CS/HB 105 - Public Assistance Fraud

• Defines "trafficking" in food assistance benefits to include buying, selling, stealing, or exchanging benefits for cash or non-food items; reselling products purchased with benefits; or purchasing products originally bought with benefits using cash or other consideration.

• Creates a third-degree felony for possessing two or more electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards issued to other persons and selling or attempting to sell such cards, with each card constituting a separate offense.

• Requires courts to order at least 40 hours of community service for those convicted of selling EBT cards, preferably at nonprofits providing food services to the needy.

• Deletes the reference to s. 414.39(2) from the Criminal Punishment Code offense severity ranking chart.

• Effective October 1, 2016.