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SB 961: CalFresh: student eligibility.

California · Senate · 2025–2026 Regular Session · last verified June 1, 2026

What SB 961 does, verified June 1, 2026

This bill aims to improve the California CalFresh program by expanding student eligibility. It would allow adult education, career technical education, and degree programs to qualify for the CalFresh student eligibility exemption, without the need for separate approval. The bill also requires the California Department of Social Services and the Student Aid Commission to develop a data-sharing agreement to identify students who might be eligible for CalFresh and link them to on- and off-campus basic needs services. Students would need to provide separate consent for their contact information to be shared. Additionally, the bill would require campuses of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California to contact students who opted in to have their information shared with the Department. The bill would also require reimbursement for cost…

Bill journey

1IntroducedCurrent

2In CommitteePending

3First Chamber FloorPending

4Second ChamberPending

5GovernorPending

6ChapteredPending

Last action: May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. (2026-05-14)Alert me

Author and sponsors

Sen. Angelique AshbyAuthor · California State Senate

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Coauthors

David TangipaCeleste Rodriguez

Recent actions14 total · showing 5

May. 14, 2026	May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
May. 08, 2026	Set for hearing May 14.
May. 04, 2026	May 4 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
Apr. 24, 2026	Set for hearing May 4.
Apr. 21, 2026	From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 3955.) (April 20). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

Full action history, 9 earlier actionsConnect Plus

Latest bill textAmended version, April 8, 2026 · 4,712 words

Amended IN Senate April 08, 2026

Amended IN Senate March 25, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 961

Introduced by Senator Ashby
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Tangipa)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Celeste Rodriguez)

February 03, 2026

An act to add Sections 69408.5 and 69432.93 to the Education Code, and to amend Section 18901.11 of, to add Section 18901.13 to, and to repeal and add Section 18901.12 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 961, as amended, Ashby. CalFresh: student eligibility.

Existing federal law provides for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Under existing state law, households are eligible to receive CalFresh benefits to the extent permitted by federal law. Existing federal law provides that students who are enrolled in college or other institutions of higher education at least half-time are not eligible for SNAP benefits unless they meet one of several specified exemptions, including participating in an employment and training program for low-income households that is operated by a state or local government, as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services, on or before May 31, 2022, to issue a guidance letter to counties, the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, and the office of the President of the University of California that clarifies the state and federal eligibility requirements for a campus-based program to be a state-approved local educational program that increases employability that qualifies for the CalFresh student eligibility exemption and that clarifies the application and approval process for a campus-based program to be approved by the department as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability. Existing law requires the department to maintain, regularly update, and post on its internet website a list of the state-approved local educational programs, and requires the department to include in the list, to the extent permitted by federal law, adult education and career technical education programs.

This bill would repeal the existing approval process for a campus-based program to be approved by the department as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, and would instead require the department to issue a similar guidance letter, on or before May 31, 2027, to the same entities that makes a determination, to the extent permitted by federal law, that all adult education, career technical education, certificate, and associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs at a public institution of higher education and specified state-funded programs, including, among others, Educational Opportunity Program and Guardian Scholars Program, are required to be considered as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as specified. The bill would authorize a campus-based program at a campus of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, or the University of California that is not one of the previously described programs to submit a certification application to the department, and would require the department to determine whether the certification applications for campus-based programs meet the requirements to be considered as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability. The bill would require the department to implement these provisions through all-county letters or similar instruction, as specified.

Existing law, the Cal Grant Program, establishes the Cal Grant A Entitlement Awards, the Cal Grant B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Expanded Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law requires the commission to prescribe the use of standardized student financial aid applications to be used for the Cal Grant Program, among other financial aid programs. The Cal Grant Reform Act revises and recasts the provisions establishing and governing the existing Cal Grant Program into a new Cal Grant Program. Existing law specifies that the act becomes operative only if General Fund moneys over the multiyear forecasts beginning in the 2024–25 fiscal year are available to support ongoing augmentations and actions, and if funding is provided in the annual Budget Act to implement the act. The act requires the commission to determine the timelines and procedures for the application process for awards, as provided.

This bill would require the State Department of Social Services and the commission to develop a data-sharing agreement under which the commission is required to share student contact information with the department for the sole purpose of identifying, supporting, and linking students to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources, including CalFresh direct outreach. The bill would require the commission, upon entering into the data-sharing agreement, to amend the commission’s Grant Delivery System to ensure (1) students that might be eligible for the CalFresh program are identified, (2) identified students are able to provide their separate and distinct consent for their contact information to be shared, as specified, for the previously described purpose, and (3) identified students are linked to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources. The bill would authorize the department to share student information with the appropriate county human services agency and the appropriate public postsecondary education systemwide office of the campus in which the student is enrolled, and would require each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and would request each campus of the University of California, commencing with the 2028–29 academic year, to contact those students who opted in to have their information shared with the department.

