HB3211enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3211 Enrolled LRB100 10886 KTG 21121 b

AN ACT concerning public aid.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by adding Section 12-4.13b as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/12-4.13b new)

Sec. 12-4.13b. College student eligibility for supplemental nutrition assistance benefits.

(a)(1) To complement student financial assistance programs and to enhance their effectiveness by more fully addressing the costs of attendance for students with financial needs, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) shall identify and flag college students who are potentially eligible to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The factors to be used to determine potential SNAP eligibility shall be determined in consultation with the Department of Human Services, but at a minimum shall include income information reported on a college student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid. ISAC, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, shall develop a notice that ISAC shall make available electronically to institutions of higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger Coalition's Hunger Hotline.

(2) Illinois institutions of higher education that participate in the Monetary Award Program shall provide the notice described in paragraph (1) in writing to all students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, may designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public benefits if eligible.

(3) ISAC shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection (a) on or before October 1, 2017.

(b) For the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(ii) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, an educational program offered at a community college under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-270) that could be a component of a SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program, as identified by the Department of Human Services, shall be considered an employment and training program under Section 273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, unless prohibited by federal law.

(c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with representatives of the Illinois Community College Board, ISAC, the Illinois Workforce Investment Board, and advocates for students and SNAP recipients, shall establish a protocol to identify and verify all potential exemptions to the eligibility rule described in Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and to identify and verify a student's participation in educational programs, including, but not limited to, self-initiated placements, that would exempt a student from the eligibility rule described in Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. To the extent possible, this consultation shall take place through existing workgroups convened by the Department of Human Services.

(d) If the United States Department of Agriculture requires federal approval of the exemption designation established pursuant to subsection (b) and the protocol established pursuant to subsection (c), the Department of Human Services shall seek and obtain that approval before publishing the guidance or regulation required by subsection (f).

(e)(1) This Section does not require the Department of Human Services to offer a particular component, support services, or workers' compensation to a college student found eligible for an exemption pursuant to this Section.

(2) This Section does not restrict or require the use of federal funds for the financing of SNAP E&T programs.

(3) This Section does not require an institution of higher education to verify eligibility for SNAP.

(f) The Department of Human Services shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the provisions of subsections (b), (c), (d), and (e) on or before October 1, 2017.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.