House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, filed two bills today that will ensure taxpayer-funded assistance programs are only reserved for those who are lawfully present in the United States. The bills will make sure the state is Safeguarding Eligibility, Compliance and Use of Resources Efficiently (SECURE) when it comes to state and federal assistance.

“These bills are about accountability, fairness and the rule of law,” Speaker Hilbert said. “Oklahoma taxpayers should never be forced to subsidize benefits for individuals who are in our country illegally. These services are intended for legal tax-paying citizens, and we are going to make sure that is who is receiving these benefits in Oklahoma.”

The bills, HB 4422 and HB 4423, both reinforce eligibility standards for public assistance programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid and Women Infant Children (WIC), by clarifying that individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States are ineligible for taxpayer-funded benefits. The legislation strengthens verification requirements to ensure state agencies are complying with federal law and that benefits are directed to eligible recipients only.

Speaker Hilbert said the legislation is pro-worker, pro-taxpayer and pro-law enforcement.

“We continue to undo the effects of reckless federal border policies created by the Biden Administration that have made every state a border state. Oklahoma must send a clear message: we stand with legal immigrants, American workers and the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol who enforce our laws,” Hilbert said. "This promotes cooperation with federal authorities and reinforces that Oklahoma will not serve as a magnet for illegal immigration or the misuse of public resources."

Together, these measures reaffirm House leadership’s dedication to an America First agenda focused on Safeguarding Eligibility, Compliance and Use of Resources Efficiently (SECURE).