HB 4422: Poor persons; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; SAVE program; notification; Attorney General; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated to reflect its progression from the House Committee Substitute to the Floor version, adding the names of additional co-sponsors and the Senate sponsor. The substantive policy language regarding immigrant eligibility for public assistance and SAVE system requirements remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Added names of additional House co-sponsors (Archer, Lawson, Lepak, Woolley, Miller, and Gise) and the Senate sponsor (Paxton) to the bill header.

Added a header line identifying the document as the 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION'.

Reformatted page headers to include 'HB4422 HFLR' and a note that bold face denotes committee amendments.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Oklahoma's welfare laws to require the use of the federal SAVE system to verify the legal immigration status of applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It also mandates that the Oklahoma Attorney General be notified of these determinations and tasked with reviewing related cases, while clarifying eligibility rules for 'legal immigrants' and 'qualified aliens' based on their entry dates relative to 1996.

Scope change

The bill expands state oversight into immigration verification processes for public assistance recipients, requiring specific federal system checks and legal review that were not explicitly detailed in the previous version.

REQUIREMENT

Requires the Department of Human Services to verify applicant legal status using the federal SAVE system before granting TANF benefits.

ENFORCEMENT

Mandates that the Oklahoma Attorney General receive notice of SAVE status determinations and review relevant cases.

DEFINITION

Clarifies definitions for 'legal immigrant' and 'qualified alien' by explicitly referencing federal immigration statutes and the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.

TIMELINE

Establishes a five-year bar on receiving certain public assistance benefits for qualified aliens who entered the U.S. on or after August 22, 1996, with exceptions for specific programs.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated from a draft version (POLPCS1) to a revised version (POLPCS2), incorporating specific formatting corrections and adding a new requirement for the Department of Human Services to verify applicant status using the SAVE program. This change ensures that the state can accurately determine an applicant's legal immigration status before granting benefits.

Scope change

The scope of eligibility verification was expanded by mandating the use of a specific federal database (SAVE) to confirm legal status for applicants.

TECHNICAL

Updated the header and page numbering to reflect the revised committee substitute version (POLPCS2 dated 2/4/2026).

DEFINITION

Corrected the definition of 'Legal immigrant' to specify that entrance into the United States must be approved by the 'United States Citizenship and Immigration Services' instead of the previous 'Naturalization Service'.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new provision requiring the Department of Human Services to verify an applicant's legal status by utilizing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services' SAVE program.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was replaced with a new version that adds the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to the list of benefits subject to immigration status verification. This expands the bill's scope beyond Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to include WIC, requiring the use of the SAVE program to check applicant legal status for all three programs.

Scope change

The bill now applies to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in addition to TANF and SNAP, broadening the range of public assistance programs requiring immigration status checks.

SCOPE

Added the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to the list of benefits requiring SAVE program verification for legal status.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the legislative summary to reflect that the bill now covers three programs instead of two, requiring notification of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for WIC cases.

DEFINITION

Replaced the original bill text entirely with a substitute version that incorporates the new program coverage while retaining existing definitions for legal immigrants and qualified aliens.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Feb 26, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated from its introduced version to an engrossed version, adding several new sponsors to the legislation. The substantive policy text remains largely the same, but the summary description was updated to include new requirements for the Attorney General to review cases and provide notice, replacing the previous requirement for the use of the SAVE program in that specific context. Additionally, the agency administering the programs was updated from the 'Commission for Human Services' to the 'Department of Human Services' to reflect a state organizational change.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the Attorney General's role was expanded to include case reviews and notifications, while the SAVE program requirement was removed from that specific clause. The administrative agency name was updated to reflect current state structure.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for the Oklahoma Attorney General to receive notice and review cases related to immigration status determinations.

Removed the specific requirement to use the SAVE program for determining legal status in the summary description, replacing it with the new Attorney General notification requirement.

DEFINITION

Updated the name of the administering agency from 'Commission for Human Services' to 'Department of Human Services' throughout the text.

TECHNICAL

Added multiple new co-sponsors to the bill, expanding the legislative support base.

Poor persons; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program; SAVE program; notification; Attorney General; effective date.

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