# 119-hr-8246: OHH SNAP Act of 2026

119-hr-8246, OHH SNAP Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-28).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8246
- As of: 2026-05-28
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8246
- Congress: 119
- Title: OHH SNAP Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA)
- Cosponsors: 20
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-28

## Summary

**Expands SNAP eligibility for certain college students.** This bill would change how student status and educational loans are treated so that students with a Student Aid Index of zero or less or who meet specified Higher Education Act (HEA) independence tests could qualify, and it would allow attending college to be counted together with work when assessing SNAP participation rules. - Students: Low-income college students with a Student Aid Index at or below $0 or who meet HEA independence criteria would become eligible for SNAP under these rules. - Families and households: Households that include qualifying students would gain access to benefits they might previously have been barred from because of student-specific rules. - SNAP administrators and colleges: Agencies would be able to count attending an institution of higher education together with work when applying the work or enrollment test for SNAP eligibility. - Timing: The changes would take effect 180 days after enactment and would not apply to certification periods that begin before that date.

## Cosponsors (20)

- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-05-26T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More SNAP help for college students: benefit, medium. If enacted, students who are "independent" under certain Higher Education Act rules would count as qualifying for SNAP. If enacted, students with a Student Aid Index of $0 or less would also qualify. If enacted, enrollment at a college would count together with work when agencies evaluate SNAP work…
- Change to student loan counting: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would remove a statutory paragraph that governs how educational loans are treated in SNAP income and eligibility calculations by striking paragraph (3) of section 5(k) and renumbering the next paragraph. This change would take effect 180 days after enactment and would not apply…
- New effective date for SNAP changes: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would take effect 180 days after the date of enactment. If your SNAP certification period began before that date, the new rules would not apply to that period. This means some households would keep current rules for their ongoing certification period while new rules start later…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027
- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8246 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8246)

## Related
- [119-hr-8800: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8800)
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8246 (as of 2026-05-28).