SB116 Alabama 2014 Session

This bill would prohibit a recipient of public assistance benefits from using the benefits to purchase any alcoholic beverage, tobacco product, or lottery ticket and would provide penalties for violations, including the suspension of benefits

This bill would prohibit a person or a business entity from knowingly accepting public assistance benefits held on electronic benefit transfer cards for the purchase of any alcoholic beverage or tobacco product and would include civil fines and other penalties for violations

This bill would prohibit a recipient of public assistance benefits from withdrawing or using public assistance benefits in a retail establishment that primarily sells alcoholic beverages, a casino, a tattoo or body piercing facility, a facility providing psychic services, or an establishment that provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state and provides penalties for violations, including the suspension of benefits

This bill would allow a parent of a minor child who is permanently disqualified from receiving public assistance benefits to designate a third party to receive the benefits for the benefit of the minor child

This bill would create the Public Assistance Integrity Fund for the deposit of all civil fines collected pursuant to the act for use by the Department of Human Resources and the Attorney General for costs associated with the prevention of misuse of public assistance benefits, including, but not limited to, administration, oversight, training, and enforcement related activities

This bill would require the Department of Human Resources to consult with providers of automatic teller machine (ATM) services to consider the implementation of a program or method of blocking access to cash benefits from Electronic Benefits Transfer cards issued by the department at automatic teller machines located in such establishments and to initiate a program if feasible

This bill would also require the department to perform monthly incarceration matches to assist in determining eligibility based on incarceration and to perform a monthly match using the United States Social Security Death Index Database to determine if a recipient of public assistance benefits is deceased

Relating to public assistance benefits; to prohibit a recipient of public assistance from using benefits to purchase any alcoholic beverage, tobacco product, or lottery ticket; to prohibit a person or a business entity from accepting public assistance benefits held on electronic benefit transfer cards for the purchase of any alcoholic beverage or tobacco product; to prohibit a recipient of public assistance benefits from withdrawing or using public assistance benefits in a retail establishment that primarily sells alcoholic beverages, a casino, a tattoo or body piercing facility, a facility providing psychic services, or an establishment that provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state; to provide penalties for violations; to allow a parent of a minor child who is disqualified from receiving benefits to designate a third party to receive the benefits for the benefit of the minor child; to require the Department of Human Resources to notify applicants and recipients of public assistance of the restrictions and penalties for violations; to create the Public Assistance Integrity Fund; to require the Department of Human Resources to consult with providers of automatic teller machine services to consider and implement a program or method of blocking access to cash benefits from Electronic Benefits Transfer cards issued by the department at automatic teller machines located in certain establishments if feasible; to provide rulemaking authority to the department; and to require the department to perform monthly matches to determine eligibility based upon incarceration and whether the recipient is deceased.