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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 947 Enacts Strict Verification, Reporting, and Purchasing Rules for SNAP Benefits
Last action · March 9, 2026: Senate Read and ReferredSponsors: Martin Momtahan and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Georgia House Board 947 enacts the 'Georgia SNAP Integrity Act of 2026', restricting , imposing shorter certification periods for unstable households, requiring 30-day eligibility verifications, and banning the purchase of ready-to-consume hot or cold beverages and foods at food service establishments with SNAP benefits starting January 1, 2027.
Enrollees face tighter documentation timelines, mandatory data-matching across multiple state and federal databases, restrictions on benefit usage for certain prepared drinks and food service meals, and new EBT card photo or personal identification display rules.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal assistance program providing food purchasing power to low-income individuals and families, jointly administered by federal authorities and state agencies. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
SNAP Participants
Participants face stricter 30-day verification deadlines, shorter certification periods for unstable households, new prohibitions on purchasing prepared drinks, and mandatory data-matching across state and federal databases.
Authorized SNAP Retailers
Retailers must implement point-of-sale controls to ensure SNAP benefits are not used for prohibited food service items or custom-prepared beverages.
Division of Family and Children Services
The Division must establish data-matching procedures, issue verification warnings, build pre-authorization accuracy checklists, and submit annual legislative reports.
Key Facts
- The Act restricts broad-based categorical eligibility for noncash or in-kind benefits unless expressly required by federal law.
- By January 1, 2029, the department must assign certification periods of no greater than four months to households with zero net income or able-bodied adults without dependents.
- All SNAP eligibility criteria for applicants and household members must be verified within 30 days of the application date.
- The issuance of second-month benefits is prohibited unless all verification requirements are completed after receiving a 15-day warning notice.
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- SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase food or beverages in a food service establishment, or customized on-site hot and cold beverages.
- The department must conduct monthly and quarterly data matches with the Department of Public Health, Department of Labor, Department of Corrections, and federal databases to track changes in circumstances.
- Data received regarding death records and incarceration status must be treated as verified upon receipt, permitting benefit suspension or termination without additional verification.
- The department is prohibited from seeking or renewing work requirement waivers without specific authorization from the General Assembly.
- EBT cards issued in Georgia must display the participant's full legal name, a statement citing laws against unlawful trade, and the USDA fraud-reporting hotline.
- The Act becomes effective on January 1, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
What items are banned from purchase using SNAP benefits under this bill?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in the Senate.
Procedural history
9 actions- Mar 9, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate Read and Referred
- Mar 6, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
- Mar 6, 2026HouseHouse Third Readers
- Mar 6, 2026HouseFloorHouse Passed/Adopted By Substitute
- Mar 4, 2026HouseHouse Withdrawn, Recommitted
- Feb 18, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
Show 3 earlier actions
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse Second Readers
- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Jan 12, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history & redline
4 versions on fileLobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Comprehensive Data-Matching Overhaul
The bill mandates regular cross-referencing across multiple distinct state departments (Public Health, Labor, Corrections, Lottery) and federal directories to automate eligibility adjustments.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz65Current news / social attention level
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