Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes public assistance program oversight through a computerized verification system.

Highlights:

• Requires the department of human services to contract with a third-party vendor to conduct national accuracy clearinghouse matches and corresponding actions to provide real-time prevention of duplicate participation upon a potential beneficiary’s application for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (Sec. 1).

• Defines “asset” or “asset test” as all assets of the members of the applicant’s household, including (Sec. 3):

• All bank accounts, excluding retirement accounts;

• All cash, excluding the first $2,000 of members of the household;

• All lottery and gambling income of the household;

• All real estate, excluding the primary household residence and surrounding lot; and

• All other personal property excluding personal belongings, household goods, and one vehicle. 

• Defines “real-time system” as real-time electronic access to a system that allows verification of all applicable public assistance program eligibility information based on the most recent information available to the department through nonmodeled earned and unearned income, such as commercially available wage data (Sec. 3).

• Requires the department of human services to conduct an asset test on all members of the household of the public assistance applicant in order to determine eligibility for SNAP benefits (Sec. 4).

• Requires the department, before determining SNAP benefit eligibility, to access specified information for every member of the applicant's household, from federal, state, and miscellaneous sources, or successor sources, including, but not limited to records regarding (Sec. 4):

• Income and employment;

• Registered deaths;

• Prisoner or incarceration status;

• Supplemental security income;

• Beneficiary records and earnings;

• Child support enforcement;

• Child care assistance; and

• Iowa lottery winnings.

• Requires the department, before determining SNAP benefit eligibility, to access information for every member of the applicant’s household from (Sec. 4):

• A nationwide public records data source of physical asset ownership; and

• National and state financial institutions in order to locate undisclosed depository accounts or verify account balances of disclosed accounts. 

• Requires the department, by July 1, 2021, to redesign an existing system, establish a new computerized income, asset, and identity eligibility verification system, or contract with a third-party vendor to provide for identity verification, identity authentication, asset verification, and dual enrollment prevention (Sec. 6).

• Requires the department, before determining eligibility for public assistance, to access information for every applicant or recipient from federal, state, and miscellaneous sources, including, but not limited to, the type of records used prior to determining SNAP benefit eligibility (Sec. 7).

• Requires the department, before determining eligibility for public assistance benefits, to access information from the following public records (Sec. 7):

• A nationwide public records data source of physical asset ownership;

• A nationwide public records data source of incarcerated individuals;

• A nationwide best address and driver’s license data;

• A comprehensive public records database from which the department can identify potential identity fraud or identity theft; 

• National and local financial institutions; and

• Outstanding default or arrest warrant information.

• Requires a public assistance applicant, before receiving benefits, to complete a computerized identity authentication process to confirm their identity (Sec. 8).

• Requires the department to submit a report to the governor and the general assembly by January 15, 2022, and by January 15 annually afterwords through January 15, 2027, detailing the impact of the verification and authentication measures taken under this act (Sec. 12).

Full Bill Text