Not unlike the effective 2014 bill mandating drug testing for welfare recipients, a bill introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly could reduce fraud among those who receive assistance.
The “Act to Restore Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone,” sponsored in the House by state Rep. Dan Howell, R-Cleveland, is not intended to limit those who legitimately would qualify for assistance but to verify that those who are receiving help should be getting it and that, where there are regulations, money is being spent in the way it is supposed to be spent.
Though Howell couldn’t put a dollar amount on what might be saved or the number of people defrauding the system, he said other states, including Illinois and Massachusetts, have seen savings through the implementation of a similar law.
“We see this as a moral issue in Tennessee,” he said. “Taxpayers should know where their hard-earned dollars are going.”
The bill has three parts. The first would verify assets of recipients. The second would monitor purchasing to be sure recipients using EBT cards are not using them for items that are prohibited. The third would create the ability for recipients who defrauded the system to be punished.