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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 1974 restricts TANF and SNAP benefit card usage at ATMs and expands prohibited purchases
Last action · February 25, 2026: Public Hearing Completed (H)Sponsors: Bennie Cook and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Missouri House Bill 1974 prohibits Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit cards from being used at automated teller machines or to obtain cash back, and bans the purchase of using SNAP benefits if a federal waiver is granted. The measure also penalizes recipients who fail to use their benefits within the state for ninety days by suspending accounts pending residency investigations, and establishes fines for store owners who knowingly accept prohibited transactions.
Public assistance recipients face new restrictions on cash withdrawals and item purchases, while retail store owners face graduated fines ranging from up to $500 for a first offense to over $1,000 for subsequent offenses for knowingly accepting prohibited electronic benefit card transactions.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
TANF recipients
TANF recipients face restrictions on cash withdrawals at ATMs, new item purchase prohibitions, mandatory reimbursement for illegal purchases, and graduated disqualification periods for noncompliance.
SNAP recipients
SNAP recipients are subject to new in-state transaction tracking requirements, potential benefit suspensions for prolonged inactivity, and possible restrictions on soft drink purchases.
store owners
Store owners and proprietors face financial fines if they knowingly accept electronic benefit transfer cards for prohibited purchases or transactions at prohibited establishments.
Key Facts
- TANF and SNAP benefit cards are prohibited from being used at automated teller machines, for cash back on purchases, or to access benefits as cash, pending a federal waiver.
- The director of the department of social services must request an annual federal waiver to exclude soft drinks from SNAP eligible foods.
- Recipients who fail to make at least one electronic benefit transfer transaction within the state for 90 days face temporary benefit suspension and potential case closure following a residency investigation.
- Recipients who do not make an in-state electronic benefit transfer transaction for 60 days must receive notice warning of potential fund suspension within the next 30 days.
Show all 7 facts
- Store owners or proprietors who knowingly accept electronic benefit transfer cards for prohibited transactions face fines of up to $500 for the first offense, $500 to $1,000 for the second offense, and at least $1,000 for third or subsequent offenses.
- TANF recipients who make a prohibited purchase must reimburse the department of social services and face disqualification periods of three months for a first occurrence, six months for a second occurrence, and five years for a third or subsequent occurrence.
- Prohibited purchases are expanded to include pornography, soft drinks (subject to waiver), alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets, and tobacco products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can public assistance recipients use their EBT cards at ATMs under this bill?
Are soft drinks banned from being purchased with SNAP benefits?
What penalties do store owners face for accepting EBT cards for prohibited purchases?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
5 actions- Feb 25, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Feb 3, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: General Laws(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 1, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
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
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy70Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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