To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, to expand the replacement of stolen EBT benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Fetterman (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Van …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill, the "Fairness for Victims of SNAP Skimming Act of 2023," ensures that SNAP (food stamp) recipients who have had their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) benefits stolen receive full replacement of the stolen amount. It amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to remove previous caps or limitations on benefit replacement, guaranteeing that victims recover the complete value of what was taken from them.
Who Benefits and How
SNAP recipients who have experienced EBT theft are the primary beneficiaries. Under previous rules, there may have been caps on how much stolen benefits could be replaced. This bill guarantees they receive replacement equal to the full amount stolen from their account, helping low-income families and individuals recover from fraud schemes like card skimming that target their food assistance benefits.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Government agencies administering SNAP (primarily the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and state agencies) bear the cost burden. They must fund the full replacement of stolen benefits rather than partial amounts, which could increase program costs depending on the prevalence of EBT theft in their jurisdictions.
Key Provisions
- Removes the previous limitation on replacement benefit amounts by striking subparagraph (A) and replacing it with language requiring replacement "equal to the amount of benefits stolen from the household"
- Eliminates subparagraph (C) from the original law, which may have contained additional restrictions on replacements
- Modifies subparagraph (B) to integrate with the new full-replacement requirement
- Applies retroactively to the framework established in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328)
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
This bill amends the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, to expand the replacement of stolen EBT benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Electronic Benefits Transfer benefits, which are funds provided to eligible individuals through electronic cards.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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