Ohio House passes bill updating SNAP benefit cards
The Ohio House unanimously passed legislation this week that seeks to update Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program electronic benefit transfer cards with new chip-enabled cards that backers say will protect from fraud.
House Bill 163 passed the House on Wednesday by a 92-0 vote, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration. The legislation’s passage comes the same week that the federal government leveled charges against nine people in Ohio for Medicaid fraud estimated at over $42 million.
HB 163, called the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act of 2026, would provide $3 million in funding for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to update the cards.
One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk, called the legislation “a commonsense step to better protect Ohio families and taxpayer dollars.”
“Criminals are increasingly using skimming devices to steal SNAP benefits from vulnerable Ohioans, often leaving families without access to funds they depend on for food and basic necessities,” she said. “By transitioning EBT cards to more secure chip technology, we can significantly reduce fraud, safeguard benefits for those who need them, and strengthen public confidence in the integrity of these programs.”
According to DataOhio, over 1.4 million Ohioans receive SNAP benefits as of April.
The House Finance Committee considered HB 163 earlier in the week before the full chamber passed it.
Greater Cleveland Food Bank Director of Advocacy and Public Education Jessica Semachko said in written testimony that over $17 million in benefits were stolen in the state between June 2023 and January 2025.
“This theft doesn’t just hurt individual families—it increases demand across our entire hunger relief network, putting pressure on food resources that are already stretched thin,” she said.
“It’s also a smart use of taxpayer dollars,” Semachko added. “Every SNAP dollar stolen is public money that never reaches its intended purpose.”
