02/24/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

              HB 196-FOOD STAMP PROGRAM ELIGIBILTY                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:36:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  196,  "An  Act  relating  to  the  supplemental                                                               
nutrition  assistance program;  and  providing  for an  effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:37:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GENEVIEVE  MINA,   Alaska  State  Representative,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, introduced HB  196 to the committee.   She explained                                                               
she would  discuss the Supplemental Nutrition  Assistance Program                                                               
[SNAP] and eligibility for the program.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA showed  a PowerPoint  presentation regarding                                                               
HB  196, entitled,  "Broad-Based Categorical  Eligibility."   She                                                               
explained that SNAP is Alaska's  strongest food security program,                                                               
and  it is  a hundred  percent funded  by federal  dollars.   The                                                               
program encourages  its recipients to  work, and the  majority of                                                               
SNAP participants  do work.   Alaska follows  federal guidelines,                                                               
but  the program  allows  some flexibility  regarding  how it  is                                                               
administered including how eligibility is defined.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA  presented  slide   3  which  described  the                                                               
history of  the SNAP program in  Alaska.  She showed  slide 4 and                                                               
talked  about what  is referred  to  as the  "benefit cliff"  and                                                               
introduced  the flexibility  options  available  to Alaska  under                                                               
Broad-Based  Categorical  Eligibility  (BBCE).   The  BBCE  would                                                               
eliminate  the  asset test  and  would  allow the  Department  of                                                               
health  to  increase  the  income  limit from  130%  to  200%  of                                                               
Alaska's poverty  level.  She moved  to slide 5 which  showed the                                                               
step-down approach to transitioning  individuals and families off                                                               
SNAP.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:44:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  asked  for  clarification  regarding  the  step-down                                                               
approach for transitioning from SNAP.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  moved to  slides 5  and 6  which illustrated                                                               
the  food  insecurity issues  in  Alaska.   She  described  these                                                               
issues  and discussed  how HB  196  would address  some of  these                                                               
problems.    The  final slide  illustrated  how  SNAP  positively                                                               
affects  local economies,  providing economic  stimulus to  local                                                               
businesses and rural grocers.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:48:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KATY   GIORGIO,   Staff,   Representative  Mina,   Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Mina, prime  sponsor,                                                               
presented  the  sectional analysis  for  HB  196, which  read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     HB 196 Sectional Analysis                                                                                                  
     "An   Act  relating   to  the   supplemental  nutrition                                                                    
     assistance  program;  and  providing for  an  effective                                                                    
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1. Amends AS. 47.25.980(a)(3):                                                                                     
     This section  updates the reference  to the  chapter of                                                                    
     United   States   code   governing   the   Supplemental                                                                    
     Nutrition Assistance Program  (SNAP). This section also                                                                    
     increases  the household  income  limits  for the  SNAP                                                                    
     program  from  130%  to  200%  of  the  Alaska  poverty                                                                    
     standard and eliminates the household asset test.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section  2.  Amends  uncodified law  by  adding  a  new                                                                    
     section:                                                                                                                   
     This section provides the  authority for the Department                                                                    
     of  Health  to  adopt   the  necessary  regulations  to                                                                    
     implement this Act.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3. Provides for an effective date for Section                                                                      
     2:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2 has an immediate effective date.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Section 4. Provides for an effective date.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
      Except as provided in sec. 3, the effective date of                                                                       
     this Act is July 1, 2025                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:49:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced the committee would hear invited testimony.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:50:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RON MEEHAN, Director of Government  Affairs, Food Bank of Alaska,                                                               
Manager, Food  Bank Coalition, spoke in  support of HB 196.   The                                                               
bill  will  increase  government   efficiency,  reduce  the  time                                                               
necessary  to process  SNAP  applications;  and provide  economic                                                               
security  for hard  working  Alaskans.   The  SNAP program  helps                                                               
92,000  Alaskans  and  stimulates  the economy.    He  reiterated                                                               
several of the  points made by Representative  Mina regarding the                                                               
benefit cliff  and gave examples of  disincentivizing people from                                                               
taking jobs  with more  money.   One example  of how  the current                                                               
SNAP asset requirements are  particularly inappropriate in Alaska                                                               
