Ohio lawmakers push for SNAP card security upgrades amid fraud, theft

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — In response to rising fraud affecting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, Ohio lawmakers are advocating for enhanced security measures.

Representative Kellie Deeter, a Republican from Norwalk, highlighted the plight of Ohioans like Erica McAllister, a mother of five, who lost her SNAP benefits due to theft, taken from the magnetic stripe on her card.

"These are real Ohioans who suddenly find themselves without the means to buy groceries through no fault of their own," Deeter said.
Over the past two years, more than $12 million in taxpayer funds has been stolen from over 25,000 recipients, with the state currently refusing to reimburse those affected. McAllister described her treatment by the government as "horribly."

In response, Deeter and Democrat Tristan Rader have introduced a bill to upgrade SNAP cards with chip technology to prevent theft.

The bill received a positive reception in the House Agriculture Committee but is not yet included in the operating budget.

Deeter acknowledged, "Currently is not included in the operating budget. So we will make another run at that—resubmit. We may have to look at decreasing the amount that we are requesting, but then it would not be fully funded."

The state initially told us it was the job of the federal government to upgrade the cards—now the feds say they’ll help Ohio with the fix.

"The federal government has offered to pay 50% of the upgrade of the card, so that's roughly 5 million each from the feds and the state," Deeter said.
Will this get back into the budget?

House Speaker Matt Huffman indicated that while the bill might not be part of the immediate budget, he is open to further discussions.

"I think there’s a scenario when it could make it back in, probably not as part of the house budget for next week," Huffman said. "Let’s have a bill, let’s have hearings in April or May or June."