Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025 or the EATS Act of 2025
This bill expands eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for certain students.
Specifically, the bill removes the restriction on SNAP eligibility for students to allow otherwise eligible students who are attending institutions of higher education (IHEs) at least half time to participate in SNAP. Under current law, students 18-49 years old are restricted from participating in SNAP, with exceptions (e.g., caring for a child under the age of 6 or employed for at least 20 hours a week). The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 temporarily exempted some students from certain SNAP eligibility requirements; these temporary student exemptions expired after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
Further, the bill provides that students enrolled at least half time in a recognized school, training program, or IHE constitute individual households (not residents of institutions) and may be eligible for SNAP benefits. (Participation in SNAP is limited to households.)
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2512 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2512
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to remove certain
eligibility disqualifications that restrict otherwise eligible students
from participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 29, 2025
Mrs. Gillibrand (for herself, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Blumenthal, Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Welch, Mr. Padilla, Mr.
Booker, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Shaheen, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to remove certain
eligibility disqualifications that restrict otherwise eligible students
from participating in the supplemental nutrition assistance program,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Enhance Access To SNAP Act of 2025''
or the ``EATS Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY UNDER SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.
(a) Definition of Household.--Section 3(m)(5) of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(m)(5)) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(F) Individuals who are bona fide students
enrolled at least half time in any recognized school,
training program, or institution of higher
education.''.
(b) Conditions of Participation.--Section 6 of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is amended--
(1) in subsection (d)(2)(C), by striking ``(except that any
such person enrolled in an institution of higher education
shall be ineligible to participate in the supplemental
nutrition assistance program unless he or she meets the
requirements of subsection (e) of this section)'';
(2) by striking subsection (e); and
(3) by redesignating subsections (f) through (s) as
subsections (e) through (r), respectively.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2014) is amended--
(A) in subsection (a), in the second sentence, by
striking ``(g), and (r)'' and inserting ``(f), and
(q)''; and
(B) in subsection (i)(1), in the first sentence, by
striking ``section 6(f)(2)(B) of this Act'' and
inserting ``section 6(e)(2)(B)''.
(2) Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2015) is amended--
(A) in subsection (d)(4)--
(i) in subparagraph (B)(ii)(I)(bb)(DD), by
striking ``subsection (o)'' and inserting
``subsection (n)''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (N), by striking
``subsection (o)'' each place it appears and
inserting ``subsection (n)''; and
(B) in paragraph (1)(B) of subsection (q) (as so
redesignated), by striking ``subsection (k)'' and
inserting ``subsection (j)''.
(3) Section 7(i)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2016(i)(1)) is amended by striking ``section
6(o)(2)'' and inserting ``section 6(n)(2)''.
(4) Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2020) is amended--
(A) in subsection (e)--
(i) in paragraph (2)(B)(v)(II), by striking
``section 6(f)'' and inserting ``section
6(e)''; and
(ii) in paragraph (22), by striking
``section 6(i)'' and inserting ``section
6(h)''; and
(B) in subsection (n), by striking ``section 6(g)''
and inserting ``section 6(f)''.
(5) Section 16(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2025(h)) is amended--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking
``section 6(o)'' and inserting ``section
6(n)'';
(ii) in subparagraph (E)--
(I) by striking ``section 6(o)(3)''
each place it appears and inserting
``section 6(n)(3)'';
(II) by striking ``section
6(o)(2)'' each place it appears and
inserting ``section 6(n)(2)''; and
(III) in clause (ii)--
(aa) in subclause (III), by
striking ``section 6(o)(4)''
and inserting ``section
6(n)(4)''; and
(bb) in subclause (IV), by
striking ``section 6(o)(6)''
and inserting ``section
6(n)(6)''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (F)(ii)(III)(ee)(AA),
by striking ``section 6(o)'' and inserting
``section 6(n)''; and
(B) in paragraph (5)(C)(iv)(I), by striking
``section 6(o)(2)'' and inserting ``section 6(n)(2)''.
(6) Section 17(m) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2026(m)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``(l) through (n)'' each place it
appears and inserting ``(k) through (m)''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)(E), by striking ``section
6(l)(2)'' and inserting ``section 6(k)(2)''.
(7) Section 103(a)(2)(D) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3113(a)(2)(D)) is amended by
striking ``6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2015(o))'' and inserting ``6(n) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(n))''.
(8) Section 121(b)(2)(B)(iv) of the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3151(b)(2)(B)(iv)) is amended by
striking ``6(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2015(o))'' and inserting ``6(n) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(n))''.
(9) Section 454 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 654)
is amended--
(A) in paragraph (4)(A)(i)(IV), by striking
``6(l)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2015(l)(1))'' and inserting ``6(k)(1) of the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(k)(1))'';
(B) in paragraph (6)(B)(i), by striking
``subsection (l) or (m) of section 6 of the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008'' and inserting ``subsection (k)
or (l) of section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015)''; and
(C) in paragraph (29)(A)--
(i) by striking ``section 3(h) of the Food
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(h))''
each place it appears and inserting ``section 3
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2012)''; and
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``section
6(l)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008
(7 U.S.C. 2015(l)(2))'' and inserting ``section
6(k)(2) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2015(k)(2))''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on
January 2, 2026.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
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