U.S. Senator Rick Scott has introduced the SNAP Fraud Reporting Act of 2026, a bill aimed at reducing fraud in the federal food assistance program. The proposed legislation serves as a companion to a bill previously introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Ohio Representative Dave Taylor.

Legislation Details

The bill requires states to report fraud data for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). States would have 180 days to submit their last five years of fraud data and would be required to submit this data annually thereafter. The required information must detail the number of open fraud investigations, the total dollar amount lost, and substantiated cases of specific crimes like card skimming and card cloning.

The bill also demands numbers on individuals who secured benefits by using a deceased person’s identity, or by submitting missing, fake, stolen, or purchased Social Security numbers. If a state fails to meet the reporting deadlines, the federal government would withhold its administrative funding until the data is provided.

Supporters of the bill argue that the mandate is necessary to protect public funds and ensure the program serves its intended purpose. Senator Scott stated, ‘We cannot tolerate fraud because it steals from the Americans who need these programs the most. As elected officials, we have a responsibility to taxpayers to make sure every dollar is spent wisely, fairly, and in compliance with federal law.’

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.