Task Force on Not-for-Profit Funeral Establishments
HB0881 amends Maryland’s Human Services law to change how child support is treated for families receiving benefits under the Family Investment Program (FIP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). For FIP, the bill phases in a requirement that all child support collected in a month be passed through to the family and excluded from the calculation of assistance. The phase-in begins in fiscal year 2028, increases the share of child support that must be passed through over several years, and reaches 100% in fiscal year 2031 and thereafter. The bill also preserves existing rules that disregard portions of earned income when calculating FIP benefits.
For SNAP, the bill prohibits local departments of social services from counting child support collected by a household when determining the amount of SNAP benefits. It also makes a conforming change to the State’s SNAP administration provisions, clarifying that child support received by a household cannot reduce supplemental benefits under the cited sections of the subtitle. The act takes effect October 1, 2025.
The bill amends Sections 5-310 and 5-501 of the Maryland Human Services Article, changing benefit-calculation rules for cash assistance and nutrition assistance programs. It increases the amount of child support that must be disregarded for FIP recipients over time until all child support is passed through to the family, and it bars local departments from using child support receipts to reduce SNAP benefits. The practical effect is to increase or preserve benefit levels for custodial families receiving public assistance and to reduce the extent to which child support offsets state-administered aid.
The available record does not include committee testimony or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the enacted text, the bill appears to reflect a policy preference for allowing low-income families to keep child support payments without losing public benefits, suggesting a generally pro-family, anti-offset approach. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials limits any stronger conclusion about sentiment.
The main policy issue is whether child support should be treated as income that reduces public assistance or instead be fully passed through to the custodial family. Supporters of the bill would likely emphasize that child support is intended for the child and should supplement, not replace, public benefits; opponents could argue that disregarding child support may increase program costs or duplicate support already available to the household. Another point of potential contention is the phased implementation for FIP, which delays full pass-through until fiscal year 2031, indicating a gradual transition rather than an immediate change.