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Read. Follow. Verify.Arizona SB 1840 establishes SNAP eligibility checks, error-rate reduction targets, and TANF drug screening
Last action · May 4, 2026: DPSponsors: Dave Farnsworth and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Arizona Senate Bill 1840 establishes new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility checks, mandates a reduction in the program's to 3% or lower by December 30, 2030, and requires drug screening for certain Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash benefit recipients in 2026-2027.
The measure alters how the Department of Economic Security evaluates benefit eligibility, requiring regular data-matching across multiple state and federal databases, increasing fraud investigations for frequent replacement EBT cards and out-of-state spending, and imposing a one-year benefit ban for TANF recipients who test positive for unprescribed controlled substances.
- The Arizona Revised Statutes govern the legal and administrative framework for state agencies and public assistance programs. 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.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients
Recipients face increased eligibility evaluations, database tracking of income and out-of-state spending, and interview requirements for frequent replacement cards.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash benefits recipients
Adult recipients subject to reasonable cause determinations must undergo drug testing and face a one-year benefit disqualification for positive tests.
Department of Economic Security
The department must administer new funds, conduct frequent data matching, publish quarterly fraud reports, meet payment error rate targets, and face funding reductions if targets are missed.
Key Facts
- Establishes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Fund, administered by the Department of Economic Security with continuously appropriated federal monies.
- Prohibits the Department of Economic Security from setting a SNAP gross income limit above 185% of the federal poverty level for categorically eligible recipients.
- Requires the Department of Economic Security to enter into a data matching agreement with the Department of Revenue to identify lottery or gambling winnings of $3,000 or more.
- Mandates monthly and quarterly reviews of state and federal databases—including Department of Health Services, Department of Corrections, Social Security Administration, and tax records—to detect changes in SNAP eligibility.
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- Requires the Department of Economic Security to post aggregated fraud investigation, improper payment, and out-of-state transaction data on its public website quarterly.
- Sets a target for the Department of Economic Security to reduce the SNAP payment error rate to no more than 3% by December 30, 2030.
- Requires the Department of Economic Security to submit quarterly progress reports on payment error rates and submit a corrective action plan and pay 50% of federal liabilities if targets are missed.
- Directs the Auditor General to complete a special audit on payment error rate factors by November 15, 2027.
- Mandates that SNAP recipients requesting three or more replacement EBT cards within 12 months undergo an interview to determine fraud before receiving a new card.
- Requires termination of assistance within 30 days for individuals identified as using EBT cards exclusively out of state for 90 days and residing outside Arizona, with referral to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
- Requires the Department of Economic Security to screen and test adult TANF cash benefit recipients for illegal controlled substances during fiscal year 2026-2027, imposing a one-year benefit ban for positive tests without a prescription.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a SNAP recipient requests multiple replacement EBT cards?
How often must the department review data for lottery winnings?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
5 actions- May 4, 2026SenateDP
- May 4, 2026SenatePFC
- Apr 28, 2026SenateFloorSenate Second Reading
- Apr 28, 2026SenateCommitteeDP
- Apr 27, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate First Reading
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying 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
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.azleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment15Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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