Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach announced some changes he’d make to state welfare if he wins his upcoming election. The current Secretary of State said he’d institute more strict work requirements for people looking to collect food stamps, cash assistance and state health care benefits.
The new regulations would ask able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work a minimum of 30 hours per week. Additionally, recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) would see their work requirement minimums jump from 20 to 30 hours per week.
With more jobs available than the recorded unemployment rate, Kobach said “there’s no excuse for an able-bodied adult to be collecting welfare on the back of hard-working Kansans.”
Other notable changes are required drug tests for Medicaid and SNAP recipients as well as immigration status checks of recipients utilizing the federal government’s SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) process.
“Kansas has a very low unemployment rate, lower than the national average, and many employers are actively seeking applicants,” Kobach said in a release. The Kansas unemployment rate is currently 3.3 percent.
The proposal builds on restrictions passed in 2015 and 2016 under the HOPE Act. The press release says the goal of the restrictions are to offer recipients “a hand-up rather than a hand-out.”
“It’s time to move people off of welfare and into jobs,” Kobach said.
Kobach’s Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, Kansas Sen. Laura Kelly, criticized the plan in their Tuesday debate.
“None of these policies outlined by Kris Kobach will save money,” Kelly said in a statement. “In fact, they will cost the state of Kansas far more.”
She also said similar past policies have ruined families by denying benefits to families in need.
Kobach’s independent opponent, Greg Orman said the new rules would have “unintended consequences that he clearly hasn’t thought through.”
