 State Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Charleston, said it might.People across
the state are a step closer to being required to have their photos
on their Link cards, which are provided by the state's Department of
Human Services. The official name for the state's food stamp program
is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance.
State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, said that by stopping
fraud, the state could provide more service for others who need it
the most.
"Your primary concern is fraud and the potential for fraud in the
system," Eddy said. "And you're looking for a way that individuals
who receive these benefits -- not because they shouldn't have the
benefits -- at the end of the day could allow for more benefits
available to go to those individuals who need them, and actually,
they can have more."
House Bill 161 stirred up a heated debate before it was passed
by a 64-48 vote. If the plan is signed into law, it would require
DHS to seek a waiver to the federal government to allow Illinois to
include photos on Link cards, and DHS would have to provide the
General Assembly the cost to place photos on the cards.
While DHS is at the center of the plan, it opposes the
legislation, DHS spokeswoman Marielle Sainvilus said.
Link cards are under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program, which is funded by the federal government. It is against
the law to treat SNAP beneficiaries differently from other
customers, Sainvilus said.
Most Democrats were against the plan. State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz,
D-Chicago, called the bill "wasteful" of time and money.
"Food stamps are a 100 percent entitlement," Feigenholtz said.
"This bill is going to spend 2 (million) to 4 million dollars and
waste a ton of time of the Department of Human Services."
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The state would not see any potential savings through "deterred
fraud," but it would cost the state millions of dollars to implement
the change, Sainvilus said.
Rose, the bill's sponsor, said the photos on the cards would "add
an extra line of defense" against abuse of the system.
"I don't see what the efficacy is in handing someone the ability
on a weekly basis to trade a card easily for drugs, for cash to buy
drugs," he said.
State Rep. William Burns, D-Chicago, said he's concerned that an
extra "line of defense" could actually create another hurdle to some
families.
"A number of different groups are opposed to this bill and are
very concerned about its impact potentially -- the results with the
state might come up -- and that it might create a barrier to access
these resources," Burns said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MARY J. CRISTOBAL]
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