Sponsors (13)
The bill expands SNAP access for half-time low-income students—reducing student and household food insecurity and clarifying agency rules—while increasing federal SNAP costs and imposing short-term administrative burdens on state and local agencies.
Low-income college students enrolled at least half-time become eligible for SNAP as their own household, expanding access to food assistance for this group.
Households with newly eligible students are likely to experience reduced food insecurity and improved ability for students to focus on studies due to added SNAP benefits.
Redesignating and aligning cross-references reduces administrative confusion for USDA, HHS, and DOL, which should speed determinations and processing for programs affecting students and households.
Federal taxpayers will likely bear higher SNAP program costs because expanding eligibility increases federal spending without identified offsets.
State and local agencies (and potentially universities) will incur short-term administrative costs to update systems and train staff to implement the new eligibility and cross-reference changes.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Introduced July 29, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand · Last progress July 29, 2025
Adds bona fide half‑time students enrolled in recognized schools, training programs, or institutions of higher education to the SNAP household definition and removes the special student ineligibility rule that excluded many students from SNAP. The change updates cross‑references in the Food and Nutrition Act, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and Social Security Act, and takes effect January 2, 2026.