Generally revise Montana SNAP program laws
HB 902 would substantially revise Montana’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) laws and related public assistance statutes. The bill directs the Department of Public Health and Human Services to seek federal waivers to restrict SNAP purchases to specified “healthy” food categories, such as fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and dairy, and to seek a separate waiver limiting who may use an EBT card for household food purchases to individuals over age 16. If waivers are denied, the department must keep resubmitting the requests annually. The bill also requires annual reporting to the governor and legislative interim committee on waiver status, spending patterns, and policy challenges.
In addition to the waiver provisions, HB 902 creates a transitional benefits program intended to phase benefits down gradually as household income rises above the SNAP eligibility threshold, rather than ending benefits immediately. The program would provide stepped benefit levels from 100% down to 20% for households between 138% and 200% of the federal poverty level, while still requiring compliance with SNAP work rules. The bill also includes a general fund appropriation of $802,500 for implementation and directs rulemaking by the department.
The bill amends numerous Montana Code Annotated sections to update terminology from “food stamp” to “supplemental nutrition assistance program” and to align related statutes with SNAP administration. Those changes affect unemployment withholding for SNAP overissuance debts, fraud and repayment rules, public assistance administration, information-sharing between agencies, fair-hearing procedures, workers’ compensation references tied to public assistance work programs, and sanctions related to cash assistance participation. It also clarifies that SNAP participants may be subject to certain program-related requirements without broader changes to Medicaid or child-care benefits except as required by federal law.
Overall sentiment in the available voting history appears mixed but ultimately favorable in committee, with the bill narrowly advancing from the House Human Services Committee 11-10 and then moving out of House Appropriations on a 17-5 vote to table. Despite that progress, the bill later died in process, indicating it did not complete the legislative path. The committee votes suggest support for the bill’s policy direction among some members, but not enough momentum to carry it through the full process.
The main points of contention are the proposed federal waiver requests and the policy choice to restrict SNAP food purchases and EBT use. Supporters appear to frame the bill as a nutrition, work-incentive, and self-sufficiency measure, while opponents likely viewed it as a significant departure from existing SNAP rules and potentially difficult to implement because it depends on federal approval. The transitional benefits program and the appropriation may also have raised questions about cost, administrative complexity, and whether the state should redesign SNAP-related benefits in this way.
HB 902 would amend a broad set of Montana statutes to modernize terminology and integrate a new SNAP-focused policy framework into state law. Its most direct legal effect would be to require the state agency to pursue federal waivers for food restrictions and EBT user limitations, establish a transitional benefits program, and adopt rules and reporting procedures for implementation. It also revises related public assistance, unemployment, workers’ compensation, fraud, and hearing provisions to reflect SNAP administration and to coordinate benefit recovery and agency information-sharing.
The bill appears to have generated divided but somewhat favorable committee sentiment, with narrow support in House Human Services and stronger support in House Appropriations for moving it forward at that stage. However, the fact that it ultimately died in process suggests the proposal did not achieve sufficient consensus. The available record points to interest in the bill’s reform and work-incentive themes, but also to significant hesitation about its scope and reliance on federal waivers.
The most notable contention centers on whether Montana should seek to limit SNAP purchases to certain foods and restrict EBT card use to older household members, both of which would require federal approval. Critics likely viewed these provisions as intrusive, administratively burdensome, or vulnerable to federal denial, while supporters likely saw them as promoting healthier purchases and reducing misuse. The transitional benefits program may also have been controversial because it changes how benefits phase out as income rises, raising questions about cost, eligibility administration, and the state’s role in supplementing or reshaping federal nutrition assistance.