03/05/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

              HB 196-FOOD STAMP PROGRAM ELIGIBILTY                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:46:28 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."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:47:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GENEVIEVE   MINA,  Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
reviewed HB  196 before  the committee.   She explained  that the                                                               
goal of HB 196 is to  improve food security in Alaska by focusing                                                               
on  improving  the   Supplemental  Nutrition  Assistance  Program                                                               
(SNAP)  in Alaska.   She  explained that  HB 196  would pursue  a                                                               
federal flexibility  known as broad base  categorical eligibility                                                               
(BBCE)  that  would  allow  the Department  of  Health  (DOH)  to                                                               
increase the federal poverty income  limit for SNAP benefits from                                                               
100 percent to 200 percent of  the federal limit and to allow DOH                                                               
to waive the asset requirement of SNAP.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:49:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked for  an estimation of  the increase                                                               
of people  that would utilize  SNAP benefits due to  the increase                                                               
in the federal poverty income limit.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
KATY GIORGIO, Staff, Representative  Genevieve Mina, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative Mina,  prime sponsor of                                                               
HB  196, said  that the  Congressional Budget  Office's has  data                                                               
related to the expansion of SNAP recipients.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER   asked  how  many  recipients   of  SNAP                                                               
benefits are individual versus family recipients.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:50:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEB  ETHERIDGE, Director,  Division of  Public Assistance  (DPA),                                                               
Department of  Health, answered that DPA  measures the definition                                                               
of  a  family recipient  as  a  group  with 2.5  individuals  per                                                               
household and  said that she  does not  have current data  on the                                                               
difference  between  individuals   and  families  utilizing  SNAP                                                               
benefits.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:52:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked  whether there is any data as  to how successful                                                               
raising the federal poverty income limit would be.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHERIDGE answered  that other states that  have utilized the                                                               
same strategy  to increase SNAP  benefit qualification  have seen                                                               
increased self-sufficiency and job security.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:54:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked when the 60-month  enrollment limit                                                               
on SNAP begins.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ETHERIDGE said  she would  get  back to  the committee  with                                                               
answers later.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:55:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  gave closing remarks regarding  the efficacy                                                               
of  BBCE and  said  that  it encourages  work  and relieves  many                                                               
families of basic living expenses to  allow them to save and move                                                               
forward  financially.   She explained  that currently,  there are                                                               
many people who  can't accept a 50-cent raise  because they would                                                               
no longer  qualify for benefits  and lose  more in the  long run.                                                               
She  explained how  SNAP benefits  are determined  and said  that                                                               
most states  have pursued BBCE  because it encourages  and allows                                                               
people to progress  in their careers.  She  elaborated further on                                                               
the   intricacies  of   federal  assistance   programs  and   how                                                               
recipients are  chosen.  She  noted that there  is a lot  of work                                                               
being done  in Alaska  to address  food insecurity  and expressed                                                               
her gratitude to DPA for its interest in HB 196.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:00:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  moved to  report HB 196  from committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  HB 196 was reported  from the                                                               
House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.