SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2627
As Recommended by House Committee on
Welfare Reform

Brief*
HB 2627 would reorganize subsections within the public
assistance statute (KSA 2023 Supp. 39-709) pertaining to
eligibility requirements for the cash assistance program
(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF), the food
assistance program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program or SNAP), and the child care subsidy program;
general requirements related to drug screenings and
convictions, assignment of support rights to the Secretary for
Children and Families and limited power of attorney; and
provisions related to fraud investigations.
The bill would also move existing language within the
subsection on the medical assistance program (Medicaid or
KanCare) that pertains to the subjects of the newly
reorganized subsections to the corresponding subsections.
Additionally, the bill would update statutory references in KSA
39-737 to reflect the reorganized subsections.
The bill would also make technical amendments to
ensure consistency in statutory phrasing.

Reorganization of Subsections
The statute would be reorganized into the following
subsections:

____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 ● Subsection (a): General eligibility requirements for
public assistance for which federal moneys are
spent for TANF, the food assistance program, and
the child care subsidy program; [Note: The general
eligibility requirements in continuing law are
qualifying income, citizenship, and Kansas
residency.]
● Subsection (b): Requirements specific to TANF;
● Subsection (c): Requirements specific to the food
assistance program;
● Subsection (d): Requirements specific to the child
care subsidy;
● Subsection (e): Fraud investigations;
● Subsection (f): General requirements related to
drug screenings and convictions;
● Subsection (g): General requirements related to
assignment of support rights and limited power of
attorney; and
● Subsection (h): Electronic benefits card.
The subsections with requirements specific to TANF,
food assistance, and the child care subsidy (subsections (b)
through (d)) would include a provision that eligibility for each
of those programs would be subject to the corresponding
requirements for drug screenings and convictions located in
subsection (f). [Note: The drug screening and convictions
provisions are continuing law.]

Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Welfare Reform at the request of Representative Awerkamp.

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House Committee on Welfare Reform
In the House Committee hearing, no proponent
testimony was provided.
Neutral testimony was provided by a representative of
Kansas Action for Children who stated reorganizing the
statute is not helpful, and the Committee should consider how
to change the statute to improve the lives of Kansans.
Written-only neutral testimony was provided by
representatives of the American Heart Association;
Harvesters—The Community Food Network, the Kansas
Food Bank, and Second Harvest Community Food Bank;
Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of
Kansas; Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice; and
United Community Services of Johnson County.
Opponent testimony was provided by a representative
of Kansas Interfaith Action who stated there was no reason to
rearrange a statute that could be improved to make obtaining
public assistance less difficult for those in need.
No other testimony was provided.

Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment and the Department for Children and Families
indicate enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect.
Public assistance; statute reorganization; eligibility; cash assistance; Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families; TANF; food assistance program; Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program; SNAP; child care subsidy program


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Statutes affected:
As introduced: 39-757, 39-709, 21-5701