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SB1002 • 2026

SNAP; TANF; public welfare; verification

SB1002 - SNAP; TANF; public welfare; verification

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor
John Kavanagh
Last action
2026-02-20
Official status
Governor vetoed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included a claim about removing individuals from SNAP benefits after making out-of-state purchases exclusively over a period of three months, which is not supported by the official source material.

SNAP and TANF Verification Rules

This bill changes how Arizona verifies eligibility for SNAP benefits, including stricter rules on card replacements and out-of-state spending.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Economic Security to review data from other state agencies monthly or quarterly to check if people receiving SNAP benefits are still eligible.
  • Adds a requirement for the department to post information about fraud investigations related to SNAP on its public website, excluding personal details.
  • Limits how often recipients can get replacement EBT cards and requires an investigation after two requests within a year.
  • Requires the Department of Economic Security to investigate if more than 10% of a recipient's EBT card balance is spent out-of-state over six months.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who receive SNAP (food stamps).
  • The Department of Economic Security, which manages these programs.
  • Third-party vendors that handle EBT card replacements.

Terms To Know

SNAP
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program that helps low-income people buy food.
TANF
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a state and federal program providing cash assistance to families in need.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill was vetoed by the governor on February 20, 2026.
  • It is unclear if lawmakers will override the governor's veto.
  • Some parts of the bill may require federal waivers to be fully implemented.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Plain English: Fifty-seventh Legislature Kavanagh Second Regular Session S.B.

  • Fifty-seventh Legislature Kavanagh Second Regular Session S.B.
  • 1002 KAVANAGH FLOOR AMENDMENT SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B.
  • 1002 (Reference to printed bill) The bill as proposed to be amended is reprinted as follows: 1 Section 1.
  • Title 46, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised 2 Statutes, is amended by adding section 46-232, to read: 3 46-232.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-17 V

    Governor vetoed

  2. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Transmitted to Senate

  3. 2026-02-16 House

    House third read passed

  4. 2026-02-11 House

    Transmitted to House

  5. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Senate third read passed

  6. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Senate committee of the whole

  7. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Senate minority caucus

  8. 2026-02-10 Senate

    Senate majority caucus

  9. 2026-02-09 Senate

    Senate consent calendar

  10. 2026-01-14 Senate

    Senate second read

  11. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senate Rules: PFC

  12. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senate Government: DP

  13. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senate Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency: W/D

  14. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senate first read

Official Summary Text

SB1002 - SNAP; TANF; public welfare; verification

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB1002 - 572R - S Ver

Senate Engrossed

SNAP; TANF; public
welfare; verification

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SENATE BILL 1002

AN
ACT

amending title 46, chapter 2, article 2,
arizona revised statutes, by adding section 46-232; amending section 46-297.01,
Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to public assistance.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section
1.
1. Title
46, chapter 2, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding
section 46-232, to read:

START_STATUTE
46-232.

Supplemental nutrition assistance program; eligibility
evaluations; public posting; definitions

A. To determine or evaluate SNAP
eligibility, the department of economic security shall:

1. Enter into a data matching
agreement with the department of
Revenue to identify
households with lottery or gambling winnings of $3,000 or more and, to the
extent permissible under federal law, to treat the data obtained as verified on
receipt. To the extent the data may not be verified on receipt, the
department of economic security shall refer those households with lottery or
gambling winnings that are equal to or greater than the resource limit for
elderly or disabled households as defined in 7 Code of Federal Regulations
section 273.8(
b
) to the department of
economic security for further investigation.

2. On at least a monthly basis,
review information that is provided by the department of health services and
that identifies individuals who have had a change in circumstances that may
affect SNAP eligibility.

3. On at least a quarterly basis,
review
the department'S information that identifies
individuals who have had a change in circumstances that may affect SNAP
eligibility, including a CHANGE in unemployment benefits, employment status or
wages.

4. On at least a monthly basis,
review the
department's information that identifies
individuals who have had a change in circumstances that may affect SNAP
eligibility, including potential changes in residency as identified by out-of-state
electronic benefit transfer card transactions.

5. On at least a monthly basis,
review information that is provided by the state DEPARTMENT of corrections and
that identifies individuals who have had a change in circumstances that may
affect SNAP eligibility.

6. On at least a quarterly basis,
review information that is provided by the department of revenue and that
identifies households that have had a change in circumstances that may affect
SNAP eligibility, including potential changes in income, wages or residency as
identified by tax records.

7. On at least a quarterly basis,
post on the department's public website the following aggregated amounts that
were obtained from noncompliance and fraud investigations related to SNAP,
excluding confidential and personally identifiable information:

(
a
) The number
of SNAP cases that were investigated for intentional program violations or
fraud.

(
b
) The number
of SNAP cases that were referred to the attorney general's office for
prosecution.

(
c
) The amount
of Improper payments and expenditures.

(
d
) The amount
of monies recovered.

(
e
) The amount
of monies spent for improper payments and ineligible RECIPIENTS as a percentage
of cases that were investigated and reviewed.

(
f
) The amount
of monies spent by electronic benefit card transactions that occurred outside
of this state, categorized by state.

B. On at least a monthly basis, the
department of health services and the department of
economic
security shall review the following information from federal sources to assess
a recipient's continued eligibility for SNAP:

1. Earned income information, death
register information, incarceration records, supplemental security income
information, beneficiary records, earnings information and pension information
that is maintained by the United States social security administration.

2. Income and employment information
that is maintained in the national directory of new hires database and child
support enforcement data that is maintained by the united states department of
health and human services.

3. Payment and earnings information
that is maintained by the united states department of housing and urban
development.

4. National fleeing felon information
that is maintained by the United States federal bureau of investigation.

C. If the department receives
information that identifies an individual who is enrolled in SNAP and that
indicates a change in circumstances that may affect that individual's SNAP
eligibility, the department shall review that individual's case.

D. For the purposes of this section:

1. "Department" means the
department of economic security.

2. "SNAP" means the
supplemental nutrition assistance program.

END_STATUTE

Sec.
2.
2. Section
46-297.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE
46-297.01.

Electronic benefit transfer cards; replacements; out-of-state
spending; fraud investigation

A. The
department shall send each recipient who requests two replacement cards within
a twelve-month period a letter informing the recipient that another
request will initiate an investigation by the department to determine whether
there is fraud. If a third-party vendor is administering
replacement cards directly to recipients, the vendor shall notify the
department after a recipient requests a second replacement card in a twelve-month
period and makes any subsequent request thereafter.

B. After
a recipient's request for a third replacement card within any twelve-month
period, and any subsequent request thereafter, the department shall schedule an
interview with the recipient and, if the department has been granted a waiver,
determine whether there is fraud before issuing a new card. The
recipient's request for a fourth replacement card requires the department to
schedule an interview with the recipient to determine whether there is fraud
before issuing a new card.� The department shall request any necessary federal
waivers to comply with this section.

C. If a recipient uses more than ten percent of the
recipient's electronic benefit transfer card balance in a six-month
period on out-of-state purchases, the department shall schedule an
interview with the recipient to determine whether there is fraud.

D. On at least a monthly basis, the
department shall use the data from an electronic benefit transfer card to
identify any individual who has made purchases exclusively out-of-state
over a ninety-day period.� The department shall contact the individual
who is identified within thirty days to determine whether that individual
resides in this state.� If the individual does not reside in this state, the
department shall remove that individual within thirty days after contacting the
individual.� Within fifteen days after the individual's removal, the department
shall refer the individual to the United States attorney's office for the
district
of arizona.

END_STATUTE