[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8003-S8004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SSI EXTENSION FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED REFUGEES ACT

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 
2608 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 2608) to amend section 402 of the Personal 
     Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
     1996 to provide, in fiscal years 2008 through 2010, 
     extensions of supplemental security income for refugees, 
     asylees, and certain other humanitarian immigrants, and to 
     amend the Internal Revenue Code to collect unemployment 
     compensation debts resulting from fraud.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise to extend my appreciation that the 
Senate will pass the ``SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees 
Act.'' I thank Chairman Baucus and Senator Grassley for their help in 
moving this important legislation to the President. This is a bill that 
I introduced in the Senate with Senator Kohl and it will make a 
significant impact in helping our most vulnerable asylees and refugees. 
I also want to thank Senator Specter for his tremendous support of this 
bill and help in negotiating a final package. The passage of this bill 
sends a message that we have not and will not turn our back on those 
whom we have welcomed to our country.
  As many of you may know, Congress modified the Supplemental Security

[[Page S8004]]

Income--SSI--program to include a 7-year time limit on the receipt of 
benefits for refugees and asylees. To allow adequate time for asylees 
and refugees to become naturalized citizens, Congress provided the 7-
year time limit before the expiration of SSI benefits. Unfortunately, 
the naturalization process often takes longer than 7 years. Applicants 
are required to live in the United States for a minimum of 5 years 
prior to applying for citizenship. In addition to that time period, 
their application process often can take 3 or more years before there 
is resolution.
  Because of this time delay, many individuals are trapped in the 
system and faced with the loss of their SSI benefits. In fact, by the 
end of 2008 more than 30,000 elderly and disabled refugees will have 
lost their benefits and more than 19,000 are projected to lose their 
benefits in the coming years.
  Many of these individuals are elderly refugees who fled persecution 
or torture in their home countries. They include Jewish refugees 
fleeing religious persecution in the former Soviet Union, Iraqi Kurds 
fleeing the Saddam Hussein regime, Cubans and Hmong people from the 
highlands of Laos who served on the side of the United States military 
during the Vietnam War. They are elderly and unable to work, and have 
become reliant on their SSI benefits as their primary income. To 
penalize them because of delays encountered through the bureaucratic 
process seems unjust and inappropriate.
  The administration, in its fiscal year 2009 budget, acknowledged the 
necessity of correcting this problem by dedicating funding to extend 
refugee eligibility for SSI beyond the 7-year limit. This legislation 
builds upon those efforts by allowing an additional 2 years of benefits 
for elderly and disabled refugees, asylees, and other qualified 
humanitarian immigrants, including those whose benefits have expired in 
the recent past.
  The Senate version requires that eligible individuals demonstrate 
that they are moving toward citizenship in order to gain the additional 
2-year extension of benefits. While the Act provides flexibility to the 
Social Security Administration--SSA--and the Department of Homeland 
Security--DHS--in developing a procedure whereby they can verify an 
applicant's eligibility for the extension of benefits, it is our intent 
that whatever procedure SSA and DHS establish, it does not impose any 
undue burdens or barriers on the benefactors of this Act.
  Additionally, the bill allows benefits to be extended for a third 
year for those refugees who are awaiting a decision on a pending 
naturalization application. These policies are limited to 2011 and are 
completely offset in cost by a provision that will allow the Department 
of Labor to recapture federal funds that are the result of unemployment 
insurance fraud.
  I again thank my colleagues for their support of this bill and for 
its passage.
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Smith 
substitute at the desk be agreed to, the bill as amended be read a 
third time and passed, the title amendment be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid on the table, and any statements be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 5260) was agreed to.
  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill read a third 
time.
  The bill (H.R. 2608), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  The amendment (No. 5261) was agreed to, as follows:
       Amend the title so as to read; ``An Act to amend section 
     402 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
     Reconciliation Act of 1996 to provide, in fiscal years 2009 
     and 2011, extensions of supplemental security income for 
     refugees, asylees, and certain other humanitarian immigrants, 
     and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to collect 
     unemployment compensation debts resulting from fraud.''.

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