LANSING, Mich. — State Sen. Jim Runestad recently introduced legislation to require that key information from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) held by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) be shared with the federal government as part of an ongoing effort to root out fraud in America’s welfare systems.

“This bill will help reel in fraud within public assistance programs,” said Runestad, R-White Lake. “It is an easy and simple ask for the state to give information to the federal government, yet Gov. Gretchen Whitmer refuses to do so.”

Under Senate Bill 1088, MDHHS would be required to share benefit allotment and identifying data for individuals who receive SNAP benefits with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the SNAP National Accuracy Clearinghouse and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

The bill would also require MDHHS to produce a quarterly report to the Legislature highlighting the number of duplicate SNAP accounts, the number of Social Security numbers of deceased people used to apply for the program, and the number of out-of-state transactions that were identified and blocked.

Runestad called the bill an essential step toward restoring public trust in government programs and ensuring resources are available to those who truly need them.

“We have to take fraud seriously in our state,” Runestad said. “Simply talking about it isn’t enough. The budget keeps getting bigger, Lansing insiders’ pockets keep getting lined with cash, and criminals are scamming the very programs working people need to survive. We need action, and my bill is exactly that.”

SB 1088 was referred to the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services for further consideration.

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