HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania lawmakers are advancing legislation that would require more secure electronic benefit cards for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients, a move aimed at reducing benefit theft as federal reimbursement protections for stolen funds have expired.
The bipartisan measure, House Bill 2540, cleared the Pennsylvania House Human Services Committee on Tuesday and now heads to the full House for consideration.
Sponsored by Rep. Dan Williams, D-Chester, and Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, the legislation would transition Pennsylvania’s Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to chip-enabled technology.
Supporters say the upgrade would address a security gap that has left SNAP recipients vulnerable to card-skimming schemes that capture account information and allow thieves to drain benefits intended for food purchases.
“Unlike modern debit and credit cards, EBT cards do not have chip security technology to protect against skimming devices,” Williams said in a statement.
The proposal comes as states and federal officials face growing concerns about organized theft targeting public assistance programs. Chip-enabled payment cards are generally considered more resistant to skimming fraud than magnetic-stripe cards because they generate unique transaction data that is difficult to duplicate.
Williams said the legislation would help protect both beneficiaries and taxpayer-funded assistance programs while bringing Pennsylvania’s EBT system closer to current payment-security standards.
The issue carries heightened significance for SNAP recipients because stolen benefits are no longer routinely replaced, increasing the financial impact on households that rely on the program for food assistance.
If enacted, Pennsylvania would join a growing number of states that have begun modernizing EBT card technology in response to rising reports of benefit theft.
House Bill 2540 now moves to the full Pennsylvania House for further consideration.
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