[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. D'AMATO (for himself, Mr. Chafee, and Mr. DeWine):
  S. 640. A bill to extend the transition period for aliens receiving 
supplemental security income or food stamp benefits as of August 22, 
1996; to the Committee on Finance.


                    implementation delay legislation

  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, on August 22, 1997, in nearly 100 days, 
approximately half a million legal immigrants in this country, 
currently receiving SSI, will lose their benefits. These recipients are 
elderly or disabled--a vulnerable part of our population.
  Of the 80,000 legal immigrants at risk of losing their SSI benefits 
in New York State, more than 70,000 are in New York City. The city 
estimates that there will also be 130,000 immigrants who will lose food 
stamps.
  According to New York City estimates, the loss of SSI and food stamps 
to city immigrants is a loss of $442 million from the Federal 
Government to immigrants in New York City in 1998.
  On April 17, I joined with my colleagues Senators Chafee, Feinstein, 
Moynihan, DeWine, Lieberman, and Mikulski to introduce legislation that 
will allow immigrants who were in the United States legally and were 
receiving SSI and food stamps on August 22, 1996 (the day the welfare 
reform bill was enacted) to continue to receive those benefits.
  Legal immigrants who were in this country and receiving benefits at 
the time the welfare reform act was enacted should not have the rules 
changed midstream.
  The legislation introduced last Thursday also allows refugees who 
were legally in the United States as of August 22, 1996 to receive SSI 
or food stamps, without a 5-year limitation. Refugees who entered after 
August 1996 will only be able to receive benefits for 5 years.
  Congress needs time to enact legislation that will protect the most 
vulnerable population--the elderly and the disabled who are relying on 
these Federal benefits and refugees who are fleeing persecution.
  Enacting a legislative fix will take time but the clock is ticking 
closer to August 1997, when benefits are expected to be cut.
  That is why Senator Chafee, DeWine, and I are introducing a bill that 
will provide the necessary time for Congress to further examine options 
and take action.
  The bill will delay the cut-off period for legal immigrants who are 
SSI and food stamp recipients until February 22, 1998.
  A delay in implementation will also allow immigrants who are trying 
to naturalize an additional 6 months to complete the citizenship 
process. This is especially important, because under the Welfare Reform 
Act, a legal immigrant who becomes an American citizen is eligible for 
benefits as any other citizen.
  The naturalization process can prove to be a bureaucratic nightmare--
especially for elderly and disabled poor immigrants. These people 
should not be unfairly penalized for being caught in the bureaucracy.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues review the merits of this bill, 
as well as the Chafee-Feinstein-D'Amato bill to restore benefits to 
certain categories of immigrants, and hope for their passage.
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