A Kansas House committee will question a
state official next week about a new policy that reduced or ended
food stamp benefits to hundreds of U.S.-born children of illegal
immigrants.
The Appropriations Committee is scheduled to hear Monday from
Michelle Schroeder, public policy director for the Kansas
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
An SRS policy enacted Oct. 1 changed the way household incomes
are calculated to determine eligibility for food stamps. SRS
officials have said the change ended a practice that favored
families with illegal immigrants.
Legislators say they’re sympathetic to the goal, but some say
the state could attack the problem without denying food stamps to
children.
SRS says about 2,000 children have lost food stamp benefits
since Oct. 1.