Posted on 12/20/22
| News Source: WMAR2NEWS
The major spending bill introduced by lawmakers early Tuesday morning would fund the government through next fall. The $1.7 trillion package needs to pass by midnight Friday to avert a government shutdown.
Among the 4,155 pages of funding priorities is language that would help victims whose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) funds were stolen through card skimming and card cloning.
WMAR-2 News' Mallory Sofastaii has reported extensively on this issue. As of November 30, Maryland families have reported losing nearly $1.4 million in federal assistance benefits compared to $92,000 in reported losses in 2021.
While states and localities can use their own funds to reimburse stolen SNAP benefits, only four currently do so: California, Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington, DC.
If the spending bill were to pass as it's drafted, states would be required to replace benefits that are determined by the State agency to have been stolen through card skimming, card cloning, or similar fraudulent methods. However, this would only apply to victims whose benefits were stolen between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024.