Bill > H0730

This bill aims to strengthen integrity measures and verification processes for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to low-income individuals and families. Key provisions include requiring the Department of Health and Welfare to enter into data-matching agreements with the Idaho State Lottery Commission to identify households with significant lottery winnings and potentially disenroll them from SNAP if their winnings exceed resource limits for elderly or disabled households. The bill also mandates monthly reviews of various data sources, including vital records, out-of-state electronic benefit transfer transactions, and information from the Department of Correction, to identify changes in circumstances that might affect SNAP eligibility, such as death or incarceration. Furthermore, it requires regular reviews of federal data, including income, death, incarceration, and address change information from sources like the Social Security Administration, the National Directory of New Hires, and the U.S. Postal Service, to assess continued eligibility. The bill also mandates quarterly reviews of information from the Department of Labor and the State Tax Commission regarding employment and income changes. To promote transparency, the Department of Health and Welfare will be required to publish aggregate, non-personally identifiable data on its website regarding SNAP fraud investigations, prosecutions, improper payments, and recovered funds. The bill also clarifies that categorical eligibility, which allows certain benefits to be disregarded for SNAP eligibility, will not be granted for noncash or in-kind benefits unless federal law expressly requires it. It also sets stricter limits on gross income and financial resources for SNAP eligibility, aligning them with federal standards unless federal law dictates otherwise, and allows for alternate vehicle allowance standards. The bill also introduces shorter certification periods for households with zero net income, able-bodied adults without dependents, or those deemed to have unstable circumstances, and for households expected to become ineligible soon. Finally, the bill revises existing law to require verification of identity for all household members applying for SNAP and establishes specific requirements for verifying citizenship or eligible alien status, including the use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, and mandates that the income and resources of ineligible aliens be fully considered when determining household eligibility.

Health and Social Services

Health and Welfare Committee (House)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0730/