Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act Amendments of 1991

Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act Amendments of 1991
PL 102-237, 105 Stat. 1886
Dec. 13, 1991
  • Expanded eligibility to receive food stamps and to use them to purchase meals provided by group living arrangements to all individuals who meet the Food Stamp Act's definition of "disabled".
  • Limited categorical eligibility for GA recipients to those receiving benefits from programs that have income limits at least as stringent as the food stamp gross income test.
  • Denied categorical eligibility to recipients of GA programs that provide one-time emergency payments that cannot be provided for more than one continuous month.
  • Expanded the income exclusion for educational income by excluding income either used for or made available (earmarked) by the school, institution, program, or other grantor for: tuition, mandatory fees (including the rental or purchase of equipment, material, and supplies related to pursuing the course of study involved), books, supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personnel expenses (other than living expenses).
  • Provided a food stamp income exclusion for amounts necessary for the fulfillment of a plan for achieving self-support (PASS) under Title XVI of the Social Security Act. (The Farm Bill provided a resource exclusion for such funds.)
  • Expanded the definition of an inaccessible resource: one whose sale or other disposition is unlikely to produce any significant amount of funds for the support of the household.
  • Prohibited the Department from requiring State agencies to require verification of the value of inaccessible resources unless the State agency determines that the information provided by the household in questionable.
  • Excluded all of the resources of recipients of AFDC; SSI; and aid to the aged, blind, or disabled under Titles I, II, X, XIV, or XVI of the Social Security Act. Included as income the portion of a transitional housing vendor payment that equals 50% of AFDC's maximum shelter allowance only if the shelter allowance to be paid is calculated separately from amounts for other household needs.
  • Required the publication of outcome-based performance standards for the E&T Program (including improvements in education levels) by 12 months after the publication of final outcome-based performance standards for the JOBS training programs.
  • Deleted the specific requirements now in the Food Stamp Act on the content of outcome-based E&T performance standards, referring only to service to individuals with greater barriers to employment and volunteers.
  • Required the new standards and the interim standards to meet the current effort required by the regulations for E&T components; i.e., 12 hours a month for two months. Prohibited the Department from requiring E&T participation of more than 10% of nonexempt work registrants in fiscal years 1992 and 1993 and 15% in fiscal years 1994 and 1995.
  • Postponed implementation of required staggered issuance and exemptions from monthly reporting for households on Indian reservations until April 1, 1993. Required final regulations by December 1, 1992.
  • Required the GAO to report to Congress by 180 days after enactment on its findings about the difficulties experienced by residents on Indian reservations in obtaining food stamp benefits, using food stamps, and purchasing food economically with food stamps.
  • Required the GAO study to include actions at the Federal, State or local level that could remedy problems on Indian reservations. Required GAO to consult with tribes, State agencies, and other appropriate parties.
  • Corrected one place in the Food Stamp Act where the term "allotments" was not replaced with "benefits" to cover areas where food stamp benefits are provided electronically rather than in coupon form.
  • Prohibited prorating during certification periods except during the initial month.
  • Gave households who have claims made against them because of inadvertent household errors 10 days to select alternate means of paying the claims before allotment reduction is used. (Effective upon enactment).
  • Required the Department to commence operating the demonstration project for vehicle exclusion limit by Jan. 1, 1993. Solicitation of requests to participate in the demonstration projects required by May 1, 1992.
  • Made a technical amendment to the Homeless Eligibility Clarification Act of 1986 so that restaurants could be authorized as retail food stores to accept food stamps from homeless people. (Retroactive to Oct. 1, 1990)
  • Effective date for provisions not otherwise specified was Feb. 1, 1992.
12/13/1991