HB610 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike Ball

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Public assistance, fraudulent means to establish eligibility, prohibited, penalties

Summary

HB610 would criminalize fraudulent acts to obtain public assistance and require fraud screening by state agencies, with defined penalties for offenders.

What This Bill Does

It prohibits a range of fraudulent acts to obtain public assistance under state or federal programs and sets criminal penalties for those acts. It targets both recipients and program administrators, including false statements, failing to disclose changes, misusing benefit cards, filing false claims, and overcharging. It requires agencies like the Department of Human Resources, the Medicaid Agency, and the Housing Finance Authority to create fraud-prone case profiles and perform pre-eligibility fraud screening. It also defines how fraud value is calculated, sets supporting evidentiary rules, and requires reporting by service providers who solicit payments from recipients or their families.

Who It Affects

• Recipients of public assistance who could be charged for fraudulent actions or misreporting.
• Administrators and staff of public assistance programs who must screen for fraud and who could be charged with misappropriating program funds.
• Service providers and others who interact with public assistance programs and must report payments or contributions from recipients or their families.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits recipients from knowingly making false statements, failing to disclose changes, aiding others, misusing benefit IDs, filing false or unauthorized claims, overcharging, or receiving unauthorized payments.
• Prohibits administrators from misappropriating funds or benefits and from aiding or permitting misappropriation of public assistance.
• Establishes penalties: felony classification (Class C) for fraud totaling $200 or more in 12 months, and misdemeanor classification (Class A) for fraud under $200 in 12 months.
• Requires agencies to create fraud-prone case profiles and conduct pre-eligibility fraud screening; includes evidentiary rules and reporting requirements for service providers, including notifying the Department of Human Resources within 10 days of certain payments.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Crimes and Offenses