New Hampshire HB 1797: relative to eligibility for public assistance, including the New Hampshire employment program, family assistance program, and SNAP.

Bill Text

HB 1797-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

11Mar2026... 1027h

2026 SESSION

 26-2927

 05/08

HOUSE BILL 1797-FN

AN ACT relative to eligibility for public assistance, including the New Hampshire employment program, family assistance program, and SNAP.

SPONSORS: Rep. Kofalt, Hills. 32

COMMITTEE: Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs

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AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill:

 I. Strengthens work requirements for SNAP eligibility.

 II. Directs the department of health and human services to enter into data-sharing agreements with other state agencies to verify SNAP benefit eligibility.

 III. Directs the department to verify eligibility of enrollees that make exclusively out-of-state purchases.

 IV. Prohibits the department from using their discretion to set more lenient standards for SNAP eligibility or exemptions than those outlined in federal law.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

11Mar2026... 1027h 26-2927

 05/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT relative to eligibility for public assistance, including the New Hampshire employment program, family assistance program, and SNAP.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 New Section; SNAP Benefit Eligibility Criteria and Verification Procedures. Amend RSA 167 by inserting after section 17-d the following new section: 

 167:17-e SNAP Benefit Eligibility Criteria and Verification Procedures. 

 I. The department of health and human services shall not seek any waiver of work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents under 7 U.S.C. section 2015(o)(4), nor shall the department adopt any discretionary exemptions from the work requirement under 7 U.S.C. section 2015(o)(6)(E) without prior legislative approval. 

 II. Unless expressly required by federal law, the department of health and human services shall not: 

 (a) Grant categorical eligibility under 7 U.S.C. section 2014(a) or 7 C.F.R. section 273.2(j)(2)(ii) for any noncash, in-kind or other benefit. 

 (b) Apply gross income standards for SNAP higher than the standards specified in 7 U.S.C. section 2014(c). 

 (c) Apply asset standards for SNAP higher than the standards specified in 7 U.S.C. section 2014(g). 

 III. The department of health and human services shall enter into a data-matching agreement with the lottery and gaming commission to identify households with lottery or gambling winnings of $3,000 or more and, to the extent permissible under federal law, treat this data as verified upon receipt. To the extent that the data may not be verified upon receipt, department shall make such referrals as may be necessary to identify households with winnings equal to or greater than the resource limit for elderly or disabled households as defined in 7 CFR 273.8(b). 

 IV. The department of health and human services shall enter into a data-sharing agreement with the secretary of state, division of vital records, to receive and review, on a monthly basis, information relative to individuals in households enrolled in SNAP that indicate a change in circumstances that may affect eligibility for SNAP. 

 V. The department shall enter into a data-sharing agreement with the department of employment security to receive and review, on at least a quarterly basis, information relative to individuals in households enrolled in SNAP that indicate a change in circumstances that may affect eligibility for SNAP, including but not limited to changes in employment or wages. 

 VI. The department shall enter into a data-sharing agreement with the department of corrections to receive and review, on at least a monthly basis, information relative to individuals in households enrolled in SNAP who indicated a change in circumstance that may affect eligibility, such as incarceration. 

 VII. The department shall enter into a data-sharing agreement with the department of employment security to receive and review, on at least a semi-monthly basis, information relative to individuals in households enrolled in SNAP who indicated a change in circumstance that may affect eligibility for SNAP, including but not limited to potential changes in employment, income, or assets. 

 VIII. The department shall review, on at least a monthly basis, earned income information, death register information, incarceration records, supplemental security income information, beneficiary records, earnings information, and pension information maintained by the United States Social Security administration to assess changes in circumstances for individual