Senate panel advances bill tightening SNAP and Medicaid eligibility, citing federal penalty risk

Senate Bill 1, carried by Senator Garten, advanced out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 9–3 vote after hours of testimony from state officials, advocacy groups and food-bank representatives. The bill eliminates broad-based categorical eligibility in SNAP, mandates stricter citizenship and immigration verification for public benefits and directs Indiana to align certain Medicaid rules with new federal requirements that carry financial penalties for high error rates.

Supporters framed SB 1 as a budget-protection measure. Senator Garten said the changes are meant to “restore trust” in safety-net programs and prevent the state from facing large federal cost-sharing penalties tied to eligibility errors. “This bill continues that tradition by rooting out and protecting from future waste, fraud and abuse,” he said during the…