Panel advances bill letting Health and Welfare access Tax Commission records to investigate benefits fraud

The Idaho Senate Health & Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 62 to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation after a department official told lawmakers the measure would allow the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Idaho State Tax Commission to obtain adjusted gross income for investigations of non‑Medicaid benefits fraud.

The provision is aimed at programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and similar benefits where adjusted gross income on tax returns is the “dispositive piece of information,” Jared Larson, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Chief at the Department of Health and Welfare, told the committee. "This allows us the statutory authority to enter into an MOU with the Tax Commission to obtain this," Larson said.

Supporters said the change would make investigations less intrusive and more efficient than the current practice of issuing subpoenas and reconstructing income from bank records. "We believe it's far less intrusive in people's lives to...go to the Tax Commission where we can get the straightforward information rather than cobble it together with more private information," Larson said. He told the committee the Tax Commission already holds roughly 60 memoranda of understanding with other public entities for similar data sharing and that the commission had raised no concerns with the proposal.

Larson emphasized that the bill does not change investigation of Medicaid fraud, which he said is handled by the Medicaid fraud unit under a different statutory scheme. "The statement of purpose may still say Medicaid fraud, but it is not Medicaid fraud," he said, adding that HB 62 is intended for other benefit programs.

Senator Maryanne Wintrow said she supported the measure on accountability grounds, citing taxpayer funds used to administer fraud‑detection efforts. "If we're going to be using taxpayer dollars, we better have a mechanism...to make sure no one is committing fraud," she said. Other committee members asked whether the change would impose any cost on the Tax Commission; Larson said the commission had not indicated any additional burden in initial discussions and had no concerns with the bill.

The committee motion to send House Bill 62 to the floor carried on a voice vote. The committee record shows the motion was made by Senator Kaiser and seconded by Senator Ziderfeld; the committee chair directed those in favor to say "aye," and the motion passed by voice vote. The committee did not record a numeric roll‑call tally in the transcript.

The bill text, as described to the committee, authorizes data‑sharing by MOU with the Tax Commission for adjusted gross income information and is intended to streamline civil recoupment and related integrity work for non‑Medicaid benefit programs.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 62 — motion to send to floor with due pass recommendation; mover: Senator Kaiser; second: Senator Ziderfeld; outcome: motion passed by voice vote; numerical tally not specified in the committee transcript.