What Tennessee lawmaker would not like to see the state government recoup $123 million in fraudulent welfare payments?
That's the amount the Foundation for Government Accountability estimates is lost annually in the Volunteer State.
A bill sponsored by state Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, and state Sen. Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, aims to recoup some of those losses.
The Program Integrity Act (HB-227) passed the House Health Subcommittee unanimously Wednesday and goes to the full Health Committee next week.
Its tenets provide a system of enhanced verification for welfare recipients, requiring the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct data matches against other government databases to ensure addresses, job status, income and other pertinent information is current.
The bill targets persons who receive support from the Tennessee Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) both at application for benefits and throughout the year with cross checks of other databases.
It also will allow DHS to explore joining multi-state cooperatives such as the National Accuracy Clearinghouse for identifying Tennessee recipients who are double-dipping, or receiving benefits in another state.
An additional component of the bill requires the Tennessee Lottery Corp. to notify DHS monthly if any TANF or SNAP recipient wins a lottery prize of $5,000 or more.
At the bill's face value, no legislator should be against it. No legislator should want to see a penny of taxpayer dollars wasted on people who are not eligible for welfare payments.
However, a slightly different bill by Howell and Roberts with a number of additional measures and a lower lottery trigger targeting welfare cheats failed to be passed in 2016. Indeed, the Act to Restore Hope, Opportunity, and Prosperity for Everyone (Act to Restore HOPE) never passed the House Health Subcommittee.
We hope this slimmed down bill gets more support and is soon on its way for the governor's signature so there is more money to help those who are truly needy and not those who would fraudulently use the identification of a person who has moved or died to pad their own pockets.