Bill > HB43

This bill amends existing law to clarify and expand penalties for unlawfully dealing in federal food coupons or WIC checks, which are government assistance programs providing food to low-income individuals and families. The bill specifies that "unlawful dealing" includes buying, selling, trading, bartering, or possessing these benefits with the intent to gain an unfair economic advantage. It also changes the term "food stamp program" to "nutrition program" in relation to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Crucially, the bill introduces the concept of "aggregate value" to encompass the total worth of food coupons or WIC checks involved in one or more transactions within a twelve-month period, and it establishes a tiered system of penalties based on this aggregate value, ranging from a petty misdemeanor for amounts of $250 or less to a second-degree felony for amounts exceeding $20,000. The bill also clarifies that "federal food coupons or WIC checks" includes electronic benefit transfer cards and other similar methods of receiving these benefits.