Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. I thank the authors of H.R. 4558. the Noncitizen Benefit Clarification Act. for their efforts that brought us this legislation today. When we passed the welfare reform bill in 1996. at that time I cautioned my colleagues that we were reaching too far. that we were hurting people who genuinely needed assistance. and we would have to right the bills wrong at some point. I am glad that today we will rein in the overreaching arm of this socalled reform. correct the overbite of this legislation and bring comfort and aid to those unjustly affected. Among its several corrections. this bill includes one that will immediately impact and assist residents in my congressional district in San Diego. California. When Congress approved that 1996 legislation. thousands of resident immigrants who had been receiving SSI benefits had their benefit eligibility rescinded. The bill overreached and mistakenly categorized these people as nonqualified aliens ineligible to receive SSI benefits. As I said at the time and as the Social Security Administration has since verified. the benefits of thousands of qualified recipients were swept away by the extreme nature of the 1996 legislation.
Keywords matched
Noncitizen immigrants