House Bill 224 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Artis McCampbellRepresentative

Democrat

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Children's Health Insurance Fund, distributions further provided

Summary

HB224 would raise the Department of Human Resources' administrative funding for the food stamp program to 7.5% of benefits and allow CHIP funding from sources other than the use tax, while changing how sales and use tax revenues are distributed to state funds and agencies.

What This Bill Does

It increases the admin funding for the food stamp program from 5% to 7.5% of the statewide value of benefits, to be used for administering the program. It allows CHIP funding to come from revenue sources other than the use tax allocated to the General Fund. It revises the distribution rules for use tax receipts among counties and state agencies (including funds to counties for health and extension services, and funding for state parks and general/education funds), with CHIP funded as a first charge against General Fund amounts. The act takes effect on September 1, 2026.

Who It Affects

• Group 1: Department of Human Resources and CHIP program beneficiaries — DHR would receive higher administrative funds for the food stamp program (7.5% of benefits rather than 5%), and CHIP funding could come from additional revenue sources beyond the use tax, potentially affecting how CHIP is financed for eligible children.
• Group 2: Counties and state agencies — distributions of use tax receipts would be reorganized to support county health services and extension services, park system capital outlay, and General Fund/Education Trust Fund allocations, with CHIP funding treated as a first charge on General Fund amounts.

Key Provisions

• Provision 1: Increase the administration funding for the food stamp program from 5% to 7.5% of the value of benefits statewide, to be appropriated to the Department of Human Resources for program administration.
• Provision 2: Amend CHIP funding to allow use of revenue sources beyond the use tax allocated to the General Fund for CHIP funding.
• Provision 3: Revise the distribution of use tax receipts among counties, the Department of Human Resources, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (parks), the General Fund, and the Education Trust Fund, including explicit allocations such as amounts to counties and to DHR, and a CHIP funding priority as a first charge on General Fund funds.
• Provision 4: Effective date set for September 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 11, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Appropriations