Sponsors (21)
The bill expands SNAP eligibility and clarifies student rules to increase food access for low-income students, while trading off higher caseload-driven costs and short-term administrative burdens for state agencies and a small risk that removing an old statutory paragraph could eliminate some existing protections.
Low-income students (including those with a Student Aid Index ≤ $0 and students who meet HEA 'independent' categories) gain eligibility for SNAP and clarifications (counting school attendance toward the 20-hour requirement) reduce wrongful denials, increasing food access for students who lack resources.
State agencies administering SNAP get simpler statutory text after removal of an outdated paragraph, reducing administrative confusion for program operators.
SNAP authorities in the remaining statute are preserved through redesignation, avoiding disruption to ongoing program operations and preventing service interruptions for beneficiaries.
Taxpayers and state budgets may face higher costs because expanded student eligibility will likely increase SNAP caseloads and ongoing program expenditures.
State and local agencies (and some schools/universities) will incur short-term implementation costs, system updates, verification complexity, and possible legal uncertainty as they revise eligibility systems and guidance to apply the new student rules.
People who rely on SNAP could lose protections or specific administrative safeguards if the removed paragraph contained substantive benefits that are not replicated elsewhere in statute.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Expands SNAP student exemptions to include students with SAI ≤ 0 and certain HEA "independent" students, and clarifies attendance counts in the work/attendance aggregate test.
Official title: To allow certain students, including those who have a student aid index equal to or less than zero, to qualify for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.
Introduced April 9, 2026 by Nikema Williams · Last progress April 9, 2026
Expands eligibility for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for certain college students by adding two new student-exemption categories and clarifying that time spent attending an institution of higher education counts in the combined attendance/work test for SNAP. The changes remove a prior clause in the Food and Nutrition Act, add exemptions for students with a Student Aid Index (SAI) of less than or equal to zero and for students who meet several HEA "independent" criteria, and take effect 180 days after enactment for new certification periods.