Georgia House lawmakers approved new requirements for families applying for food assistance.
However, advocates have pushed back on the legislation, arguing that the changes would not adequately address errors within the system and urging lawmakers to instead increase funding for the department that oversees the program.
House Bill 947, sponsored by Dallas Republican Rep. Martin Momtahan, would implement new data-matching and verification procedures for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants, including a check of their citizenship status, before a family can access benefits.
The legislation would also prevent families enrolled in the program from using their benefits to purchase food or drinks “in a food service establishment,” or any beverages, such as a coffee or smoothie, that are “prepared, mixed or blended in a food sales establishment” like a convenience store.
Proponents of the bill say the changes are aimed at reducing Georgia’s payment error rate for the federal food aid program. Errors can be caused either by unintentional mistakes from the applicant, such as a recipient forgetting to report a change in how many people live in the household, or by a processing error, such as a government agency incorrectly calculating a household’s expenses.