The proposed bill, General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 168, aims to enhance the integrity of public assistance programs by mandating the Department of Social Services to conduct annual audits specifically targeting potential fraud and the repeated out-of-state use of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. This initiative is intended to reduce the risk of fraudulent activities associated with public assistance benefits.

To implement this, the bill proposes an amendment to title 17b of the general statutes, inserting a requirement for these annual audits. There are no deletions from current law mentioned in the bill text. The overall goal is to strengthen oversight and ensure that public assistance benefits are distributed fairly and appropriately.