Important Legislation Passes House
On July 11, 2007 the House passed the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act under suspension of the rules with no objection to the passage of the legislation. Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Jerry Weller (R-IL) introduced HR 2608 in early June to provide an additional two years of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to elderly and disabled refugees and other humanitarian migrants who are reaching their residency deadline, as well as those who have already lost their benefits. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (“1996 welfare law”) imposed a seven-year deadline for Refugees and Asylees to naturalize or lose the federal monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, the sole source of their income in most cases.
Illinois passed a temporary law, so most refugees and asylees in Illinois are able receive assistance through the Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) program through June 30, 2008. However, this is only a temporary fix. Congress must act to resolve this issue; SSI benefits along with Medicaid and Food Stamps provide the only safety net for this population. These programs are vital to the security of these elderly and disabled residents. Since the first wave of refugees reached the deadline in August 2002, approximately 12,000 refugees nationwide have already lost their benefits and approximately 20,000 more refugees nationwide will lose their assistance by 2010.
HR 2608 has 14 cosponsors including lead Republican sponsor Representative Jerry Weller, who was instrumental in the passage of this crucial legislation. His remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives showed the impact this legislation will have on those living in Illinois and throughout the country, “A letter I recently received from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Illinois outlines a case in which an elderly Jewish refugee couple from the former Soviet Union working to become citizens encountered problems of lost paperwork and the need to have fingerprints retaken.”
Representatives Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Phil English (R-PA), Raul M. Grijavla (D-AZ), Sander M. Levin (D-MI), John Lewis, (D-GA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Forney Pete Stark (D-CA) are also cosponsors of this bill.
Before this important legislation becomes law, it must also pass the Senate. Timing for Senate passage is still unclear. For more information on this or any federal issue we are tracking, please contact Amy York at 202-466-7090.
