Alexandria Representative Franson authors bill to reform welfare

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State Representative Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, authored her first bill – an effort to reform welfare in Minnesota.

The bill addresses the misuse of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards among Minnesota card holders. EBT cards provide cash and food support benefits to Minnesotans. The proposed legislation will make EBT cards to require a photo of the individual on the card as well as eliminating out-of-state use.

“Welfare reform is something that needs to be addressed in Minnesota. The misuse of taxpayer dollars is clearly unacceptable,” said Franson. “These common sense reforms will assure Minnesota taxpayers that their hard-earned dollars are being used in the right way, for those who truly are in need.”

In 2008, Minnesota House Republicans uncovered data from the Minnesota Department of Human Services showing more than 309,717 EBT transactions took place in other places than Minnesota, costing taxpayers more than $10 million.

Representative Franson’s bill is currently being signed by other legislators who wish to co-author this piece of legislation and will then make its way to the hopper where it will be assigned a House file number.

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