SB 1412

                                                PRINTER'S NO.   1881
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                   SENATE BILL
                   No. 1412
                                          Session of
                                            2026
INTRODUCED BY STREET, HAYWOOD, PICOZZI, BOSCOLA, HUGHES,
   COLLETT, COSTA, TARTAGLIONE AND A. WILLIAMS, JULY 9, 2026
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, JULY 9, 2026
                               AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), entitled "An
2    act to consolidate, editorially revise, and codify the public
3    welfare laws of the Commonwealth," in public assistance,
4    providing for transition to chip-enabled access cards.
5    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7    Section 1.    The act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known
8 as the Human Services Code, is amended by adding a section to
9 read:
10    Section 414.2.    Transition to Chip-Enabled Access Cards.--(a)
11 To the extent money is appropriated for the purposes under this
12 section, the department shall transition all access cards for
13 use in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to include
14 chip-enabled technology no later than January 1, 2028.
15    (b)   The department shall implement the transition under
16 subsection (a) in a manner that balances efficiency and cost-
17 effectiveness and provides enhanced security features such as
18 tap-to-pay technology or other technology to prevent benefit
19 theft.
1    (c)    The department shall provide one chip-enabled access
2 card per eligible recipient at no cost to the recipient.
3    (d)    The department shall:
4    (1)    Within 180 days of the effective date of this section,
5 issue an initial report evaluating the transition under
6 subsection (a) to:
7    (i)    The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Health
8 and Human Services Committee of the Senate.
9    (ii)    The chairperson and minority chairperson of the Human
10 Services Committee of the House of Representatives.
11    (2)    Following the initial report under paragraph (1), issue
12 a report every 180 days until chip-enabled access cards have
13 been made available in each county.
14    (3)    Perform outreach to vendors on the transition under
15 subsection (a), including system upgrades that a vendor may need
16 to implement.
17    (4)    Perform outreach to recipients on the transition,
18 including posting on the department's publicly accessible
19 Internet website, in a shareable format, resources and
20 frequently asked questions regarding the use of access cards
21 with chip-enabled technology.
22    (5)    Establish a procedure to distribute access cards to
23 eligible recipients in emergency situations.
24    (6)    Take necessary steps, where possible, to maximize
25 funding with Federal or other funding sources by October 1,
26 2026.
27    (e)    Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the
28 department's authority to implement future changes to access
29 cards to enhance benefit security.
30    Section 2.    This act shall take effect immediately.
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