HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

EXPANDING FOOD STAMP ELIGIBILITY FOR LEGAL NON-CITIZENS

WHEREAS, nearly 45 percent of the cuts included in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act were targeted at non-citizens residing legally in the United States; and

WHEREAS, while SSI and Medicaid eligibility have been reinstated for certain vulnerable immigrants, food stamp eligibility has not and approximately one million legal non-citizens who were residing in the U.S. prior to the passage of the PRWORA have lost access to the program; and

WHEREAS, a survey done by The U.S. Conference of Mayors showed a significant increase in requests by legal immigrants at emergency food assistance facilities, and that finding has been borne out by other studies,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the federal government to expand food stamp eligibility to include legal non-citizens who were residing in the country prior to August 22, 1996, the date on which the PRWORA was signed into law.