Chicago City Wire

Graciela Guzmán introduced SB1298 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 28, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that any program of study at a public institution of higher education that improves employability shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program component, unless prohibited by federal law. Defines "public institution of higher education". Requires the Department of Human Services to adopt any rules necessary to implement the amendatory Act. Provides that rulemaking shall not delay full implementation of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Public Aid Code to expand SNAP eligibility for college students by classifying career and technical education programs at community colleges, as well as any program of study at public institutions of higher education, that improve employability as equivalent to SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program components. The Department of Human Services is tasked with establishing a protocol to identify exemptions to federal eligibility rules for students. The bill requires consultation with educational and workforce boards to verify these exemptions and student participation in qualifying programs. Additionally, the Department must seek federal approval if necessary and adopt rules to implement the amendments while ensuring swift implementation. The bill takes effect immediately upon becoming law.

Graciela Guzmán has proposed another four bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Guzman graduated from Grinnell College in 2011 with a BA.

Graciela Guzman is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 20th Senate District. She replaced previous state senator Natalie Toro in 2025.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB1298	01/28/2025	Amends the Administration Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that any program of study at a public institution of higher education that improves employability shall be considered equivalent to an acceptable SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) program component, unless prohibited by federal law. Defines "public institution of higher education". Requires the Department of Human Services to adopt any rules necessary to implement the amendatory Act. Provides that rulemaking shall not delay full implementation of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.
SB1258	01/28/2025	Amends the Prior Authorization Reform Act. Provides that a health insurance issuer may not require prior authorization for: a prescription drug prescribed to a patient by a health care professional for 6 or more consecutive months, regardless of whether the prescription drug is a non-preferred medication pursuant to the patient's health insurance coverage; the following prescription drugs or the therapeutic equivalent approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration: insulin; human immunodeficiency virus prevention medication; human immunodeficiency virus treatment medication; viral hepatitis medication; estrogen; and progesterone; or human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration; Truvada; Harvoni; Descovy; and Apretude.
SB1259	01/28/2025	Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Requires an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance amended, delivered, issued, or renewed in the State after June 1, 2026 to provide coverage for expenses for standard fertility preservation services and follow-up services related to that coverage. Defines "standard fertility preservation services" as procedures based upon current evidence-based standards of care established by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or other national medical associations that follow current evidence-based standards of care. Makes conforming changes in the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code. Effective immediately.
SB1260	01/28/2025	Repeals the Rent Control Preemption Act.
SB1261	01/28/2025	Creates the Community Land Trust Home Ownership Act. Provides that the Illinois Housing Development Authority's homeownership programs, including loan products, grants, and other types of assistance, shall be made available to home buyers and owners seeking to purchase or maintain housing where a leasehold interest in real property is held by a community land trust or other 501(c)(3) organization for the purposes of promoting long-term affordability, preservation of affordable housing, or community revitalization efforts. Provides that any other type of seller, including for-profit or private sellers of homes, through leasehold agreements, such as installment contracts, contract for deeds, or any other type of purchase or ownership structure, shall not be eligible under the amendatory Act. Requires the Illinois Housing Development Authority, within 90 days after the effective date of the Act, to propose new or amended administrative rules that will make the Authority's homeownership programs consistent with the purposes of the Act. Effective immediately.