Sponsors (7)
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Daniel Goldman · Last progress February 24, 2026
The bill modernizes and hardens EBT payments, speeds replacements, and improves transparency—helping low-income beneficiaries and fraud oversight—but does so at notable cost and transition-risk, which could temporarily reduce access for some beneficiaries and create privacy or administrative trade-offs.
SNAP and other low-income households will get more secure EBT transactions as states migrate to chip-enabled cards and adopt stronger identity/security standards, reducing card-skimming, online theft, and credential compromise.
SNAP participants will regain access faster and pay less out-of-pocket because replacement EBT cards must be issued quickly (within 3 business days) and many replacements (malfunctions, fraud, expiration) are free.
Retailers and beneficiaries will have expanded payment options and reduced in-store fraud risk as grants/subgrants and modernization push stores toward contact/contactless and chip-enabled EBT terminals.
State governments, small retailers, and taxpayers will face substantial upfront and ongoing costs to reissue cards, upgrade EBT systems, and install chip-enabled terminals, which may be borne by taxpayers, reduced state services, or passed along to consumers.
Low-income households may experience short-term loss of access if card or terminal rollouts cause service disruptions or if rural/smaller retailers cannot upgrade and stop accepting EBT.
State agencies and program integrity could face higher fraud risk and administrative workload because faster replacement timelines and free replacements may incentivize careless handling or create opportunities for duplicate/unauthorized replacements.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Directs USDA to set EBT cybersecurity rules, require migration to chip-enabled cards and terminals, limit some replacement fees, mandate faster replacements, and require theft reporting.
Requires USDA to create and update cybersecurity and digital-service rules for SNAP EBT cards and mobile access, and sets deadlines to move State-issued EBT cards and retail payment terminals to chip-enabled technology. It also limits when States may charge EBT replacement fees, requires faster replacement of lost/damaged/frozen cards, mandates reporting on online EBT theft and a Puerto Rico EBT security report, and adds related regulatory and cross-agency consultation duties.