Photo, Signature May Be Required for EBT Cards

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/05/2025) Photos and signature identification would be added to Michigan bridge cards for those needing food or cash assistance benefits under legislation that was taken up in the House Government Operations Committee on Thursday.

Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell), sponsor of HB 4515, told the committee his bill will cut down on fraudulent spending on bridge cards, which he said comes at a great cost to Michigan.

Under the bill, two people would have the ability to be authorized on one bridge card. Both names and signatures would have to be shown on the card.

Rep. Mike Harris (R-Clarkston) said he saw a lot of EBT cards being used fraudulently throughout his law enforcement career. He said connecting the offender to the fraud was harder than simply identifying that the fraud was happening, and implementing identification might help.

Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) said he was concerned about a House Fiscal Agency Analysis on the bill reporting the overall cost to the Department of Health and Human Services as “indeterminate, but likely moderate,” given the one-time startup costs of issuing a new card design, while the savings to the state on fraudulent use of electronic benefits will be “indeterminate, but likely negligible.”

According to the analysis, Federal regulations require states to ensure household members and other representatives of the cardholders can access benefits for the household, regardless of who is pictured on the card, meaning anyone with a bridge card and valid PIN will be able to use the card.

“I’m just concerned that we’re going to front load the cost too much for not enough reward if we’re overhauling the system,” Fitzgerald said.

While Woolford conceded that there will be outlay associated with this implementation, he said it will end up immediately saving the state of Michigan money. As the saying goes, the juice is “definitely” worth the squeeze, he said.

The requirement of even having your photo taken is enough to curb some bad actors from committing this type of fraud, he said.

“You can imagine gangs, syndicates, thieves that are stealing billions from these programs,” Woolford said. “This would require folks to come in and get their picture taken.”