Rep. Litesa E. Wallace

Filed: 3/14/2017

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3211

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3211 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
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

 

 

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1Department of Human Services, but at a minimum shall include
2income information reported on a college student's Free
3Application for Federal Student Aid. ISAC, in consultation with
4the Department of Human Services, shall develop a notice that
5ISAC shall make available electronically to institutions of
6higher education that includes, at a minimum, college student
7SNAP eligibility criteria, the Application for Benefits
8Eligibility's website address, and the Illinois Hunger
9Coalition's Hunger Hotline.
10    (2) Illinois institutions of higher education that
11participate in the Monetary Award Program shall provide the
12notice described in paragraph (1) in writing to all students
13who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment and are identified
14by ISAC as potentially SNAP eligible and, if possible, may
15designate a public benefits liaison or single point person to
16assist students in taking the necessary steps to obtain public
17benefits if eligible.
18    (3) ISAC shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the
19provisions of this subsection (a) on or before October 1, 2017.
20    (b) For the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(ii) of Title 7
21of the Code of Federal Regulations, an educational program
22offered at a community college under the Carl D. Perkins Career
23and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Public Law
24109-270) that could be a component of a SNAP Employment and
25Training (E&T) program, as identified by the Department of
26Human Services, shall be considered an employment and training

 

 

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1program under Section 273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal
2Regulations, unless prohibited by federal law.
3    (c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
4representatives of the Illinois Community College Board, ISAC,
5the Illinois Workforce Investment Board, and advocates for
6students and SNAP recipients, shall establish a protocol to
7identify and verify all potential exemptions to the eligibility
8rule described in Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of
9Federal Regulations, and to identify and verify a student's
10participation in educational programs, including, but not
11limited to, self-initiated placements, that would exempt a
12student from the eligibility rule described in Section 273.5(a)
13of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. To the extent
14possible, this consultation shall take place through existing
15workgroups convened by the Department of Human Services.
16    (d) If the United States Department of Agriculture requires
17federal approval of the exemption designation established
18pursuant to subsection (b) and the protocol established
19pursuant to subsection (c), the Department of Human Services
20shall seek and obtain that approval before publishing the
21guidance or regulation required by subsection (f).
22    (e)(1) This Section does not require the Department of
23Human Services to offer a particular component, support
24services, or workers' compensation to a college student found
25eligible for an exemption pursuant to this Section.
26    (2) This Section does not restrict or require the use of

 

 

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1federal funds for the financing of SNAP E&T programs.
2    (3) This Section does not require an institution of higher
3education to verify eligibility for SNAP.
4    (f) The Department of Human Services shall adopt any rules
5necessary to implement the provisions of subsections (b), (c),
6(d), and (e) on or before October 1, 2017.
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.".