Food Stamp Act Amendments of 1982

Food Stamp Act Amendments of 1982 - Title I: Definitions - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to make private dine-out establishments (restaurants) that offer food at concessional prices to certain elderly and disabled participants ineligible to redeem food stamps.

Makes it a State agency determination on whether when one or more individuals who while living with others purchase and prepare food separately from the others constitute an eligible household.

Makes house-to-house trade establishments which sell a variety of staple food items eligible as a retail food store only in rural areas. Excludes accessory, snack, or dessert food items from food sales when determining retail food store eligibility.

Changes the base period for updating the thrifty food plan in October of each year.

Title II: Eligible Households - Lowers the income standards of eligibility from 130 percent to 100 percent of the nonfarm income poverty guidelines for all households except those containing an elderly member receiving Social Security benefits.

Includes nonrecurring lump-sum payments and energy assistance payments as household income in the months they are received. Sets forth a formula for determining the length of ineligibility for such households.

Eliminates the formula for adjusting the standard deduction in computing household income. Decreases the earned income deduction from 18 percent to 15 percent.

Requires the use of actually paid utility expenses when determining the excess shelter expense deduction. Eliminates the formula for indexing such expenses and dependent care expenses.

Grants States the option of using the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) assets test or the assets test from the Social Security supplemental income program for households containing elderly and disabled, or both, in establishing resource limitations for an eligible household.

Includes, in determining allowable financial resources, any real property (other than the dwelling owned and its lot, and in rural areas, realty of ten acres or less), savings and retirement accounts, and the cash value of any life insurance policies and pensions.

Title III: Eligibility Disqualifications - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to require that applicants for food stamp assistance fulfill reasonable reporting requirements about employment at the time of application.

Makes the period of ineligibility six months (currently 60 days) when the head of a household voluntarily quits any job without good cause. Makes public employee strikers subject to such provision.

Requires that a second parent in a household register for work when the youngest child reaches the age of six.

Eliminates students between the ages of 18 and 60 from eligibility in the food stamp program.

Exempts a head of household from registering for work if such person is employed a minimum of 150 hours per month.

Requires that all income (currently less a pro rata share) of an ineligible alien be counted toward the income of a household in which such person is a member.

Title IV: Issuance and Use of Coupons - Eliminates authority for the issuance of cash change from food stamp coupons.

Title V: Value of Allotment - Increases the benefit reduction rate of an eligible household's allotment from 30 percent to 33.3 percent of such household's income. Eliminates the minimum allotment for households of one or two persons.

Prohibits allotments from being considered as income or resources for Federal, State, or local taxation.

Provides for prorating benefits in the first month for which a previously ineligible household becomes recertified as eligible.

Prohibits a household from receiving increased allotments as a result of being penalized for noncompliance with other public assistance programs.

Title VI: Approval of Retail Food Stores - Requires retail food stores to annually apply for and obtain renewal of certificates of approval in order to continue participation in the food stamp program. Provides that a renewal fee shall be an amount equal to one percent of the value of coupons redeemed by such store in the preceding year or $100, whichever is greater. Directs the Secretary to transmit 50 percent of the fees received to the appropriate State agency, if the State is operating a workfare program. Requires the State agency to apply such monies toward incurred expenses of the workfare program.

Requires the bonding of eligible retail food stores to cover the value of coupons which the store accepts and redeems in violation of this Act.

Title VII: Administration - Prohibits the Secretary from requiring a State to submit administrative materials on its plan of operation under the food stamp program as part of the approval process for such plan.

Eliminates the authority of the Secretary to establish standards for points and hours of certification and coupon issuance within a State.

Requires States to verify income, household size, and such other factors that the State agency determines necessary, and which the Secretary may require.

Restricts the representation of individuals in the certification process and in coupon issuance or food purchase to those individuals who are elderly, blind, disabled, or employed at least 150 hours per month.

Permits the disclosure of the name and address of a member of a household receiving a coupon allotment and the amount of such allotment.

Grants States the option of providing coupons on an expedited basis based on household income and financial resources below specified amounts.

Authorizes a State agency to immediately reduce or terminate benefits in any household for which the agency has received written information from such household which requires a reduction or termination.

Grants State agencies the option of providing bilingual services in the administration of their program.

Requires State agencies to verify, at least on a quarterly basis, that food stamp recipients are not receiving duplicative benefits.

Permits State agencies to impose liens against the excess average value of dwellings and real property owned by one or more members of an eligible household in order to recover all assistance if ownership of such property is transferred and members are no longer residing in such dwelling.

Permits State agencies to implement joint application processing for households receiving various types of public assistance.

Allows the Secretary to require a State agency, the Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture, or both, to request and utilize information regarding interest and dividend income of a household available under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. Amends the Code to conform to such requirement.

Title VIII: Civil Money Penalties and Disqualification of Retail Food Stores - Makes approved retail food stores which violate provisions of the food stamp program liable for a civil money penalty of not less than $5,000 (currently not more than $5,000) for each violation. Sets forth the disqualification periods for such food stores.

Title IX: Collection and Disposition of Claims - Sets forth procedures for a State agency to intercept unemployment benefits and Federal tax refunds of food stamp recipients who have received overpayments and such overpayments are uncollected. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to conform to this title.

Title X: Administrative Cost-Sharing and Quality Controls - Permits States to retain 50 percent of overissuances which are recovered other than those resulting from an ineligibility determination or State error.

Directs the Secretary to institute an error liability program under which each State agency shall be liable for its payment errors.

Title XI: Authorizations for Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1983.

Title XII: Workfare - Directs the Secretary to promulgate guidelines which enable a political subdivision to operate a food stamp workfare program which is compatible and consistent with certain other workfare programs operated by such subdivision. Declares that a subdivision may comply with such guidelines by operating a workfare program pursuant to Aid to Families with Dependent Children under the Social Security Act.

Permits a State, in lieu of operating a workfare program, to pay to the Secretary five percent of the value of coupons issued in the State each month.

Allows college students to participate in the workfare program.

Limits participants in a workfare program to 40 hours per week.

Title XIII: State Block Grant Option - Authorizes a State to elect to operate a low-income nutritional assistance block grant program to finance expenditures for food assistance for needy persons. Directs the Secretary to provide such States with a block grant in an amount based on a percentage of the FY 1983 funds appropriated for the food stamp program.

Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of an Indian tribe or tribal organization within a block grant State, to reserve a determined amount of such grant for the direct use of such tribe.

Sets forth procedures for application and requirements for eligibility for block grants. Prohibits the use of such grants for construction.

Sets forth procedures for the Secretary and the Comptroller General to assure compliance with this section.

Title XIV: Miscellaneous - Prohibits participation in the food stamp program by residents of drug addiction and alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation programs. Removes such persons' exemption from work registration and workfare obligations.

Requires the rounding down to the nearest whole dollar in calculations for the thrifty food plan and household allotments.

Prohibits wholesale food concerns from participation in the food stamp program.

Title XV: Effective Dates - Makes this Act effective October 1, 1982.