons, disabled persons, and persons who as a
4 direct result of losing their federal benefits may lose their
5 housing, including long-term-care facilities.
6 (2) The Department of Children and Family Services'
7 total administrative charges for this program shall not exceed
8 the same percentage as the federal food stamp program 1
9 percent of the funds provided. Total administrative charges
10 for contracted service providers for this program shall not
11 exceed 3 percent of the funds provided in each service
12 contract.
13 (3) If the United States Congress acts to reinstate
14 benefit eligibility to those noncitizens who lost eligibility
15 under the Federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
16 Reconciliation Act of 1996, only those direct assistance and
17 administrative dollars that were spent prior to reinstatement
18 becoming effective are provided in this specific
19 appropriation. extend the implementation date of portions of
20 the Federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
21 Reconciliation Act of 1996 which apply to noncitizens in order
22 to allow states to prepare for said Act, no funds provided in
23 this specific appropriation will be expended
24 Section 2. An amount equal to the amount of funds
25 unexpended in fiscal year 1997-1998 from Specific
26 Appropriations 1499A and 1499B is appropriated from the
27 General Revenue Fund to the Department of Children and Family
28 Services for fiscal year 1998-1999 for the purposes of
29 implementing section 1 of this act.
30 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.
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Florida Senate - 1998 CS for SB 2060
300-1923A-98
1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 2060
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- The demonstrated need test, to be used as a basis for
5 determining the total assistance provided to individuals,
is eliminated.
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- The department is directed to use the maximum allowable
7 federal food stamp benefit allowable for a family of four
in determining the per person benefit for children.
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- The persons who will receive temporary food stamp
9 assistance are those who lost eligibility for federal
benefits and were 65 years of age or older, in receipt of
10 supplemental security income at that time, or meet the
definition of "child" under the federal food stamp law.
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- Administrative charges the Department of Children and
12 Family Services may collect shall not exceed the
percentage used for the federal food stamp program
13 (currently at 16 percent).
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