[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 142 (Friday, October 4, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H12292-H12293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK OPPORTUNITY 
                       RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1996

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the Senate bill (S. 2183) to make technical corrections 
to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
of 1996, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2183.
  This bill would allow States, like New Mexico, that have a growing 
number of people who qualify for food stamps or are unemployed access 
to the contingency fund moneys that were included in the recently 
enacted welfare reform bill.
  This is merely a technical correction which is necessary for many 
States which will not be able to reform welfare programs until their 
State legislatures meet again next year, but as of October 1 are 
operating under limited block grants funding.
  In New Mexico, our population is growing at such a rapid pace that 
continuing our current welfare program under the block grant system 
will lead to a funding shortfall.
  Inadequate block grant funding would cause States like New Mexico to 
make across-the-board cuts in welfare payments to families in need.
  This legislation would allow States like New Mexico to tap into the 
welfare contingency fund and avoid financial hardships during the 
transition to a new welfare program.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the Senate bill, as follows:

                                S. 2183

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

     SECTION 1. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO THE PERSONAL 
                   RESPONSIBILITY AND WORK OPPORTUNITY 
                   RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1996.

       (a) Clarification of Limitation on Certain Federal 
     Obligations for 1997.--Section 116(b)(1)(B)(ii)(II) of the 
     Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
     Act of 1996 is amended--

[[Page H12293]]

       (1) in item (aa), by striking ``the State family assistance 
     grant'' and inserting ``the sum of the State family 
     assistance grant and the amount, if any, that the State would 
     have been eligible to be paid under the Contingency Fund for 
     State Welfare Programs established under section 403(b) of 
     the Social Security Act (as amended by section 103(a)(1) of 
     this Act), during the period beginning on October 1, 1996, 
     and ending on the date the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services first receives from the State a plan described in 
     section 402(a) of the Social Security Act (as so amended) if, 
     with respect to such State, the effective date of this Act 
     under subsection (a)(1) were August 22, 1996,''; and
       (2) in item (bb)--
       (A) by inserting ``sum of the'' before ``State family 
     assistance grant''; and
       (B) by striking the period and inserting ``, and the 
     amount, if any, that the State would have been eligible to be 
     paid under the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs 
     established under section 403(b) of the Social Security Act 
     (as amended by section 103(a)(1) of this Act), during the 
     period beginning on October 1, 1996, and ending on the date 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services first receives 
     from the State a plan described in section 402(a) of the 
     Social Security Act (as so amended) if, with respect to such 
     State, the effective date of this Act under subsection (a)(1) 
     were August 22, 1996.''.
       (b) Corrections Related to the Contingency Fund for State 
     Welfare Programs.--Section 403(b)(4)(A) of the Social 
     Security Act, as amended by section 103(a)(1) of the Personal 
     Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
     1996, is amended--
       (1) in clause (i)(II), by striking ``minus any Federal 
     payment with respect to such child care expenditures''; and
       (2) in clause (ii)(I)--
       (A) by inserting ``the sum of'' before ``the 
     expenditures''; and
       (B) by inserting ``, and any additional qualified State 
     expenditures, as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i), for 
     child care assistance made under the Child Care and 
     Development Block Grant Act of 1990'' before the semicolon.
       (c) Clarification of Heading.--The heading of section 
     116(b)(1) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
     Reconciliation Act of 1996 is amended by inserting ``; 
     limitation on fiscal years 1996 and 1997 payments'' after 
     ``date''.
       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect as if included in the provisions of and the 
     amendments made by the Personal Responsibility and Work 
     Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
                   COMMISSION.

       Section 11 of the Northern Great Plains Rural Development 
     Act (Public Law 103-318; 7 U.S.C. 2661 note) is amended by 
     striking ``the earlier'' and all that follows through the 
     period at the end and inserting ``September 30, 1997.''.

  The Senate bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the 
third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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