Bill Description: House Bill 111 would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to have SNAP benefit cards display photos of the individuals who hold them. This would combat SNAP fraud.

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Does it increase government redistribution of wealth? Examples include the use of tax policy or other incentives to reward specific interest groups, businesses, politicians, or government employees with special favors or perks; transfer payments; and hiring additional government employees. Conversely, does it decrease government redistribution of wealth?

The supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) is a redistributive government program that subsidizes grocery purchases for lower income families.

House Bill 111 would create Section 56-211A, Idaho Code, to require the Department of Health and Welfare to "add photographic identification to all new electronic benefit transfer cards issued to recipients" and coordinate with the Idaho tTransportation Department (ITD) to minimize costs of implementation by using ITD's existing ID information. 

The requirement would not apply to households where the only SNAP recipients are either children, elderly, or disabled. There would also be exceptions for victims of domestic violence or those with religious objections to being photographed.

SNAP fraud is a growing problem, compounded by electronic benefit transfer cards being traded for cash or otherwise misused. Fiscal estimates say it would cost $1.15 million to implement the security measure called for in this bill, with the cost evenly split between the state and the federal government. The long-term savings from reducing fraud and misuse may exceed the cost.

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