February 12, 2026
Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself, Ms. Ernst, and Mr. Tuberville) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require States to provide recipient-level data to the Secretary of Agriculture upon request.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act of 2026
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Sec. 2. State requirement to provide SNAP recipient data to the Secretary of Agriculture
Section 11 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(y) Provision of recipient data to the Secretary
(1) In general
As a condition of participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, each State agency shall, on request of the Secretary, provide to the Secretary recipient-level data, case file information, or any other program data necessary for the administration, oversight, integrity, or enforcement of the program.
(2) Process
Data requested under paragraph (1) shall be transmitted in such form, manner, frequency, and within such time frame, as the Secretary may require, including through secure electronic data transfer systems designated by the Secretary.
(3) Timing
A State agency shall provide data requested under paragraph (1) not later than 30 days after the date of the request, unless the Secretary establishes a shorter timeline for urgent program integrity, audit, or investigative purposes.
(4) Noncompliance
The Secretary may withhold or suspend funds to a State under section 16 if a State fails to comply with a request for data under this subsection.
(5) Data safeguards
(A) In general
The Secretary shall ensure that all data received under this subsection is subject to applicable Federal laws and safeguards governing the privacy and security of program records, including section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the
Privacy Act of 1974).(B) Allowed disclosure
Data received under this subsection may be disclosed by the Secretary to any Federal or State law enforcement and investigative agency for purposes of administering or enforcing this Act, regulations issued under this Act, or any other Federal or State law.
(6) Rule of construction
Nothing in this subsection limits any existing authority of the Secretary to access State data or records for program oversight, enforcement, audit, or evaluation purposes.