is  that people  who use  a  boat or  snowmobile for  subsistence                                                               
fishing  and  hunting are  disqualified  from  SNAP because  they                                                               
exceed the asset  restrictions.  This legislation  will make SNAP                                                               
work better  and help people get  out of poverty.   The BBCE will                                                               
provide targeted  assistance to  low-income families  and seniors                                                               
while   saving  the   state  money   and  increasing   government                                                               
efficiency.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:56:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  asked how  the  foodbank  interfaces with  the  SNAP                                                               
program.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MEEHAN  responded  that  when people  do  not  receive  SNAP                                                               
benefits, they show up at the foodbanks at much higher levels.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:57:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX asked  what the  niche  that foodbanks  fill in  food                                                               
security   issue   and   whether   foodbanks   have   eligibility                                                               
requirements.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. MEEHAN answered that the  foodbank system was not designed to                                                               
be  an  alternative  to  food benefit  programs.    The  foodbank                                                               
coalition  does   administer  several  programs   with  paperwork                                                               
requirements, but  foodbanks are  designed as an  additional food                                                               
resources and do not have eligibility requirements.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
5:00:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ERIN  WALKER-TOLLES,   Executive  Director,   Catholic  Community                                                               
Services, spoke in support of HB  196.  She described her support                                                               
for the  BBCE but specifically  directed her testimony  to issues                                                               
facing Alaskan seniors.  She  explained that seniors comprise 20%                                                               
of  Alaska's  population.   Catholic  Community  Services has  10                                                               
senior centers,  and last year  served 130,000 hot meals.   Since                                                               
the pandemic, there has been a  dramatic increase in the need for                                                               
senior  services.   She gave  examples of  the difficult  choices                                                               
some  seniors  must make  and  pointed  out that  poor  nutrition                                                               
creates   avoidable   health   issues.     The   most   effective                                                               
intervention is access to nutritious food.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:05:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  questioned  whether the  Catholic  Community  Center                                                               
senior  meal program  is a  supplement  to the  SNAP program  and                                                               
whether she would  expect the demands on the  community center to                                                               
decrease with the projected changes in SNAP.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  WALKER-TOLLES   explained  that  the  senior   meal  program                                                               
provides   approximately    one-third   of    daily   nutritional                                                               
requirements,  and the  SNAP program  is necessary  to meet  many                                                               
seniors' needs.   She explained  that the demands on  the program                                                               
would  fluctuate,  but  there  is  an  increasing  percentage  of                                                               
seniors in Alaska's population.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
5:06:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  asked the  Division of  Public Assistance  to provide                                                               
its perspective.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
DEB   ETHERIDGE,  Director,   Division   of  Public   Assistance,                                                               
Department  of   Health,  described   the  issues   seniors  have                                                               
encountered  with the  SNAP program.    Changing the  eligibility                                                               
requirements  to  the  BBCE  system   allows  seniors  to  access                                                               
benefits more easily.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:08:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  inquired about estimated long-term  results and asked                                                               
about how it helps families get back on their feet.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHERIDGE  pointed out  that the  implementation of  the bill                                                               
does  not remove  need for  families  to work.   Furthermore,  it                                                               
enables families to begin saving in order to move forward.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX  gave  an  extreme scenario  which  he  described  as                                                               
unlikely, but which  would be an example of abuse  of the program                                                               
and asked about the potential for abuse of the SNAP program.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHERIDGE  replied that abuse was  theoretically possible but                                                               
rare.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:11:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MCCORMICK   thanked  Representative   Mina   for                                                               
bringing this  forward and explained  that it was  very important                                                               
to many people in his district.   He ended his comments with what                                                               
he indicated  was an intentional pun,  "Oh SNAP!  Who  said urban                                                               
and bush Alaska cannot work together."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:13:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER commented  that he  felt the  bill was  a                                                               
combination  of  bureaucratic efficiency,  humanity,  compassion,                                                               
helping Alaskans  stay independent,  healthy in their  homes, and                                                               
contributing.   He commended  the sponsor  for bringing  the bill                                                               
forward.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
5:13:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced that HB 196 was held over.