SB 118-65: SNAP to the Future Act - Passed

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Offering an amendment:

SNAP To The Future Act

SENATE BILL

To increase SNAP eligibility and benefits whilst retaining vital federal agencies

Be it enacted,

Section I: Repeal

1. SB 112-45: Commonsense Program Reform Act is hereby repealed.
a. Public officials, including Administrative Law Judges, hired as a result of SB 112-45 shall remain employed.
b. Positions decommissioned or eliminated as a result of agency consolidation as described in SB 112-45 shall be re-established with hiring preferences given to public officials previously employed by their respective agencies.

Section I: SNAP Benefits

1. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be expanded -
a. To include persons employed or self-employed earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
b. To include persons with at least one dependent child in their household earning up to 220% of the federal poverty level.
c. To include persons aged 60 or older, or with a disability, earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level.

2. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall no longer factor the following:
a. Asset or resource tests, including funds in bank accounts.
b. Past criminal activity or felony convictions.

3. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be modified as follows:
a. Income deductions for child support payments, out of pocket medical expenses, medical supply costs, dependent care costs, shelter costs, and utility bills must be considered when determining SNAP eligibility.
b. Three-month time limits on SNAP eligibility for working-age adults who cannot document sufficient hours of work shall be eliminated.
c. Part-time or full-time attendance at an institution of higher education shall be considered as a form of qualification the same as work.

4. Benefits provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be expanded as follows:
a. Maximum benefit amounts shall  -
i. Be primarily based on household income with a minimum benefit of $275 per month for an eligible 1-person household.
ii. Increase on a progressive sliding scale based on the number of individuals in an eligible household.
iii. Be adjusted in 2025 and all subsequent fiscal years to account for cost-of-living increases.
iv. Not decrease unless the applicant is no longer eligible for benefits, or has reported a change of income.
b. Prepared hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption shall be eligible for SNAP benefits.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act shall take effect on March 1st, 2024.

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Over half of the law you want to repeal has nothing to do with SNAP. If your bill is about SNAP then it should be limited to SNAP instead of trying to sneak in a bunch of unrelated changes without even mentioning them. Also, if you read that law 100% of funding saved by eliminating the wasteful, duplicative programs gets redirected into SNAP, so you are basically advocating for taking money for food assistance and redirecting it to duplicative bureaucrat salaries and radio ads that only benefit corporate radio.

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Aye

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Motion for a final vote

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Aye