Bill > SB85

This bill directs the Kansas Secretary for Children and Families to implement a comprehensive data-matching and verification system for food assistance program eligibility. The bill requires the secretary to establish data-sharing agreements with multiple state agencies to regularly review and compare information that could impact an individual's or household's eligibility for food assistance. These data sources include monthly checks with vital statistics for death records, quarterly reviews of employment and wage information from the labor department, monthly checks of residency through electronic benefit transfer transactions, quarterly tax record reviews, monthly checks of incarceration status, and monthly reviews of lottery and gambling winnings. Additionally, the bill mandates monthly federal data reviews from sources like the national directory of new hires, housing and urban development payment information, and federal bureau of investigation records. The secretary is also required to publish quarterly public reports detailing aggregate, non-identifying information about program investigations, including the number of households investigated, referrals for prosecution, improper payments, recovered funds, and other statistical data about program compliance and ineligible recipients. The goal of these provisions is to enhance program integrity, prevent fraud, and ensure that food assistance benefits are appropriately distributed to eligible households.

Government Affairs, Labor and Employment

Government Efficiency (Senate)

https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb85/