Caucus backs SNAP reform language in FY2027 human services bill to reduce payment errors and tighten eligibility verification

House Bill 4,147, the human services budget bill, introduced changes Republican leaders described as necessary to protect SNAP and ACCESS programs from fraud and to preserve program solvency.

Staff summarized the bill’s administrative changes: the bill establishes a SNAP fund as an expenditure authority for the federal share of administrative and benefit costs, requires DES to adopt evaluation and verification procedures to confirm eligibility, and requires public posting of information on SNAP‑related noncompliance and fraud investigations.

Chairman Gress and other caucus members framed these provisions as integrity measures. Gress said the caucus set a goal to reduce an unspecified current payment error rate and noted prior administrative actions that led to a sharp drop in enrollment, asserting that tighter verification will reduce federal penalties: "When we've seen billions of dollars in fraud in both programs, something has to be done," Gress said. Caucus members said the bill would cap SNAP eligibility at 185% of the federal poverty level for program administration and ease program targeting.

Members asked staff for specific dollar or per‑household thresholds; staff provided an example figure for a family of four monthly income (roughly $5,000 per month) in the discussion but also acknowledged multiple income thresholds exist by household size. Members pressed questions about operational capacity and whether DES has adequate staffing and automated systems to execute more frequent redeterminations; caucus members argued automation and existing staff should accommodate the proposed 90‑day redetermination schedule.

The caucus described these changes as both protective of program integrity and necessary to avoid projected federal penalties in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The measure remained at caucus discussion and is slated for floor consideration.