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State Auditor Wants Photos Added To Food-Stamp Cards In Ohio
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio’s auditor and two Republican legislators want to add photo identification to food-stamp cards in the state as a way of helping prevent fraud.
State Auditor Dave Yost and the legislators announced the legislation Wednesday.
Yost has said an audit last year of Ohio’s $2.5 billion program, found weaknesses that allow for potential fraud. The Republican auditor says the photos would help avoid trafficking in food-stamp cards.
State Rep. Tim Schaffer introduced the legislation in the House on Wednesday. State Sen. Matt Huffman is to carry it in the Senate.
Yost says Ohio’s food-stamp error rate, which includes administrative errors and fraud, is nearly 5 percent.
Lisa Hamlet-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Food Banks, says the legislation is unnecessary and could intimidate people needing the benefits.