--- title: HR 272. Congress; U.S.D.A. modify eligibility requirements for SNAP Program; adopt legislation collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr272 cite_as: HR 272, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr272 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr272.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr272/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70387 date: 2025-02-20 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr271.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr273.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr272.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 272 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-18 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Lydia Glaize - Robert Dickey - Rick Townsend - Miriam Paris - Lisa Campbell - Debbie Buckner text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR272/2025 upstream_id: 1974167 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - SNAP benefits - college students - food assistance - higher education policy --- # HR 272. Congress; U.S.D.A. modify eligibility requirements for SNAP Program; adopt legislation ## Text House Resolution 272 By: Representatives Glaize of the 67th, Dickey of the 134th, Townsend of the 179th, Paris of the 142nd, Campbell of the 35th, and others A RESOLUTION Encouraging the United States Congress to adopt legislation requiring the United States Department of Agriculture to modify eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for students enrolled in institutions of higher education; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, under existing federal regulations, students enrolled in institutions of higher education are ineligible for SNAP benefits unless they qualify for certain exemptions; and WHEREAS, one such exemption is that a student must be employed for at least 20 hours per week and paid for such employment; and WHEREAS, many students are often involved in unpaid work and other activities that are similar to employment; and WHEREAS, students engaged in such unpaid work and other activities are meaningfully contributing to their campus communities and should have the same eligibility for SNAP benefits as students engaged in paid employment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body encourage the United States Congress to adopt legislation requiring the United States Department of Agriculture to modify SNAP eligibility criteria for students so that the following would count toward the employment exemption, regardless of whether a student was paid: (1) Work done as part of a research assistantship; (2) Work done by teaching assistants; (3) Work with student organizations, including work done by officers of such organizations; (4) Volunteer and community service hours; and (5) Work done by student ambassadors. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the United States Congress. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges the U.S. Congress to make the U.S. Department of Agriculture count unpaid campus work, like research assistantships and volunteering, toward the work requirement college students need to qualify for SNAP food benefits. ### Plain-language summary Under current federal rules, college students generally cannot get SNAP (food stamp) benefits unless they qualify for an exemption, such as working at least 20 paid hours a week. This Georgia House resolution says that rule leaves out students who do similar work without pay, like serving as research assistants, teaching assistants, student organization officers, volunteers, or student ambassadors. The resolution asks the United States Congress to pass legislation directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to change SNAP eligibility rules so these five types of unpaid campus activities count toward the employment exemption, the same way paid work does now. It does not change Georgia law or federal law itself; it is a formal request. The resolution also directs the Clerk of the House to send copies to Congress. ### What it does - Formally asks the U.S. Congress to pass legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to change SNAP eligibility rules for college students. - Specifies five unpaid activities, research assistantships, teaching assistant work, student organization roles, volunteer or community service hours, and student ambassador work, that should count toward the paid-work exemption. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to the United States Congress. - Does not itself change any Georgia or federal law, since it is a resolution expressing the General Assembly's position rather than a binding statute. ### Who it affects College and university students nationwide who currently do unpaid research, teaching assistant work, student organization leadership, volunteering, or ambassador duties and are seeking SNAP food benefits. It also involves the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Congress, which the resolution addresses directly. ### Why it matters If Congress and the USDA acted on this request, more college students doing unpaid campus work could qualify for SNAP food assistance, potentially easing food insecurity for students who currently fall outside the paid-employment exemption. As a resolution, it carries no legal force on its own and depends entirely on federal action. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses describe the current federal SNAP rule requiring students to work at least 20 paid hours per week to qualify for an exemption. - The resolved clause asks Congress to require the USDA to count five specific unpaid activities toward that exemption: research assistantships, teaching assistant work, student organization involvement, volunteer or community service, and student ambassador work. - A final clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the United States Congress. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-18) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-20) - Sponsors: Lydia Glaize, Robert Dickey, Rick Townsend, Miriam Paris, Lisa Campbell, Debbie Buckner - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70387 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr272.md?full=1