SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act of 2025

Bill Number

H.R. 6520

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-01-13: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.

Last Updated

2026-07-10T08:05:53Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act of 2025 aims to improve the administration, oversight, and integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) by requiring states to share detailed recipient data with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) upon request. This enhances federal monitoring while maintaining privacy protections.

Key Provisions

• Data Sharing Requirement: States participating in SNAP must provide the USDA Secretary with recipient-level data (such as individual case files or other program information) needed for program administration, oversight, enforcement, or integrity checks.
• Transmission Details: Data must be submitted in a format, frequency, and timeframe specified by the Secretary, typically via secure electronic systems, and within 30 days of the request (or sooner for urgent issues like audits or investigations).
• Penalties for Non-Compliance: States that fail to provide the requested data may have their federal administrative funding withheld or suspended.
• Privacy and Security Safeguards: All shared data must comply with federal privacy laws, including the Privacy Act of 1974 (which protects personal information in government records from unauthorized disclosure).
• Disclosure Permissions: The USDA may share this data with federal or state law enforcement agencies for enforcing SNAP rules or related laws.
• Preservation of Existing Powers: The law does not reduce the USDA's current abilities to access state data for oversight, audits, or evaluations.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill amends Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 by adding a new subsection (y). It introduces a mandatory, on-request data-sharing obligation for states, including specific timelines and penalties, which were not explicitly required before. While the USDA already has some access to state records, this expands it to explicitly include "recipient-level data" (detailed individual information) and ties compliance to federal funding, strengthening enforcement mechanisms.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: The USDA gains enhanced tools for program integrity, potentially reducing fraud and improving efficiency, but states may face increased administrative burdens and costs for data management. Non-compliant states could lose funding, affecting their SNAP operations.
• On Citizens: SNAP recipients benefit from stronger program oversight that could lead to fairer benefit distribution and reduced errors or abuse. However, it raises potential privacy risks for individuals, though safeguards aim to mitigate this by limiting data use to official purposes.
• On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. food assistance programs.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• States and State Agencies: Directly responsible for complying with data requests and facing potential funding penalties.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): Gains authority to request and use data for oversight and enforcement.
• SNAP Recipients: Their personal data may be shared, affecting privacy but supporting program improvements.
• Federal and State Law Enforcement: Can access data for investigations related to SNAP or other laws.
• Congress and Taxpayers: Indirectly involved through funding oversight and ensuring efficient use of federal resources for the program.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal Implications: Reinforces federal privacy protections under the Privacy Act while expanding data-sharing for law enforcement, potentially streamlining investigations but requiring strict adherence to data security to avoid lawsuits over breaches.
• Constitutional Implications: May touch on federalism concerns, as it mandates state actions with financial penalties, which could be seen as federal overreach into state-administered programs (SNAP is jointly federal-state). However, it aligns with existing cooperative federalism in welfare programs.
• Political Implications: Promotes accountability in a major entitlement program (SNAP serves millions), appealing to efforts to curb waste or fraud without altering benefits. Introduced by bipartisan House members, it could influence debates on welfare reform and data privacy in social services.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1]

Cosponsors (15)

Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8], Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6], Rep. Taylor, David J. [R-OH-2], Rep. Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7], Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3], Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1], Rep. Wied, Tony [R-WI-8], Rep. Jackson, Ronny [R-TX-13], Rep. Harris, Mark [R-NC-8], Rep. Alford, Mark [R-MO-4], Rep. Haridopolos, Mike [R-FL-8], Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1], Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7], Rep. Messmer, Mark B. [R-IN-8]

Recent Actions

• 2026-01-13: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
• 2025-12-09: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
• 2025-12-09: Introduced in House
• 2025-12-09: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act of 2025 — issued 2025-12-09 — PDF (3 pages)