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Minutes for SB501 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Requiring able-bodied adults without dependents to complete an employment and training program in order to receive food assistance, requiring state agencies to conduct cross-checks to verify public assistance recipient eligibility and to receive public assistance, requiring the department for health and environment seek approval to eliminate mandatory hospital presumptive eligibility, requiring hospitals to follow standards established for presumptive eligibility determinations and requiring state agencies to make data from fraud investigations into food assistance and medical assistance publicly available on such agencies' websites.
Minutes Content for Thu, Mar 10, 2022
Chairperson Hilderbrand opened the hearing on SB501.
Jenna Moyer, Staff Revisor gave an overview of the bill
Sam Adolphson gave proponent testimony. He stated that SB501 will help tens of thousands of Kansas workers on welfare to get connected with jobs and their communities. This will be good for Kansas's economy and taxpayers but the primary benefit is for the workers themselves who can build self-sufficient lives, independent from government dependency. (Attachment 1)
Written only, proponent testimony was submitted by:
Steven Anderson, Medicaid Inspector General (Attachment 2)
Sarah Fertig gave neutral testimony but said Kansas Department of Health and Environment has concerns about the cost and feasibility of certain provisions such as new requirements for the Medicaid program related to presumptive eligibility, penalty periods, and data sharing and verification. (Attachment 3)
Testifying as an opponent, John Wilson, said SB501 contains numerous provision that he strongly opposes:
- Creates new reporting and verification processes that would require rapid and extensive bureaucratic expansion for state agencies.
- Requires multiple state agencies to create new technology systems, practices and staff position that will increase costs to the state.
- Enacts new mandates for those Kansans who are facing temporary financial hardship and are trying to get back on their feet and back on the path to self-sufficiency.
He said voting in favor of SB501 is voting in favor of an unnecessary and expensive expansion of government bureaucracy and inefficiency, which wastes public resources. (Attachment 4)
Karen Siebert gave opponent testimony. She stated that SB501 makes it more difficult for Kansas families to receive both food and healthcare assistance. Her testimony focused on who is not helped by the passage of SB501 including Kansas taxpayers; people who want to curtain the growth of state government; state workers; food insecure families; grocers and food pantries. (Attachment 5)
Rabbi Moti Rieber testified as an opponent of SB501 saying his argument is threefold - (1), SB501 is an attack on the dignity of Kansas' most vulnerable citizens. Forcing people off of assistance through burdensome requirements is not the same thing as alleviating poverty; (2), SB501 is a big government solution, asking underfunded state agencies to spend their limited resources on redundant cross-checking measures, and (3), SB501 will have a negative impact on the charitable section, including food pantries run by churches and other places of worship in rural and urban communities across Kansas. (Attachment 6)
Haley Kottler spoke against SB501 by saying that the bill undermines basic Kansas values of fairness and subjects low-income Kansans to intrusive burdens that would dramatically increase government bureaucracy in order to make things harder for struggling people. (Attachment 7)
Gail Cozadd gave opponent testimony. She asked that SB501 be opposed as it creates burdensome legislation for children and families in Kansas who directly benefit from the food assistance program, as well as increases government spending to provide the necessary oversight required by the bill provisions. (Attachment 8)
Sandra Kimmons testified in opposition of SB501 stating that previous experience with policies that changed eligibility rules for public assistance have generated additional costs to administer programs. The proposed changes in SB501 include exemptions from the work requirements program; able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) participation in employment and training programs; reporting changes for food assistance; reporting of lottery winnings; reporting verification; coordination with law enforcement regarding electronic benefits transfer (EBT) transactions and data matching coordination with KDHE. (Attachment 9)
Tara May, in her opposition testimony, asked that if SB501 is passed for assurances that the hospitals can continue to use contracted vendors for the processing of the requirements set out in SB501 and also requests clarity on which hospital staff would actually need to receive additional training should the punitive actions outlined in the bill ever need to be taken. (Attachment 10)
Lindsie Ford testified in her opponent testimony that SB501 would be overly burdensome to survivors of domestic and sexual violence who rely on public benefits as a tool to establish a safe and healthy future. Enacting measures that make it more difficult to leave abusive partners does not benefit survivors or Kansans any way. (Attachment 11)
Due to time constraints, Chairperson Hilderbrand left to attend another meeting and Senator Erickson was asked to chair the meeting at this time.
Sean Gatewood stated in his opponent testimony that SB501 is punitive, inefficient, burdensome and unnecessary. He said it is simply bad policy and asked that the committee vote no on SB501. (Attachment 12)
Megan Word gave opposition testimony to SB501. She stated that SB501 creates barriers to affordable, comprehensive health care coverage for uninsured/under-insured Kansans and encouraged lawmakers to oppose SB501. (Attachment 13)
Committee members posed questions to conferees.
Written only opponent testimony was submitted by:
Liz Long, Policy Analyst, KCDD (Attachment 14)
Alison Troutwine, Private Citizen (Attachment 15)
David Herdman, Private Citizen (Attachment 16)
Kevin Strathman, Private Citizen (Attachment 17)
Diane Smith, Private Citizen (Attachment 18)
Lauren Tice Miller, KNEA (Attachment 19)
Carolyn Garwood, Deacon, St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Attachment 20)
W. Fred Washington, Private Citizen (Attachment 21)
Deborah Dawkins, Executive. Director, East Topeka Seniors (Attachment 22)
David Williams, Private Citizen (Attachment 23)
Carrie McAtee, Member, BOD, Harvester Community Food Network (Attachment 24)
Stuart Little, Kansas Food & Farm Coalition (Attachment 25)
Jennifer Adhima, Ex. Dir., KS Head Start Association (Attachment 26)
Kari Rinker, American Heart Association (Attachment 27)
Tanya Dorf Brunner, Oral Health Ks written only (Attachment 28)
Linda Wyman, Private Citizen written only (Attachment 29)
Lynn Frazier, Member, BOD, Westside Good Neighbor Center (Attachment 30)
Abbey Gleichenhaus, HumanKind Ministries (Attachment 31)
Cindy Harold, Wallace County Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry (Attachment 32)
Gayona McDonald, Genesis-Thomas County Inc. (Attachment 33)
Gene Winkler, Marion County Food Bank (Attachment 34)
Georgia Masterson, HumanityHouse Foundation (Attachment 35)
Karen A. Springer, Reach Out Food Pantry, Prescott, KS (Attachment 36)
Laura Jordan, Park City Pride Food Pantry (Attachment 37)
Nancy Bansemer, Project Hope, Hugoton, KS (Attachment 38)
Nancy Johnson, Fredonia Food Bank (Attachment 39)
Renee Michaud, St. Joseph Food Pantry & Diaper Closet (Attachment 40)
Susan Moellinger, Passageways, Wichita KS (Attachment 41)
William McReynolds, Udall Food Bank (Attachment 42)
Mary Jane Hoffer, Lecompton United Methodist Church Food Pantry (Attachment 43)
Senator Erickson closed the hearing on SB501.
Senator Erickson adjourned the meeting at 10:15 a.m. The next scheduled meeting is March 15, 2022.
