Bill Text: IL SB1298 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Reinserts the provisions of Senate Amendment Number 2 with the following changes: Provides that beginning March 1, 2028 (rather than March 1, 2026) any undergraduate program of study that serves low-income students at a public institution of higher education shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program component, unless prohibited by federal law. In a provision requiring the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board to submit to the Department of Human Services specified data on the percentage of students receiving Pell or Monetary Award Program grants, changes the reporting date to on or before January 1, 2028, and every year thereafter (rather than on or before January 1, 2026, and every 3 years thereafter). Changes the reporting date by which public colleges and universities may elect to submit specified data on the income status of graduate students to January 1 of a given year, and every year thereafter (rather than January 1 of a given year, and every 3 years thereafter). In a provision requiring the Department of Human Services to publish an updated list of the programs of study that serve low-income students at public colleges and universities, requires the Department to publish the list beginning March 1, 2028 (rather than March 1, 2026), and every March 1 thereafter. Provides that rulemaking shall not delay the full implementation of the amendatory changes. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 34)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2025-05-31 - House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [SB1298 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB1298-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning public aid.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
changing Section 12-4.13b as follows:
(305 ILCS 5/12-4.13b)
Sec. 12-4.13b. College student eligibility for
supplemental nutrition assistance benefits.
(a) For the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(ii) of Title
7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, a career and technical
educational program offered at a community college and
approved by the Illinois Community College Board that could be
a component of a SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program,
as identified by the Department of Human Services, shall be
considered an employment and training program under Section
273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, unless
prohibited by federal law.
(a-5)(1) For the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(iv) of
Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, any undergraduate
program of study that serves low-income students at a public
institution of higher education improves employability and
shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP E&T
program component under Section 273.7(e) of Title 7 of the

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Code of Federal Regulations beginning March 1, 2028, unless
prohibited by federal law. As used in this subsection, "public
institution of higher education" has the meaning ascribed to
that term in Section 1 of the Board of Higher Education Act.
(2) On or before January 1, 2028, and every year
thereafter, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the
Illinois Community College Board shall provide to the
Department of Human Services the percentage of students, by
program of study, who received grants under the federal Pell
Grant program and the State's Monetary Award Program (MAP) at
each institution of higher education from which they collect
MAP and Pell recipient data during the most recent academic
year. If any alternative data sources are available to
substantiate that programs of study at public colleges and
universities serve low-income students, that data may also be
provided to the Department of Human Services in lieu of Pell or
MAP data.
(3) Unless prohibited by federal law and subject to the
provisions of this paragraph, a graduate program of study at a
public institution of higher education shall be considered
equivalent to an acceptable SNAP E&T program component under
Section 273.7(e) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, for the purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(iv) of
Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, if (i) the
institution has provided the Department of Human Services with
the percentage of its students within each program of study

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during the most recent academic year with an Alternative
Application for Illinois Student Aid or Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) expected family contribution of
zero or other available data on the income status of the
student population by program and (ii) the program of study
serves low-income students. An institution that elects to
provide such data to the Department of Human Services shall do
so on or before January 1 of a given year and every year
thereafter and any programs of study for low-income students
shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP E&T
program component under Section 273.7(e) of Title 7 of the
Code of Federal Regulation as of March 1 of that year.
(4) Beginning March 1, 2028, and every March 1 thereafter,
the Department of Human Services shall publish on its website
an updated list of the programs of study that serve low-income
students by institution of higher education as provided under
this subsection.
(b) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
representatives of the Illinois Community College Board, the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission, the Illinois Workforce
Innovation Board, and advocates for students and SNAP
recipients, shall establish a protocol to identify and verify
all potential exemptions to the eligibility rule described in
Section 273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, and to identify and verify a student's
participation in educational programs, including, but not

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limited to, self-initiated placements, that would exempt a
student from the eligibility rule described in Section
273.5(a) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations. To the
extent possible, this consultation shall take place through
existing workgroups convened by the Department of Human
Services.
(c) If the United States Department of Agriculture
requires federal approval of the exemption designation
established pursuant to subsection (a) and the protocol
established pursuant to subsection (b), the Department of
Human Services shall seek and obtain that approval before
publishing the guidance or regulation required by subsection
(e).
(d)(1) This Section does not require the Department of
Human Services to offer a particular component, support
services, or workers' compensation to a college student found
eligible for an exemption pursuant to this Section.
(2) This Section does not restrict or require the use of
federal funds for the financing of SNAP E&T programs.
(3) This Section does not require an institution of higher
education to verify eligibility for SNAP.
(e) The Department of Human Services shall adopt any rules
necessary to implement the provisions of subsections (a),
(a-5), (b), (c), and (d). Rulemaking shall not delay the full
implementation of subsection (a-5).
(Source: P.A. 100-620, eff. 7-20-18; 101-560, eff. 8-23-19.)

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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.