Bill Text: IL HJR0063 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Resolves that the Task Force on Hunger and the Efficient Distribution of SNAP Benefits be re-established and remain active through December 31, 2015; 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 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.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-12-03 - Session Sine Die [HJR0063 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2013-HJR0063-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Over 2 million Illinois residents receive | ||||||
3 | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits; | ||||||
4 | this number includes older adults, young children, people with | ||||||
5 | disabilities, and working families; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Over 60,000 food-insecure Illinois residents | ||||||
7 | enroll or re-enroll in SNAP every month; and
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8 | WHEREAS, SNAP is an important component of Illinois' | ||||||
9 | economy that generates over $3 billion in annual spending; and
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10 | WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services issues SNAP | ||||||
11 | benefits on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and | ||||||
12 | 10th days of the month; and
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13 | WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services has switched from | ||||||
14 | operating on two fiscal months to utilizing one fiscal month, | ||||||
15 | consistent with nearly every other state in the nation, for | ||||||
16 | greater efficiency and accuracy; and
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17 | WHEREAS, In order to minimize the "stretch" newly approved | ||||||
18 | customers experience between their first and second issuances, | ||||||
19 | the Department of Human Services instituted a 10 day issuance | ||||||
20 | schedule, effective July 2013; and
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1 | WHEREAS, The United States Department of Agriculture | ||||||
2 | (USDA), which controls the funding for SNAP, sent a letter to | ||||||
3 | each state encouraging states to stagger SNAP distribution | ||||||
4 | throughout the month; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services must balance | ||||||
6 | staggering benefits to meet the needs of retailers with | ||||||
7 | minimizing hardship to SNAP recipients; and
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8 | WHEREAS, The Department of Human Services, grocers, and | ||||||
9 | poverty advocates are all interested in establishing a | ||||||
10 | distribution system that meets the needs of all parties; and
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11 | WHEREAS, On May 31, 2013, the Task Force on Hunger and the | ||||||
12 | Efficient Distribution of SNAP Benefits was created by House | ||||||
13 | Joint Resolution 43 of the 98th General Assembly to discuss | ||||||
14 | these issues and prepare a report to the General Assembly that | ||||||
15 | detailed how SNAP benefits could be distributed more evenly | ||||||
16 | throughout the month without increasing hunger in the State of | ||||||
17 | Illinois; and
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18 | WHEREAS, On October 1, 2013, the Task Force prepared and | ||||||
19 | submitted the report to the General Assembly which detailed an | ||||||
20 | agreed, temporary solution to gradually move, over a 3-month | ||||||
21 | period, current cases from the 4th, 7th, and 10th to the 13th, |
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1 | 17th, and 20th days of the month, and to place new and | ||||||
2 | returning cases on the 4th, 7th, and 10th days of the month; | ||||||
3 | and
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4 | WHEREAS, As the number of cases on the 13th, 17th, and 20th | ||||||
5 | days of the month will diminish over time, there is a need to | ||||||
6 | continue to discuss a permanent solution for 2016 and beyond; | ||||||
7 | therefore, be it
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8 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
9 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
10 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Task Force on Hunger and the | ||||||
11 | Efficient Distribution of SNAP Benefits be re-established and | ||||||
12 | remain active through December 31, 2015; and be it further
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13 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall add one additional | ||||||
14 | member, appointed as follows:
One person appointed by the | ||||||
15 | Governor who is a representative of a labor organization which | ||||||
16 | represents workers primarily in the food industry; and be it | ||||||
17 | further
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18 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall work to identify ways | ||||||
19 | to achieve a permanent solution on how SNAP benefits are | ||||||
20 | distributed in Illinois that addresses how SNAP benefits could | ||||||
21 | be distributed more evenly throughout the month without | ||||||
22 | increasing hunger in the State of Illinois.
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