To the extent the bill would increase the duties of counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) In 2023, the State of California enacted Senate Bill 628, known as the Human Right to Food Act, declaring it the policy of the state that every human being has the right to access sufficient affordable and healthy food.

(2) In 2024, the Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 518, authorizing the State Department of Social Services (CDSS) to identify data-sharing opportunities with other state and local public entities for the purposes of improving the administration of CalFresh, increasing CalFresh participation, measuring the impact of CalFresh, and increasing access to critical public health and poverty-alleviating services and other services and benefits available to low-income individuals.

(3) In “California Master Plan for Career Education,” published in 2025, the Governor’s office emphasized the necessity to enhance coordination and address structural barriers that make it difficult for Californians to navigate education, workforce training, and public benefit systems. The plan highlights the role of institutions of higher education and state agencies as critical partners in improving awareness of and access to public benefits to achieve greater affordability of education and workforce training.

(4) The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as CalFresh in California, is the most effective tool available to prevent hunger in the nation, helping over 42,000,000 people afford food each month. SNAP lifts millions of people away from poverty each year and helps bring federal dollars into our state to support residents and boost local economies.

(5) In Senate Joint Resolution No. 3 (2025), the State of California recognizes that the federal government provides more than $1 billion per month in food benefits to needy Californians, or nearly $12.5 billion in 2024. The state also acknowledges that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that every $1 of SNAP funding generates $1.54 to $1.80 in local economic activity, so the actual benefit of SNAP to California is as much as $22.5 billion annually.

(6) According to a recent analysis by the California Policy Lab, an estimated 414,000 college students across the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC) systems participated in CalFresh during the 2022–23 academic year. However, the California Policy Lab also estimates that nearly 300,000 California college students were eligible for, but did not participate in, CalFresh amounting to approximately $140,000,000 in missed benefits that could have aided students in addressing their food insecurity and contributed to meeting their cost of attendance.

(7) Although the state and public higher education segments have undertaken multiple initiatives in recent years to improve CalFresh outreach and enrollment, a January 2025 report by the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research, titled “SNAP on College Campuses: Findings and Recommendations to Address Food Insecurity,” found that one-half of California’s college students are still experiencing food insecurity. The USDA defines “food insecurity” as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.

(8) College students who face food insecurity show increased risk of negative physical and mental health outcomes, lower academic performance, and decreases in graduation rates. Participation in CalFresh for eligible food insecure students not only decreases food insecurity, it has positive effects on academic performance and is associated with an increase in retention and college completion.

(9) The CalFresh student eligibility rule requires students attending an institution of higher education more than half-time to meet the criteria for at least one student exemption in addition to all other SNAP eligibility requirements to qualify for benefits. One exemption to this rule is enrollment or participation in a local program that increases employability (LPIE). To be validated as an LPIE, campus programs must be operated by a state or local government; therefore, only the public postsecondary institutions are considered to have LPIEs. These programs must contain the equivalent of a CalFresh Employment and Training (E&T) component, which is defined as a service, activity, or program designed to help CalFresh recipients gain skills, training, or work experience. CDSS has the sole authority to determine whether a state or local program qualifies as an LPIE.

(10) The Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) supports the segments of higher education in submitting their programs for LPIE approval to CDSS. County human services agencies use the official list of approved LPIEs to confirm if a program that a student applicant or recipient is participating in has been approved. This list is updated at the beginning of each month. As of June 30, 2025, CDSS has approved 9,391 CCC programs, 2,472 CSU programs, and 1,507 UC programs as LPIE for CalFresh eligibility.

(11) The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) has the authority to utilize Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data to identify and notify CalFresh eligible students via the Grant Delivery System. However, current data-sharing structures do not allow for this information to be shared between state agencies. Establishing the legal, data, and consent infrastructure within CDSS to allow for program-specific data-sharing among higher education segments, college campuses, and county human services agencies is critical for improving outreach and access to public benefits.

(12) The office of the Chancellor of the CCC has been working with the CDSS to establish a new state-level data-sharing agreement to improve the administration of CalFresh benefits for students.

(13) Individual institutions have also demonstrated the effectiveness of local data-sharing arrangements. Compton College and the Department of Public Social Services of the County of Los Angeles have established a data-sharing MOU in 2021, followed by an MOU between the County of San Bernardino and California State University, San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Community College District. These local agreements demonstrate the viability of data-sharing models that can be scaled and streamlined with statewide agreements.

