[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4213 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4213

To suspend temporarily the application of laws which would deny certain 
  Federal benefits, entitlements, and grants to victims of Hurricane 
 Katrina or Hurricane Rita due to convictions for certain drug crimes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 2, 2005

   Mr. Scott of Virginia (for himself, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Conyers, Mr. 
 Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Paul, Ms. Jackson-Lee of 
  Texas, Ms. Lee, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Al Green of 
  Texas, and Mr. Hastings of Florida) introduced the following bill; 
   which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in 
    addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Education and the 
Workforce, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To suspend temporarily the application of laws which would deny certain 
  Federal benefits, entitlements, and grants to victims of Hurricane 
 Katrina or Hurricane Rita due to convictions for certain drug crimes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Elimination of Barriers for Katrina 
Victims Act''.

SEC. 2. TANF, FOOD STAMP, AND HOUSING BENEFITS.

    (a) Temporary Suspension.--During the temporary suspension period, 
the provisions specified in subsection (b) shall not apply with respect 
to an individual or family who, at the time a Gulf hurricane disaster 
was declared to exist, resided in an area covered by the disaster 
declaration.
    (b) Provisions Suspended.--The provisions specified in this 
subsection are as follows:
            (1) Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
        Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, but only to the extent 
        that a conviction referred to in such section is for activity 
        that occurred before the disaster declaration for the Gulf 
        hurricane disaster.
            (2) Subsection (f) of section 16 of the United States 
        Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437n(f)) (relating to 
        ineligibility of individuals convicted of certain drug crimes), 
        but only to the extent that a conviction referred to in such 
        subsection is for activity occurring before the disaster 
        declaration for the Gulf hurricane disaster.
            (3) Subsection (a) of section 576 of the Quality Housing 
        and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 13661(a)) 
        (relating to ineligibility because of eviction for drug 
        crimes), but only to the extent that the drug-related criminal 
        activity referred to in such subsection occurred before the 
        disaster declaration for the Gulf hurricane disaster.
            (4) Subsection (c) of section 576 of the Quality Housing 
        and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 13661(c)) 
        (relating to authority to deny admissions to criminal 
        offenders), but only to the extent that--
                    (A) such subsection applies to drug-related 
                criminal activity; and
                    (B) the drug-related criminal activity referred to 
                in such subsection occurred before the disaster 
                declaration for the Gulf hurricane disaster.

SEC. 3. HIGHER EDUCATION BENEFITS.

    (a) In General.--During the temporary suspension period, section 
484(r) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)) shall 
not apply with respect to any individual who, at the time a Gulf 
hurricane disaster was declared to exist--
            (1) resided in an area covered by the disaster declaration, 
        or was a dependent student whose family resided in such an 
        area; or
            (2) was enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an 
        institution of higher education (as defined in section 102 of 
        such Act) located in an area covered by the disaster 
        declaration.
    (b) Limitation.--Subsection (a) shall only apply to the extent that 
a conviction referred to in section 484(r) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(r)) was for an offense that occurred before the 
disaster declaration for the Gulf hurricane disaster.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Temporary suspension period.--The term ``temporary 
        suspension period'' means the 3-year period beginning on the 
        date on which the President declared a major disaster to exist 
        in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford 
        Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), 
        that was caused by Hurricane Katrina.
            (2) Gulf hurricane disaster.--The term ``Gulf hurricane 
        disaster'' means a major disaster that the President declared 
        to exist, in accordance with section 401 of the Robert T. 
        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
        U.S.C. 5170), and that was caused by Hurricane Katrina or 
        Hurricane Rita.
                                 <all>