Sponsor
Kristen McDonald Rivet
Representative · D-MI
Representative · D-MI
Changes SNAP rules so households receiving LIHEAP or similar energy assistance can qualify for a heating-and-cooling standard utility allowance and have energy assistance treated as income or out-of-pocket utility expenses.
The bill clarifies treatment of state energy assistance so some low-income households can receive higher SNAP utility allowances, but counting those payments as income also risks reducing benefits for others and creates administrative and equity burdens for states.
Low-income households that receive LIHEAP or similar state energy assistance will often see higher SNAP benefits because those payments can be counted toward a higher standard utility allowance (including heating/cooling) or treated as an out-of-pocket utility expense, increasing deductible utility costs when calculating benefits.
State agencies get clearer rules that explicitly treat state energy assistance payments as household income for SNAP purposes, reducing ambiguity and helping produce more consistent eligibility determinations and training/processing guidance.
Some low-income households could see reduced SNAP eligibility or smaller monthly benefits in months when state energy assistance is counted as income, offsetting any gains from higher utility deductions.
The $20 threshold and 12-month lookback requirement may increase administrative workload for state agencies (verifying past small payments), slowing processing and creating costs for state offices.
If States interpret or apply the rule differently (for example, what counts as a 'similar' payment), households could receive inconsistent treatment across States, producing unequal benefit outcomes and fairness concerns.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand benefits to households eligible for Federal and State energy assistance programs, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 14, 2026 by Kristen McDonald Rivet · Last progress January 14, 2026
Changes to SNAP (the Food and Nutrition Act) change how state energy assistance interacts with SNAP utility allowances and income/deduction rules so more households can qualify for a higher standard utility allowance that reflects heating and cooling costs. It directs States to treat energy-assistance payments as money paid to the household for eligibility purposes and to treat energy payments made on a household’s behalf as out-of-pocket utility expenses. The changes take effect July 4, 2025.