HB3211 EngrossedLRB100 10886 KTG 21121 b

1    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
5adding Section 12-4.13b as follows:
 
6    (305 ILCS 5/12-4.13b new)
7    Sec. 12-4.13b. College student eligibility for
8supplemental nutrition assistance benefits.
9    (a)(1) To complement student financial assistance programs
10and to enhance their effectiveness by more fully addressing the
11costs of attendance for students with financial needs, the
12Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) shall identify
13and flag college students who are potentially eligible to
14receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
15benefits. The factors to be used to determine potential SNAP
16eligibility shall be determined in consultation with the
17Department of Human Services, but at a minimum shall include
18income information reported on a college student's Free
19Application for Federal Student Aid. ISAC, in consultation with
20the Department of Human Services, shall develop a notice that
21ISAC shall make available electronically to institutions of
22higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student
23SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits

 

 

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1Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger
2Coalition's Hunger Hotline.
3    (2) Illinois institutions of higher education that
4participate in the Monetary Award Program shall provide the
5notice described in paragraph (1) in writing to all students
6who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified
7by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, may
8designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to
9assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public
10benefits if eligible.
11    (3) ISAC shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the
12provisions 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
14of the Code of Federal Regulations, an educational program
15offered at a community college under the Carl D. Perkins Career
16and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law
17109-270) that could be a component of a SNAP Employment and
18Training (E&T) program, as identified by the Department of
19Human Services, shall be considered an employment and training
20program under Section 273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal
21Regulations, unless prohibited by federal law.
22    (c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
23representatives of the Illinois Community College Board, ISAC,
24the Illinois Workforce Investment Board, and advocates for
25students and SNAP recipients, shall establish a protocol to
26identify and verify all potential exemptions to the eligibility

 

 

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1rule described in Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of
2Federal Regulations, and to identify and verify a student's
3participation in educational programs, including, but not
4limited to, self-initiated placements, that would exempt a
5student from the eligibility rule described in Section 273.5(a)
6of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. To the extent
7possible, this consultation shall take place through existing
8workgroups convened by the Department of Human Services.
9    (d) If the United States Department of Agriculture requires
10federal approval of the exemption designation established
11pursuant to subsection (b) and the protocol established
12pursuant to subsection (c), the Department of Human Services
13shall seek and obtain that approval before publishing the
14guidance or regulation required by subsection (f).
15    (e)(1) This Section does not require the Department of
16Human Services to offer a particular component, support
17services, or workers' compensation to a college student found
18eligible for an exemption pursuant to this Section.
19    (2) This Section does not restrict or require the use of
20federal funds for the financing of SNAP E&T programs.
21    (3) This Section does not require an institution of higher
22education to verify eligibility for SNAP.
23    (f) The Department of Human Services shall adopt any rules
24necessary to implement the provisions of subsections (b), (c),
25(d), and (e) on or before October 1, 2017.
 
26    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

 

 

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1becoming law.