Stop Retail Food Store SNAP Trafficking Act of 2026

This bill seeks to improve the accuracy of estimates regarding the trafficking of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by retail food stores. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Food and Nutrition Service, to evaluate and update key assumptions used in these estimates, validate them with independent data, and include uncertainty ranges in public reports. The legislation also requires assessing more frequent reauthorization for high-risk stores and publishing an updated national retailer trafficking report every three years. Furthermore, the bill significantly strengthens penalties for SNAP trafficking violations, increasing the maximum civil money penalty for retail food stores from $100,000 to $250,000. It mandates the promulgation of regulations to ensure that permanent disqualification for trafficking can be accompanied by these enhanced civil money penalties, aiming to better deter illegal activities. Finally, the Secretary of Agriculture is required to submit a report to Congress within two years, detailing implementation progress, updated trafficking estimates, and the number of investigations, disqualifications, and penalties imposed.