District 18 House Rep. Kevin Cooke wants state legislators to consider his bill that would prevent ATM’s in the state of Georgia from dispensing cash through someone’s EBT card.
 
“Currently, on Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, there’s a lot of different programs that are benefits—whether they be cash benefits or what’s more commonly recognized as Food Stamps… are on those cards,” Cooke explains. “There are issues with ATM’s in strip clubs and liquor stores that will accept these EBT cards and individuals who are receiving these benefits can pull cash out from ATM’s in some of those locations.”
 
Cooke has proposed House Bill 181.
 
“For example, an individual who receives a cash benefit for payment of rent,” Cooke says. “In that instance, I would suggest… to prevent fraud and to make sure we are the best stewards of tax payer money… that what we do is issue a check to whomever that individual was renting from. That way, the money that was going toward that purpose would be used for that purpose and couldn’t just be withdrawn from an ATM and then used for something else.”
 
The bill is currently under review by the House Banks & Banking committee.