Wyoming Could Add Citizenship Checks for SNAP Recipients, Track Hospital Costs for Noncitizens

Wyoming lawmakers are advancing a bill that would require citizenship checks for every SNAP applicant and direct hospitals to report uncompensated care costs tied to noncitizens and undocumented patients—aligning state law with recent federal changes.

Senate File 106, sponsored by Senate President Bo Biteman, would codify requirements from the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which limited federal welfare programs to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. While Wyoming already complies, Biteman said the bill is about “getting things in line” and ensuring state statute matches federal law.

Wyoming’s fraud rates are “pretty low,” Biteman acknowledged. “This is not an indictment on Wyoming’s welfare fraud prevention efforts,” he told the House Health, Labor and Social Services Committee.

The bill would require the Department of Family Services to run Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) checks on every SNAP applicant—not just those who identify as noncitizens or born outside the U.S. Currently, more than 28,000 Wyomingites receive SNAP benefits monthly, totaling about $62 million in 2025.

The measure also adds a new reporting requirement: hospitals must annually submit data on uncompensated care for noncitizens and undocumented patients to the health department, with personally identifiable information removed. The department would aggregate the data for lawmakers.

The Wyoming Hospital Association worked to amend the bill, reducing reporting frequency from quarterly to annually and adding confidentiality protections. President Eric Boley estimated only about 80 such cases occur yearly, often involving emergency care or childbirth. He said the reporting could help hospitals track costs and potentially bill for emergency cases they currently write off.

“There was some concern from our members that people may not seek care because they were worried about us collecting the data,” Boley said. “Obviously, we want to take care of people.”

Medicaid eligibility remains unchanged; the state’s program already complies with federal law.

The bill needs one more House vote before heading to the governor. Lawmakers will consider an amendment that could reinsert more frequent eligibility checks than currently required.