Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act
Official title: To amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to respond to the hunger emergency afflicting American families and children, to attack the causes of hunger among all Amer… Show full official titleShow less
Official title: To amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to respond to the hunger emergency afflicting American families and children, to attack the causes of hunger among all Americans, to ensure an adequate diet for low-income people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness because of the shortage of affordable housing, to promote self-sufficiency among food stamp recipients, to assist families affected by adverse economic conditions, to simplify food assistance programs' administration, and for other purposes.
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Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 238.
Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act - Title I: Ensuring Adequate Food Assistance - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to remove the excess shelter deduction cap for purposes of food stamp program (program) eligibility. (Sets forth transitional caps through FY 1995.)
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to adjust the basic benefit level upwards by specified increments at the beginning of each fiscal year until it reaches 105 percent of the cost of the thrifty food plan.
Eliminates food stamp reductions for households reapplying for program reinstatement within 30 days.
Excludes third party payments for transitional housing for the homeless from consideration as program income.
Increases funding for the nutrition assistance program in Puerto Rico.
Excludes general assistance vendor payments from consideration as program income.
Excludes the income of high school students from consideration as program income. (Current law excludes income until a student's eighteenth birthday.)
Title II: Promoting Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from consideration as program income: (1) the first $50 a month received as child support; and (2) child support payments to non-household members.
Increases annually the fair market value limit of vehicles that program recipients may own.
Excludes from financial resources the value of a vehicle a household depends upon to carry heating fuel or water for home use when transported fuel or water is the household's primary source of such item.
Increases dependent care deductions and participant and State agency reimbursements in connection with employment and training activities.
Title III: Simplifying the Provision of Food Assistance - Permits related adults living in the same household to apply for separate program benefits under specified conditions.
Permits a participating family made up of, or including, an elderly or disabled member to own $3,000 in allowable financial resources. (Current law refers to a family member 60 years of age or older.)
Repeals provisions authorizing benefit reductions due to insufficient funding.
Title IV: Commodity Distribution to Needy Families - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to spend $190,000,000 in FY 1992 for the temporary emergency food assistance program. (Current law authorizes such amount for FY 1992.)
Title V: Implementation and Effective Dates - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.
Provides for budget neutrality.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text
- Reported in House Formatted Text
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1202: Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act. 102nd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1202/
"H.R. 1202: Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act." 102nd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1202/.
H.R. 1202, 102nd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1202/.
[H.R. 1202: Mickey Leland Childhood Hunger Relief Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1202/)