Sponsor
William R. Timmons
Representative · R-SC
Representative · R-SC
A drafting defect in the amendment creates legal and administrative ambiguity that could harm SNAP recipients and impose costs on state administrators and operators, without providing clear new benefits.
No clear benefits are created by the amendment as written; it does not add new protections or resources for beneficiaries.
Low-income individuals receiving SNAP could face uncertainty about whether they will be subject to enforcement actions or penalties because the amendment's language is garbled and does not clearly change or preserve existing penalty provisions.
USDA officials and state agencies administering SNAP may lack clear authority or guidance to implement or enforce the statute as amended, creating administrative disruption and inconsistent application across states.
States and program operators could incur additional compliance costs and face litigation risk while parties seek judicial or legislative clarification of the intended statutory language.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Attempts to alter criminal-penalty text in 7 U.S.C. § 2024(b)(1) for SNAP fraud, but the inserted language is garbled and leaves no clear statutory change.
Official title: To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to lower the threshold for which criminal penalties apply to a violation of that Act.
Introduced September 1, 2026 by William R. Timmons · Last progress September 1, 2026
Makes a textual amendment to the criminal-penalty provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act (SNAP) but the proposed change is garbled and unclear. The amendment inserts an unintelligible string into 7 U.S.C. § 2024(b)(1), which appears to be a drafting error and likely produces no clear, enforceable change to the statute as written. Because the amendment is defective, it does not specify new sanctions, funding, or procedures; in practice, the existing law would remain unchanged unless and until the language is corrected. The bill contains no appropriation, effective-date clause, or clear substantive direction for agencies or states to follow.