Friday, January 27, 2012

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.