HJ0063 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0063 LRB098 14726 KTG 49613 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Over 2 million Illinois residents receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits; this number includes older adults, young children, people with disabilities, and working families; and

WHEREAS, Over 60,000 food-insecure Illinois residents enroll or re-enroll in SNAP every month; and

WHEREAS, SNAP is an important component of Illinois' economy that generates over $3 billion in annual spending; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services issues SNAP benefits on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th days of the month; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services has switched from operating on two fiscal months to utilizing one fiscal month, consistent with nearly every other state in the nation, for greater efficiency and accuracy; and

WHEREAS, In order to minimize the "stretch" newly approved customers experience between their first and second issuances, the Department of Human Services instituted a 10 day issuance schedule, effective July 2013; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which controls the funding for SNAP, sent a letter to each state encouraging states to stagger SNAP distribution throughout the month; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services must balance staggering benefits to meet the needs of retailers with minimizing hardship to SNAP recipients; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services, grocers, and poverty advocates are all interested in establishing a distribution system that meets the needs of all parties; and

WHEREAS, On May 31, 2013, the Task Force on Hunger and the Efficient Distribution of SNAP Benefits was created by House Joint Resolution 43 of the 98th General Assembly to discuss these issues and prepare a report to the General Assembly that detailed how SNAP benefits could be distributed more evenly throughout the month without increasing hunger in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, On October 1, 2013, the Task Force prepared and submitted the report to the General Assembly which detailed an agreed, temporary solution to gradually move, over a 3-month period, current cases from the 4th, 7th, and 10th to the 13th, 17th, and 20th days of the month, and to place new and returning cases on the 4th, 7th, and 10th days of the month; and

WHEREAS, As the number of cases on the 13th, 17th, and 20th days of the month will diminish over time, there is a need to continue to discuss a permanent solution for 2016 and beyond; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Task Force on Hunger and the Efficient Distribution of SNAP Benefits be re-established and remain active through December 31, 2015; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall add one additional member, appointed as follows: One person appointed by the Governor who is a representative of a labor organization which represents workers primarily in the food industry; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall work to identify ways to achieve a permanent solution on how SNAP benefits are distributed in Illinois that addresses how SNAP benefits could be distributed more evenly throughout the month without increasing hunger in the State of Illinois.