(14) The federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) (Public Law 119-21) introduced a new state matching requirement for benefits on October 1, 2027, and increased the state share of administrative costs from 50 percent to 75 percent on October 2, 2026. According to a preliminary analysis by the Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality, the OBBBA can increase California’s cost share of SNAP by 193 percent to over $2.5 billion.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to help college students better afford food expenses by streamlining student eligibility for the CalFresh program, expanding student access to food assistance, and strengthening coordination between colleges and county agencies administering CalFresh to ensure that more college students can succeed in their postsecondary studies without the burden of food insecurity.

SEC. 2.

Section 69408.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

69408.5.

(a) Upon entering into a data-sharing agreement pursuant to Section 18901.13 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the commission shall, in compliance with state and federal law, amend the commission’s Grant Delivery System to ensure all of the following:

(1) Students that might be eligible for the CalFresh program established pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code are identified.

(2) Students identified pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be able to provide their separate and distinct consent to the commission for their contact information to be shared with the State Department of Social Services, and for the State Department of Social Services to further share their contact information with the appropriate county human services agency and the public postsecondary education institution in which the student is enrolled, for the sole purpose of identifying, supporting, and linking students to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources pursuant to Sections 66023.4 and 66023.5, including conducting direct outreach about the CalFresh program established pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 18900) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(3) Students identified pursuant to paragraph (1) are linked to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources.

(b) Upon completion of subdivision (a), the commission shall provide the State Department of Social Services with information for students who have granted their separate and distinct consent to have their contact information shared, pursuant to a data-sharing agreement, as described in Section 18901.13 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) For purposes of this section, “contact information” shall be limited to the legal name, email address, ZIP Code or county of residence, and telephone number of the student.

SEC. 3.

Section 69432.93 is added to the Education Code, to read:

69432.93.

(3) Students identified pursuant to paragraph (1) are linked to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources.

(c) For purposes of this section, “contact information” shall be limited to the legal name, email address, ZIP Code or county of residence, and telephone number of the student.

SEC. 4.

Section 18901.11 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

18901.11.

(a) For purposes of Section 273.5(b)(11)(ii) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, an educational program that could be a component of a CalFresh E&T program described in Section 18926.5, as identified by the department, shall be considered an employment and training program under Section 273.7 of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, unless prohibited by federal law.

(b) The department shall maintain, regularly update, and post on its internet website the list of state- or locally-funded programs specified in Section 18901.12 and identified by the workgroup established pursuant to Chapter 729 of the Statutes of 2014 that meet the standard set in Section 273.5(b)(11)(iv) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(c) (1) The department shall issue, maintain, and post on its internet website instructions for county human services agencies that maximize CalFresh eligibility and minimize the burden for applicants and recipients to verify exemptions to the CalFresh student eligibility rule for students. The instructions provided shall include specific guidance for processing applications, reporting, and recertification for all of the following:

(A) Students who participate in at least one of the programs identified pursuant to subdivision (b) because they offer a program component that is equivalent to a CalFresh E&T program component.

(B) Students who are approved and anticipate participating in state or federal workstudy.

(C) Students who meet the qualification for an exemption set forth in Section 69519.3 of the Education Code, or are receiving tribal Temporary Aid to Needy Families (tribal TANF) or CalWORKs benefits.

(D) Students who are employed 20 hours a week or more on a reasonably anticipated monthly average, with instructions for allowing self-certification of employment and number of hours worked.

(E) Students with children, as described in Section 273.5(b) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(F) Students enrolled in a CalFresh E&T program.

(G) Students who do not intend to register during the next normal school term.

(H) Students enrolled in a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funded program, Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program under Title IV of the Social Security Act, or programs under Section 236 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296) .

(I) Students who are physically or mentally unfit, pursuant to federal law.

(J) Student who are participating in a program of career and technical education, as defined in Section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302) designed to be completed in not more than four years at an institution of higher education, as defined in Section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).

(K) Students identified pursuant to Section 69408.5 or 69432.93 of the Education Code.

(2) To the extent practicable, community colleges and universities shall distribute the standardized state or federal workstudy verification form to all students approved for state or federal workstudy.

(3) For purposes of this subdivision, and to the extent allowed by federal law, a student shall be considered to be “anticipating participation” in workstudy if the student can reasonably expect or foresee being assigned a workstudy job, and a student shall be deemed to be “anticipating participation” in workstudy until the student receives notice from the institution of higher education that the student has been denied participation in workstudy.

(d) (1) This section does not require a county human services agency to offer a particular component, support services, or workers’ compensation to a student found eligible for an exemption pursuant to this section.

(2) This section does not restrict or require the use of federal funds for the financing of CalFresh E&T programs.

(3) Except for the information required to complete the form specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c), this section does not require a college or university to provide a student with information necessary to verify eligibility for CalFresh.

