Join organizations across Kansas in opposition to CCR 2094 by signing the letter below by 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 18.
CCR 2094 is a bill that would make it more difficult for aging, food insecure Kansans to receive the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program benefits for which they are eligible. It would require 50-59 year-olds to document 30 hours of work a week or participate in a mandatory SNAP Employment & Training Program in order to receive Food Assistance benefits. This bill does not acknowledge the unique challenges faced by older Kansans in the workforce and it threatens the food security of some of our most vulnerable residents.
We hope to have organizations from every corner of the state sign the letter below to encourage Governor Kelly to veto the bill and then ask the legislature to let her veto stand.
Please sign on to the letter below so we can show our elected officials that Kansans care.
Dear elected officials:
As more than ### organizations who care about our neighbors experiencing food insecurity, we oppose efforts to further restrict access to Food Assistance through CCR 2094. We call on you to oppose enacting further restrictions by preventing CCR 2094 from becoming Kansas law.
This bill will put up more barriers to aging, food insecure Kansans who are eligible for the 100% federally funded Food Assistance benefits, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
As local organizations serving Kansans, we were shocked to learn that only one organization supported this provision—an organization from Florida. Opportunity Solutions Project, based in Tallahassee, wants to put these Food Assistance policies in place in Kansas, but
Floridians won’t pay the increased costs to expand bureaucratic red tape and hire the employees to manage it. Kansans will.
Floridians won’t be the ones getting buried in paperwork. State employees and our older neighbors seeking assistance in Kansas will.
Floridians won’t be the ones to lose their Food Assistance and with it their ability to shop in their local grocery stores for the food their families need. Vulnerable Kansans will.
Floridians won’t be the ones asked to donate money, food and time to charitable organizations like ours, which will be stretched even further as more hungry people turn to us for help. Kansans will.
Opportunity Solutions Project in Florida will get a “win,” while food insecure Kansans, our communities and the charitable organizations that serve them will lose.
What do we know about SNAP recipients in Kansas?
- The average SNAP benefit is $2 a meal a day.
- 36% receive SNAP for 6 months or less.
- 61% receive SNAP for one year or less.
Why would more SNAP restrictions and red tape be bad for Kansas?
- It is very difficult to access SNAP in Kansas. Kansas ranks 48th in the nation on the USDA’s SNAP Program Access Index. This bill will only make it worse.
- Already, fewer than 70% of Kansas are receiving the SNAP benefits for which they are eligible.
- Kansas’ application for benefits is 31 pages long.
- Kansas has the 10th highest cost-per-SNAP-application in the nation because of the amount of red tape in the program.
Please prevent CCR 2094 from becoming law in Kansas.
Sincerely,
Please note that this sign-on letter is for organizations only. If you would like to express your personal opposition to this bill, please reach out to your local elected officials directly. You can find your legislators at www.kslegislature.org.