04/18/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

              HB 198-FOOD STAMP PROGRAM ELIGIBILTY                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:06:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.  198,  "An  Act  relating  to  the  supplemental                                                               
nutrition  assistance program;  and  providing  for an  effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:06:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ANDREW  GRAY, Alaska  State Legislature,  as prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented HB  198. He  said  that in  2022, the  Alaska                                                               
Department   of  Health   (DOH)  had   an  enormous   backlog  of                                                               
Supplemental  Nutrition  Assistance  Program  (SNAP)  applicants,                                                               
many  of whom  being  children, the  primary  recipients of  SNAP                                                               
benefits in Alaska.  He pointed out that the USDA  wrote a letter                                                               
to Governor Dunleavy on February  8th, 2024 that suggested Alaska                                                               
comply  with  the  federal  maximum  timeline  for  SNAP  benefit                                                               
recertification.  He said  that  Alaska  currently requires  SNAP                                                               
recipients to recertify every 6  months, while to current federal                                                               
requirements  outline  a  recertification  every  12  months,  24                                                               
months   for   senior   citizens.    He   emphasized   that   the                                                               
recertification process  is an administrative  burden on  the DOH                                                               
that has potential to delay critical benefits to people in need.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:11:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  SONG,  Staff,  Representative Andrew  Gray,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  On  behalf  of Representative  Andrew  Gray,  prime                                                               
sponsor, presented HB  198 to the committee. He  began by reading                                                               
the sectional analysis to HB  198 [hardcopy included in committee                                                               
packet] which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                         House Bill 198                                                                                         
                             Ver. A                                                                                             
                       Sectional Analysis                                                                                       
     Section 1:                                                                                                                 
     Amends  AS 47.25.980(a)  to require  the Department  of                                                                    
     Health  to  certify  each eligible  household  for  the                                                                    
     longest  certification period  permitted under  federal                                                                    
     law.                                                                                                                       
     Section 2:                                                                                                                 
     Establishes an immediate effective date.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:15:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RON  MEEHAN,  Director  of Governmental  Affairs,  Food  Bank  of                                                               
Alaska, gave invited testimony on  HB 198. He explained that SNAP                                                               
benefits supported around  1 in 8 Alaskans in 2022  and said that                                                               
a  portion of  SNAP  recipients must  complete  an interview  and                                                               
paperwork  to   ensure  that  they  continue   to  receive  their                                                               
benefits. He  emphasized that HB  198 would reduce the  chance of                                                               
any future  backlog of SNAP applications  forming and highlighted                                                               
the "enormous  consequences" of the previous  backlog that formed                                                               
in 2022.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:19:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   FIELDS  asked   what  pending   proposals  could                                                               
immediately help with food insecurity.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MEEHAN  replied  that  the   DOH  is  currently  looking  at                                                               
implementing the  Elderly &  Disabled Application  Program (EDAP)                                                               
to  aide people  in their  SNAP applications  and added  that the                                                               
legislature  could add  SNAP-related amendments  in their  annual                                                               
budget to aide the program as a whole.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:21:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX opened public testimony on HB 198.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:22:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ERIN  WALKER-TOLLES,   Executive  Director,   Catholic  Community                                                               
Services,  testified  in  support  of   HB  198.  She  began  her                                                               
testimony  by  giving her  background  in  community service  and                                                               
spoke to  the recent  dramatic increase in  need for  senior meal                                                               
programs  in Alaska.  She  said  that there  has  been a  serious                                                               
increase in  need among folks with  a fixed income and  said that                                                               
public assistance has  been vital in ensuring that  they don't go                                                               
hungry                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:25:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked what grant  funding for senior meals Ms. Walker-                                                               
Tolles was referring to.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS.  WALKER-TOLLES  answered  that   she  was  referring  to  the                                                               
Division   of   Senior   and  Disability   Service's   Nutrition,                                                               
Transportation, and Support Services (NTS) grants.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:27:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GREG  MEYER,  Executive  Director,  Kenai  Peninsula  Food  Bank,                                                               
testified in support of HB  198. He said that the recertification                                                               
process for  SNAP benefits is  difficult and arduous  for someone                                                               
experiencing a hunger crisis to go  through. He said that any way                                                               
for someone  to be relieved of  the burden of paperwork  and time                                                               
is an important thing to achieve.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:29:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DUANE  PATTERSON,  Director,  St.   Francis  House  Food  Pantry,                                                               
Catholic Community Services,  testified in support of  HB 198. He                                                               
shared  his  experience that  the  food  pantry  he works  at  is                                                               
experiencing  increasing demands  and said  that the  increase in                                                               
demand id due in part to the backlog of SNAP applications.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:30:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RACHEL  LORD, Advocacy  and Policy  Director, Alaska  Food Policy                                                               
Council, testified in support of  HB 198. She began her testimony                                                               
by explaining the role that  the Alaska Food Policy Council plays                                                               
in ensuring food security for  Alaskans alike and said that there                                                               