(e) For the purposes of this section, “student” means an individual who is enrolled at least half-time in an institution of higher education. A person shall be determined to be enrolled in an institution of higher education if the individual is enrolled, as an undergraduate or graduate student, in a business, technical, trade, or vocational school that normally requires a high school diploma or equivalency certificate for enrollment in the curriculum or if the individual is enrolled in a regular curriculum at a college or university that offers degree programs regardless of whether a high school diploma is required.

SEC. 5.

Section 18901.12 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is repealed.

SEC. 6.

Section 18901.12 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

18901.12.

(a) On or before May 31, 2027, the department shall issue a guidance letter to counties, the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, and the office of the President of the University of California that informs them of the changes made to this section by the act that added this section and that does all of the following:

(1) Clarifies the state and federal eligibility requirements for a campus-based program to be a state-approved local educational program that increases employability that has a component that is equivalent to a component specified in Section 273.7(e)(2) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and that qualifies for the student exemption for CalFresh eligibility, as described in Section 273.5(b)(11)(iv) of Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(2) To the extent permitted by federal law, makes a determination that all adult education, career technical education, certificate, and associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs at a public institution of higher education shall be considered as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as described in paragraph (1).

(3) To the extent permitted by federal law, makes a determination that all of the following state-funded programs shall be considered as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as described in paragraph (1):

(A) Ortiz-Pacheco-Poochigian-Vasconcellos Cal Grant Program.

(B) Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).

(D) Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) and Student Academic Services (SAS).

(E) Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) Program.

(F) McNair Scholars Program.

(G) Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program.

(H) Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program.

(I) Guardian Scholars Program.

(J) Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI).

(K) Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support (CAFYES).

(L) Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program.

(M) Extended Foster Care.

(4) For purposes of subdivision (b), clarifies the application and approval process for a campus-based program to be approved by the department as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as described in paragraph (1), including, but not limited to, clarifying the supporting documents required for program approval.

(b) A campus-based program at a campus of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, or the University of California that is not included in subdivision (a) may submit a certification application to the department. The department shall determine whether the certification applications for campus-based programs meet the requirements to be considered as a state-approved local educational program that increases employability, as described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(c) The office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, and the office of the President of the University of California shall not be required to submit to the department a list of their offered campus-based programs of study if those programs have been approved as a local educational program that increases employability.

(d) The department shall work with the Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) to develop and implement the necessary system changes to list general categories of state-approved local educational programs that increase employability, as described in subdivision (a).

(e) (1) On or before September 1, 2028, and annually thereafter until 2030, the department shall report to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Assembly Committee on Human Services, the Senate Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Human Services all of the following information:

(A) The number of state-approved campus-based local educational programs that increase employability that are approved pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c), disaggregated by name and campus.

(B) The number of pending applications, disaggregated by name and campus.

(2) The department shall also post the report described in paragraph (1) on its internet website.

(f) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department shall implement and administer this section through all-county letters or similar instructions that shall have the same force and effect as regulations on or before May 30, 2027.

SEC. 7.

Section 18901.13 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, immediately following Section 18901.12, to read:

18901.13.

(a) The department and the Student Aid Commission shall develop a data-sharing agreement meeting the requirements of applicable state and federal law and regulations, under which the commission shall share the student information described in Section 69408.5 or 69432.93 of the Education Code with the department for the purpose described in subdivision (b).

(b) Pursuant to the data agreement established in subdivision (a), the department may share the student information with the appropriate county human services agency and the appropriate public postsecondary education systemwide office of the campus in which the student is enrolled for the sole purpose of identifying, supporting, and linking students to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources pursuant to Sections 66023.4 and 66023.5 of the Education Code, including conducting direct outreach to students about the CalFresh program.

(c) Commencing with the ~~2027–28~~ 2028–29 academic year, and only if data has been shared by the department pursuant to subdivision (b), each campus of the California Community Colleges and the California State University shall, and each campus of the University of California is requested to, contact all students who, pursuant to Section 69408.5 or 69432.93 of the Education Code, as applicable, opted in to have their contact information shared with the department for purposes of informing students about on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources pursuant to Sections 66023.4 and 66023.5 of the Education Code, including the CalFresh program.

(d) (1) Data shared pursuant to this section shall be done in compliance with applicable federal and state laws to protect individual privacy, including, but not limited to, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g) and Section 1798.24 of the Civil Code.

(2) Data shared pursuant to this section, with the separate and distinct consent of the student, shall not be shared with any other entity or used for any purpose other than for identifying, supporting, and linking students to on- and off-campus basic needs services and resources pursuant to Sections 66023.4 and 66023.5 of the Education Code, including conducting direct outreach to students about the CalFresh program.

(e) For purposes of this section, “public postsecondary education systemwide office” means the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the office of the Chancellor of the California State University, or the office of the President of the University of California.

SEC. 8.

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Text of SB 961 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions