Proposed Indiana law seeks stricter rules for who can apply for SNAP benefits

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Some Republican lawmakers believe a new bill could prevent waste, fraud and abuse in welfare programs in Indiana.

If passed, Senate Bill 1 would increase eligibility checks for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and add Medicaid work requirements to comply federally with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"Regardless of whether this bill passes or not, we will be implementing a work requirement because we are required to do so," said Mitch Roop, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. "We have a lot of work to do to understand our cost structure more."

Some southern Indiana food pantry executive directors, such as Kara Brown with the Center For Lay Ministries Inc., feel this new bill could lead to more people going hungry.

"We might see more clients who have not been coming to us," Brown said. "They're just gonna face more struggles in their household to meet their other bills."

Senate Bill 1 would also keep anyone who's not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident from using SNAP or Medicaid.

"SNAP is supplemental," Roop said. "It's not designed to feed a family of four. It's designed to supplement the purchasing power of that consumer. ... (SB 1) rewards work, protects taxpayers and ensures the welfare benefits only go to eligible Hoosiers."

Sen. Chris Garten, R-45, is the bill's sponsor. He said it would weed out fraud and prevent undocumented immigrants from claiming those benefits.

"It's not that we're taking them off because they're eligible," Garten said Thursday. "It's because they're not, per federal law, ineligible."

Supporters of SB 1 agree there needs to be legislation to close that loophole.

"The aged, blind and disabled population, the pregnant women and children, they're all over here," Roop said. "This bill does not effect them."

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration policies already require verification of immigration status for SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. However, at a committee hearing Thursday, state leaders said Indiana's current food stamp error rate is 9.5%.

"If Indiana does nothing, taxpayers could be on the hook for $144 million to the general fund," said Jonathan Ingram, vice president of Policy and Research at the Foundation for Government Accountability. "If the error rate crosses 10%, that becomes $215 million. That's why the anti-fraud provisions matter."

The bill would also lower the state's asset limit to qualify for SNAP back to the federal minimum.

As of January 2026, about 600,000 Indiana residents rely on food stamps. Analysts expect this change to remove more than 3,000 households from the SNAP program.

"If we're going to support these measures, we must look at those who qualify, those who are vulnerable and those who need our service," said State Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-30.

Under this bill, Medicaid applicants would also have to disclose their immigration status when they apply. If FSSA determined an applicant was in the country illegally, the agency would be required to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"When we say waste, fraud, and abuse, this bill addresses all of that," Garten said. "I think this bill puts guard rails around all three of those categories."

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