RTS ALERT: HB2206 & SB1333 SNAP Error Rate Mandates
Opposition to Arizona HB2206 and mirror bill SB1333 — SNAP Error Rate Mandates
Bill Summary
HB2206 and SB1333 require the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) to reduce the SNAP payment error rate to 3% by 2030 and imposes punitive penalties—including financial liability, administrative funding cuts, and forensic audits—if targets are not met.
Lutheran Social Teaching Concerns
1. Harm to the Neighbor
ELCA social teaching affirms that “adequate nutrition is a basic human right” (ELCA, Economic Life). Policies that discourage participation or delay benefits undermine this moral obligation. HB2206/SB1333 incentivize over-correction that risks denying food to eligible families.
2. Punitive Governance Conflicts with Vocation
Government is a God-given instrument for promoting justice and order (Church in Society). Penalizing DES through funding cuts weakens its capacity to serve the public faithfully and undermines the vocation of public servants.
3. Stewardship Must Serve People, Not Fear
Responsible stewardship is essential, but ELCA teaching rejects austerity that harms the vulnerable. Cutting administrative funding to enforce compliance reduces accuracy and increases harm—counter to wise stewardship.
4. Disproportionate Impact on the Vulnerable
Those most affected by SNAP errors—seniors, people with disabilities, rural households, and families with children—bear the consequences of systemic complexity they did not create. Lutheran ethics reject shifting institutional risk onto the poor.
Lutheran Policy Position and Why Lutherans Are Concerned
Lutherans support SNAP integrity without punitive measures that restrict access to food. HB2206/SB1333 should be opposed unless it is amended to prioritize access, capacity-building, and hunger reduction.
Lutherans believe access to food is a matter of justice, not charity.
HB2206/SB1333 risk denying food to eligible families in order to meet technical targets.
Our faith teaches that systems exist to serve people, not the other way around.
Punishing DES with funding cuts weakens its ability to serve hungry neighbors.
SNAP errors are administrative issues—but hunger is a moral issue.
We can improve accountability without putting families at risk of going hungry.
Faith-Based Recommendation
Arizona should invest in staffing, training, and systems improvement—not penalties—to reduce error rates while protecting food access.
Hearings
HB2206 Scheduled for House Health & Human Services hearing - Monday, 02/02/2026 2:00 PM
SB1333 Scheduled for Senate Health and Human Services hearing - Wednesday, 02/04/2026 9:00 AM, Room: SHR 2
RTS Action
LAMA opposes these bills. Please use your RTS account to register your opinion. If you have an account with the AZ Legislature’s Request-to-Speak (RTS) system, the steps to sign-on in opposition are below. If you don’t have an RTS account, you can sign up for one here: https://lamaz.org/request-to-speak.
How to oppose these bills through the Request-to-Speak System
Sign into your RTS account at this link: https://apps.azleg.gov/Account/SignOn and click "Request to Speak."
Click on the "New Request" tab on the left.
In the “Search Phrase” bar, type HB2206, then hit search.
The bill should appear below: “HB2206 - SNAP; error rate; forensic audit”
Click the blue "Add request" tab on the right.
FINALLY, you'll be able to click the green thumbs up button to indicate you are "for" the bill – hooray!
Select “No,” you do not wish to speak to the committee directly. You may add publicly-visible comments in the box if you wish, but it's not required.
Click submit and you're done.
Follow the same procedure for SB1333 - SNAP; error rate; forensic audit.
THANK YOU!