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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
06/18/2024 05:36 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20230&chamber=H&cosponId=39936
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House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 23, 2023 04:47 PM
From: Representative Ryan Warner
To: All House members
Subject: Out of State EBT Card Management Program (Former HB576)
 
Pennsylvania taxpayers deserve nothing but absolute certainty that their tax dollars are being used wisely by state agencies and the Commonwealth is being a watch dog over those dollars.

There has been an ongoing problem with the management of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards that has gone unaddressed. Two reports by two different Auditor Generals have pointed out the issue and yet since 2012, the process the department uses has not been revised. Without updating the system, the department could be potentially missing the opportunity to detect fraudulent use costing millions of taxpayer dollars.

According to the most recent Auditor's report, auditors analyzed out-of-state activity and found each year that activity exceeded $70 million. Over a three year period, Pennsylvania EBT cards:
  • Were used in all 50 states, two territories and the District of Columbia.
  • Of card activity in non-adjacent states, the most - more than $14 million - was spent in Florida, followed by $6 million in North Carolina; $97,575 in Hawaii; and $45,262 in Alaska.
The time has come for a legislative fix. My legislation will require the department to do more. The department will be required to create an Electronic Benefits Transfer Card Management Program to develop electronic controls, oversight mechanisms, and follow-up procedures to detect and track fraudulent uses.

Please join me in cosponsoring this legislation.


Introduced as HB1453