HF 3259

as introduced - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to human services; extending food benefits 
  1.3             for certain noncitizens; delaying MFIP-S grant 
  1.4             reductions for residents of public housing; continuing 
  1.5             certain benefits for certain alcohol and drug 
  1.6             dependent persons; transferring money to the federal 
  1.7             title XX allocation; appropriating money; amending 
  1.8             Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, sections 256J.11, 
  1.9             subdivision 2, as amended; and 256J.37, subdivision 9; 
  1.10            Laws 1997, chapter 203, article 9, section 21. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  1.13  256J.11, subdivision 2, as amended by Laws 1997, Third Special 
  1.14  Session chapter 1, is amended to read: 
  1.15     Subd. 2.  [NONCITIZENS; FOOD PORTION.] (a) For the period 
  1.16  September 1, 1997, to October 31, 1997, noncitizens who do not 
  1.17  meet one of the exemptions in section 412 of the Personal 
  1.18  Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, 
  1.19  but were residing in this state as of July 1, 1997, are eligible 
  1.20  for the 6/10 of the average value of food stamps for the same 
  1.21  family size and composition until MFIP-S is operative in the 
  1.22  noncitizen's county of financial responsibility and thereafter, 
  1.23  the 6/10 of the food portion of MFIP-S.  However, federal food 
  1.24  stamp dollars cannot be used to fund the food portion of MFIP-S 
  1.25  benefits for an individual under this subdivision. 
  1.26     (b) For the period November 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998 1999, 
  1.27  noncitizens who do not meet one of the exemptions in section 412 
  1.28  of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
  2.1   Reconciliation Act of 1996, but were residing in this state as 
  2.2   of July 1, 1997, and are receiving cash assistance under the 
  2.3   AFDC, family general assistance, MFIP or MFIP-S programs are 
  2.4   eligible for the average value of food stamps for the same 
  2.5   family size and composition until MFIP-S is operative in the 
  2.6   noncitizen's county of financial responsibility and thereafter, 
  2.7   the food portion of MFIP-S.  However, federal food stamp dollars 
  2.8   cannot be used to fund the food portion of MFIP-S benefits for 
  2.9   an individual under this subdivision.  The assistance provided 
  2.10  under this subdivision, which is designated as a supplement to 
  2.11  replace lost benefits under the federal food stamp program, must 
  2.12  be disregarded as income in all programs that do not count food 
  2.13  stamps as income where the commissioner has the authority to 
  2.14  make the income disregard determination for the program. 
  2.15     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1997 Supplement, section 
  2.16  256J.37, subdivision 9, is amended to read: 
  2.17     Subd. 9.  [UNEARNED INCOME.] (a) The county agency must 
  2.18  apply unearned income, including housing subsidies as in 
  2.19  paragraph (b), to the transitional standard.  When determining 
  2.20  the amount of unearned income, the county agency must deduct the 
  2.21  costs necessary to secure payments of unearned income.  These 
  2.22  costs include legal fees, medical fees, and mandatory deductions 
  2.23  such as federal and state income taxes. 
  2.24     (b) Effective July 1, 1998 1999, the county agency shall 
  2.25  count $100 of the value of public and assisted rental subsidies 
  2.26  provided through the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
  2.27  (HUD) as unearned income.  The full amount of the subsidy must 
  2.28  be counted as unearned income when the subsidy is less than $100.
  2.29     Sec. 3.  Laws 1997, chapter 203, article 9, section 21, is 
  2.30  amended to read: 
  2.31     Sec. 21.  [INELIGIBILITY FOR STATE FUNDED PROGRAMS UNSPENT 
  2.32  STATE MONEY.] 
  2.33     (a) Beginning July 1, 1999, the following persons will be 
  2.34  ineligible for general assistance and general assistance medical 
  2.35  care under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256D, group residential 
  2.36  housing under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256I, and MFIP-S 
  3.1   assistance under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256J, funded with 
  3.2   state money: 
  3.3      (1) persons who are terminated from or denied Supplemental 
  3.4   Security Income due to the 1996 changes in the federal law 
  3.5   making persons whose alcohol or drug addiction is a material 
  3.6   factor contributing to the person's disability ineligible for 
  3.7   Supplemental Security Income, and are eligible for general 
  3.8   assistance under Minnesota Statutes, section 256D.05, 
  3.9   subdivision 1, paragraph (a), clause (17), general assistance 
  3.10  medical care under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256D, or group 
  3.11  residential housing under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256I; 
  3.12     (2) legal noncitizens who are ineligible for Supplemental 
  3.13  Security Income due to the 1996 changes in federal law making 
  3.14  certain noncitizens ineligible for these programs due to their 
  3.15  noncitizen status; and 
  3.16     (3) legal noncitizens who are eligible for MFIP-S 
  3.17  assistance, either the cash assistance portion or the food 
  3.18  assistance portion, funded entirely with state money. 
  3.19     (b) State money that remains unspent on June 30, 1999, due 
  3.20  to changes in federal law enacted after May 12, 1997, that 
  3.21  reduce state spending for legal noncitizens or for persons whose 
  3.22  alcohol or drug addiction is a material factor contributing to 
  3.23  the person's disability shall not cancel and shall be deposited 
  3.24  in the TANF reserve account. 
  3.25     Sec. 4.  [TRANSFER OF FEDERAL TANF FUNDS TO TITLE XX.] 
  3.26     Effective October 1, 1998, the commissioner of human 
  3.27  services shall transfer $15,000,000 from the TANF block grant 
  3.28  for federal fiscal year 1999 authorized under title 1 of Public 
  3.29  Law Number 104-193 to the federal title XX allocation.  The 
  3.30  amount transferred shall be allocated to counties for calendar 
  3.31  year 1999 according to the formula in Minnesota Statutes, 
  3.32  section 256E.07, subdivision 1. 
  3.33     Sec. 5.  [TRANSFER OF STATE MONEY FROM TANF RESERVE.] 
  3.34     Effective July 1, 1999, the commissioner of human services 
  3.35  may transfer to the general fund up to 100 percent of the state 
  3.36  money that remains in the TANF reserve account for the purposes 
  4.1   of section 3. 
  4.2      Sec. 6.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.3      For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1998, $5,000,000 is 
  4.4   appropriated from the TANF block grant authorized under title 1 
  4.5   of Public Law Number 104-193 to the commissioner of human 
  4.6   services to increase MFIP-S employment and training grants.  
  4.7   This appropriation shall not become part of base-level funding 
  4.8   for the biennium beginning July 1, 1999.