Green Bay Reporter

Congressman Tony Wied from Wisconsin has introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at prohibiting new fees on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) retail transactions. The legislation, known as the Ensuring Fee-Free Benefits Transactions Act (EBT Act), is co-led by Congresswoman Shontel Brown of Ohio. It seeks to protect small and independent retailers from additional costs associated with serving SNAP customers, while also encouraging broader participation in the program and maintaining accessibility in underserved and rural areas.

The EBT Act aims to make permanent a temporary protection against new transaction fees on retailers that was first established in the 2018 Farm Bill. This measure ensures that retailers are only responsible for their own costs as the federal government updates the EBT system with modern technologies such as chip cards and mobile payments.

"As a former small business owner in the convenience store industry, I know firsthand how burdensome EBT processing fees can be for both retailers and SNAP recipients," stated Congressman Wied. "That’s why I’m proud to join Congresswoman Brown in introducing the EBT Act, ensuring that the 2018 prohibition on these fees is permanent once and for all. This bipartisan legislation will make sure SNAP recipients continue to have access to healthy food, while also continuing to relieve small business owners of unnecessary costs. This is a win-win situation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill passed."

Congresswoman Brown added, "SNAP puts food on the table for my constituents and people across the country, and we shouldn’t put up barriers between families and their benefits. The last thing we should do is punish retailers for accepting SNAP or raise costs on consumers with new fees. This bill keeps EBT fee-free, protects corner stores and grocers, and makes sure people can use keep using their SNAP benefits."

The proposed legislation has received endorsements from several organizations including FMI – The Food Industry Association; the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), and the National Grocers Association (NGA).