is  an  increasing  need  for  SNAP  benefits  and  their  smooth                                                               
implementation.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:32:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX, after  ascertaining there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 198.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:32:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  asked Deb  Etheridge how  long 6  months has                                                               
been the  timeline for the  SNAP benefit  recertification process                                                               
and  further questioned  how  long  it would  take  to alter  the                                                               
month-month eligibility via regulation.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:32:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DEB   ETHRIDGE,   Director,   Division  of   Public   Assistance,                                                               
Department of Health, responded that  the 6 month time period for                                                               
recertification of  SNAP benefits has  been the status  quo since                                                               
the benefit's inception. She said  that the process to change the                                                               
timeline from 6  to 12 months was not  performed through Alaska's                                                               
regulatory structure, but rather through federal statute.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:35:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  asked why  the Commissioner of  the DOH                                                               
couldn't  just select  their own  timeline for  the SNAP  benefit                                                               
recertification period.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ETHRIDGE  said that  the  DOH  extended the  recertification                                                               
period without  federal approval and  said that the  DOH performs                                                               
what is called  an "interim report" to verify the  necessity of a                                                               
recertification of SNAP benefits in the first place.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked if there  would still need to be a                                                               
federal approval for a timeline change  even if it is legal under                                                               
Alaska Statute.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ETHRIDGE replied  that if  Alaska  were to  change from  the                                                               
current period  of 12 months to  24 months the DOH  would have to                                                               
inquire with the federal government about the change.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:40:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY said  that the DOH was not  doing the federal                                                               
maximum limit when he filed the bill.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE questioned  if the  approved 12  months                                                               
was allowed to be changed by the DOH.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:42:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MINA commented  that the  Legislature could  work                                                               
collaboratively  with  the  DOH  to   help  set  more  productive                                                               
policies like online  SNAP benefit applications and  the 12 month                                                               
re-application timeline.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:43:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   RUFFRIDGE  asked   what  the   longest  possible                                                               
recertification process was under federal law.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:44:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHRIDGE explained  that the longest period is  24 months and                                                               
said that  the period could  be extended through a  waiver called                                                               
the "Elderly Simplified"  waiver that allows a person  to wait up                                                               
to 36 months for recertification of their SNAP benefits.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE asked  if  someone  could extend  their                                                               
recertification period  in any circumstance other  than their old                                                               
age.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHRIDGE  said that the  recertification period  is currently                                                               
24 months for disabled and  elderly individuals and 12 months for                                                               
non-disabled, non-elderly people.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:44:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX asked  if Alaska's food stamp program  falls under the                                                               
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ETHRIDGE  answered  that  TANF  is a  block  grant  that  is                                                               
separate from SNAP or food stamp benefits.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  asked if  someone utilizing food  stamps is  meant to                                                               
report any  new employment to  the DOH before their  SNAP renewal                                                               
period. He  asked if  the DOH  has any  method of  predicting how                                                               
long someone might utilize SNAP benefits.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ETHRIDGE explained  that the  food stamp  and SNAP  programs                                                               
expect its recipients to work and  answered that the DOH does not                                                               
have a  method to predict how  long a person will  remain on food                                                               
stamps or  SNAP benefits. She  emphasized that the DOH  has fraud                                                               
investigation units that  take care of any  fraud concerns within                                                               
Alaska's SNAP or food stamp programs.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  PRAX asked  if the  DOH's interim  report helps  to verify                                                               
data during a recertification period.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHRIDGE explained  that part of the  interim report includes                                                               
things like  residency verification and  the usage of  one's SNAP                                                               
benefits.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:49:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MINA  asked   what  percentage   of  fraud   was                                                               
legitimate and what was agency error.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHRIDGE explained that a  very high rate of errors occurring                                                               
were agency errors.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:51:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS  asked if there  are other things  that the                                                               
State  can do  to reduce  food insecurity  in Alaska  and further                                                               
questioned  if  there  was  any way  that  the  SNAP  application                                                               
process could be streamlined.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. ETHRIDGE answered  that the DOH is looking at  a multitude of                                                               
options for  the state to utilize  in its efforts to  reduce food                                                               
insecurity and said that transitory  SNAP benefits are one of the                                                               
clearest ways to improve food  insecurity in Alaska. She answered                                                               
that  the SNAP  application could  be dynamically  leveraged over                                                               
other  SNAP applications  with robotic,  automated processing  of                                                               
applicants.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:54:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY  commented that the  DOH had remarked  in the                                                               
past that they were rushed and  overburdened and said that HB 198                                                               
could help reduce such an administrative burden.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:55:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX announced that HB 198 was held over.