Two measures tightening eligibility standards for public assistance programs cleared the Oklahoma House this week, with supporters saying they are designed to ensure benefits are reserved for those lawfully present in the United States.
Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert secured passage of House Bills 4422 and 4423, which reinforce verification requirements for programs including SNAP, TANF, Medicaid and WIC.
“Oklahoma taxpayers should never be forced to subsidize benefits for individuals who are in our country illegally,” Hilbert said. “These services are intended for legal, tax-paying citizens, and the House has made clear that we are going to ensure those benefits are protected for eligible Oklahomans.”
The legislation clarifies that individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States are ineligible for taxpayer-funded benefits and directs state agencies to strengthen compliance with federal eligibility standards.
Hilbert said the bills are part of the state’s broader SECURE initiative, short for Safeguarding Eligibility, Compliance and Use of Resources Efficiently, aimed at ensuring state and federal assistance programs are administered according to existing law.
“We continue to address the consequences of reckless federal border policies created under the Biden Administration that have made every state a border state,” Hilbert said. “Oklahoma must send a clear message: we stand with legal immigrants, American workers and the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol who enforce our laws.”
Both measures passed along party lines with unanimous support from House Republicans and now move to the Senate for consideration.
