BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts House has approved a measure designed to study new ways to ferret out fraud in the state’s public assistance programs, including the possible use of fingerprints
The measure - included in the House version of the 2016 fiscal year state budget - requires the Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to look at the feasibility of adopting a so-called biometric authentication system.
A biometric authentication system uses a person’s biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, to cross-check their enrollment in other public assistance programs to see if there is a match.
The amendment’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Brad Jones of North Reading, said the technology could save the state millions by preventing individuals from fraudulently claiming public benefits they don’t qualify for.
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