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| | HB3211 Enrolled | | LRB100 10886 KTG 21121 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning public aid.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by |
| 5 | | adding Section 12-4.13b as follows:
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| 6 | | (305 ILCS 5/12-4.13b new) |
| 7 | | Sec. 12-4.13b. College student eligibility for |
| 8 | | supplemental nutrition assistance benefits. |
| 9 | | (a)(1) To complement student financial assistance programs |
| 10 | | and to enhance their effectiveness by more fully addressing the |
| 11 | | costs of attendance for students with financial needs, the |
| 12 | | Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) shall identify |
| 13 | | and flag college students who are potentially eligible to |
| 14 | | receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) |
| 15 | | benefits. The factors to be used to determine potential SNAP |
| 16 | | eligibility shall be determined in consultation with the |
| 17 | | Department of Human Services, but at a minimum shall include |
| 18 | | income information reported on a college student's Free |
| 19 | | Application for Federal Student Aid. ISAC, in consultation with |
| 20 | | the Department of Human Services, shall develop a notice that |
| 21 | | ISAC shall make available electronically to institutions of |
| 22 | | higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student |
| 23 | | SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits |
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| 1 | | Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger |
| 2 | | Coalition's Hunger Hotline. |
| 3 | | (2) Illinois institutions of higher education that |
| 4 | | participate in the Monetary Award Program shall provide the |
| 5 | | notice described in paragraph (1) in writing to all students |
| 6 | | who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified |
| 7 | | by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, may |
| 8 | | designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to |
| 9 | | assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public |
| 10 | | benefits if eligible. |
| 11 | | (3) ISAC shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the |
| 12 | | provisions of this subsection (a) on or before October 1, 2017. |
| 13 | | (b) For the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(ii) of Title 7 |
| 14 | | of the Code of Federal Regulations, an educational program |
| 15 | | offered at a community college under the Carl D. Perkins Career |
| 16 | | and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law |
| 17 | | 109-270) that could be a component of a SNAP Employment and |
| 18 | | Training (E&T) program, as identified by the Department of |
| 19 | | Human Services, shall be considered an employment and training |
| 20 | | program under Section 273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal |
| 21 | | Regulations, unless prohibited by federal law. |
| 22 | | (c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with |
| 23 | | representatives of the Illinois Community College Board, ISAC, |
| 24 | | the Illinois Workforce Investment Board, and advocates for |
| 25 | | students and SNAP recipients, shall establish a protocol to |
| 26 | | identify and verify all potential exemptions to the eligibility |
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| 1 | | rule described in Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of |
| 2 | | Federal Regulations, and to identify and verify a student's |
| 3 | | participation in educational programs, including, but not |
| 4 | | limited to, self-initiated placements, that would exempt a |
| 5 | | student from the eligibility rule described in Section 273.5(a) |
| 6 | | of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. To the extent |
| 7 | | possible, this consultation shall take place through existing |
| 8 | | workgroups convened by the Department of Human Services. |
| 9 | | (d) If the United States Department of Agriculture requires |
| 10 | | federal approval of the exemption designation established |
| 11 | | pursuant to subsection (b) and the protocol established |
| 12 | | pursuant to subsection (c), the Department of Human Services |
| 13 | | shall seek and obtain that approval before publishing the |
| 14 | | guidance or regulation required by subsection (f). |
| 15 | | (e)(1) This Section does not require the Department of |
| 16 | | Human Services to offer a particular component, support |
| 17 | | services, or workers' compensation to a college student found |
| 18 | | eligible for an exemption pursuant to this Section. |
| 19 | | (2) This Section does not restrict or require the use of |
| 20 | | federal funds for the financing of SNAP E&T programs. |
| 21 | | (3) This Section does not require an institution of higher |
| 22 | | education to verify eligibility for SNAP. |
| 23 | | (f) The Department of Human Services shall adopt any rules |
| 24 | | necessary to implement the provisions of subsections (b), (c), |
| 25 | | (d), and (e) on or before October 1, 2017.
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| 26 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |