Brown, Wied Introduce Legislation to Bar New SNAP Fees, Ensure Widespread Access to Nutrition Benefits

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit new fees on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Balance Transfer (EBT) retail transactions. The Ensuring Fee-Free Benefits Transactions Act (EBT Act), co-led by Congressman Tony Wied (WI-08), protects small and independent retailers from being penalized for serving SNAP customers, encourages broader participation in the SNAP program, and keeps SNAP accessible in underserved and rural areas. 

The EBT Act would make permanent a temporary protection from new transaction fees on retailers first established in the 2018 Farm Bill. This ensures that retailers are only responsible for their own costs as the federal government modernizes the EBT system with chip cards, mobile payments, and other upgrades.

“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,” said Congresswoman Brown.

“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,” said 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.” 

The EBT Act is endorsed by: FMI – The Food Industry Association; the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), and the National Grocers Association (NGA).

Brown and Wied each serve on the House Committee on Agriculture, where Brown is also Vice Ranking Member. 

Legislative text available here.

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