Commissioner Bill O'Dea Calls on State to Act Swiftly on EBT Card Reform to Protect Vulnerable Residents

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea is urging the State of New Jersey to take immediate action to upgrade SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards with EuroPay, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) chip technology following the successful passage of a resolution by the Hudson County Board of Commissioners. 

The resolution, which O'Dea sponsored along with Commissioner Jerry Walker, calls on the state to address the alarming increase in EBT card thefts, which have disproportionately impacted low-income families across Hudson County—home to more than 5,000 families receiving SNAP assistance as of April 2023. Further exacerbating this situation– on December 20, 2024 the Federal government eliminated the practice of a policy that used to allow states to replace stolen EBT benefits with Federal funds.

“The federal policy change that took effect in December 2024 left affected families with no recourse after having their benefits electronically stolen,” O’Dea said. “These are families relying on this assistance to put food on the table. The state has a responsibility to do everything possible to protect them from fraud.”

SNAP benefits in New Jersey are currently distributed through Families First EBT cards, which uses outdated magnetic stripe technology that is vulnerable to skimming, cloning and other forms of electronic theft. The resolution urges the state to replace these cards with EMV chip-enabled cards— commonly used in debit and credit cards —which generate unique transaction codes and offer a stronger layer of encryption.

“This is not just a Hudson County issue—it’s a statewide issue. But in one of the most densely populated and diverse counties in New Jersey, we see firsthand the impact of this growing problem,” O’Dea said. “Switching to chip technology is a commonsense solution that’s long overdue.”

The resolution received unanimous support from the Board of Commissioners and has been sent to Governor Phil Murphy and Hudson County’s delegation to the State Legislature.

“The tools are available, and the urgency is real,” O’Dea added. “We’re calling on the state to act now— before more families suffer needless hardship.”