Senate Bill 523
Trafficking food stamp program benefits
Topics: Crime and criminals, Food stamp plan, Legislature: Criminal Penalties, Joint Review Committee on
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Feb 28, 2012
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 2, 2012: “Fiscal estimate received”
It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Under current law, the Department of Health Services administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the food stamp program and currently known in Wisconsin as FoodShare, under which eligible low-income individuals and families receive cash assistance to purchase food. Current law provides penalties for various offenses related to SNAP. For example, under current law, a person who makes a misleading or fraudulent statement on a SNAP application is subject to a penalty that is based on the value of the SNAP benefits involved in the offense and the number of SNAP offenses that the person has previously committed. Other SNAP offenses subject to penalty include: failing to report changes in income or assets as required by federal law, transferring SNAP benefits for a purpose other than purchasing food, and issuing SNAP benefits to a person who is not eligible to receive the benefits.
This bill adds trafficking SNAP benefits to the list of SNAP offenses that are subject to penalties under current law. Under the bill, a person traffics SNAP benefits if the person does any of the following:
Read the full summary Show less
1. Buys, sells, steals, or otherwise exchanges SNAP benefits issued and accessed through the electronic benefit transfer program, or manually, for cash or other consideration.
2. Exchanges firearms, ammunition, explosives, or controlled substances for SNAP benefits.
3. Uses SNAP benefits to purchase food that has a container deposit for the sole purpose of returning the container for a cash refund.
4. Resells food purchased with SNAP benefits for cash or other consideration.
5. Purchases, for cash or other consideration, food that was previously purchased from a supplier using SNAP benefits.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.
Who's behind it
6 senators are its . All 6 are Republicans.
16 more lawmakers .
See all 22 names Hide the names
Authors (6)
- Rob Cowles · Republican, Senate
- Alberta Darling · Republican, Senate
- Pam Galloway · Republican, Senate
- Frank G. Lasee · Republican, Senate
- Mary Lazich · Republican, Senate
- Van Wanggaard · Republican, Senate
Signed on in support (16)
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Kathleen Bernier · Republican, Senate
- Edward Brooks · Republican, Assembly
- Mike Endsley · Republican, Assembly
- André Jacque · Republican, Senate
- Dean Kaufert · Republican, Assembly
- Samantha Kerkman · Republican, Assembly
- Dan Knodl · Republican, Assembly
- Scott Krug · Republican, Assembly
- Mike Kuglitsch · Republican, Assembly
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Don Pridemore · Republican, Assembly
- Richard Spanbauer · Republican, Assembly
- Duey Stroebel · Republican, Senate
- Jeremy Thiesfeldt · Republican, Assembly
- Evan Wynn · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 2, 2012
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Mar 23, 2012
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Mar 9, 2012
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Mar 7, 2012
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 28, 2012
Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
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Feb 28, 2012
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 28, 2012 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Darling, Lazich, Wanggaard, Lasee, Galloway and Cowles;Cosponsored by Representatives Kerkman, Krug, Jacque, Pridemore, Spanbauer, Bernier, Ballweg, Marklein, Knodl, Wynn, Kuglitsch, Thiesfeldt, Kaufert, Endsley, Stroebel and Brooks
- Feb 28, 2012 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations
- Mar 7, 2012 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 9, 2012 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Mar 23, 2012 · Senate
Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
- Apr 2, 2012 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary
Author
A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.
Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary
From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
Senate Joint Resolution 1
The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.
Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1
Legislative Reference Bureau
The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.
Official term: LRB analysis
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate