Kansas lawmakers move to lift ATM limits for welfare
A $25 limit on welfare recipients’ ATM withdrawals that drew national attention to Kansas may be on its way out.
The Senate voted 28-11 Saturday for a bill that would allow the secretary of children and families to raise the limit — or eliminate it if necessary — to comply with conditions of the federal grants that fund the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
The House was expected to follow suit and approve the bill.
Officials of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have told McClatchy Newspapers that the ATM limit was under review over whether it complies with federal regulations requiring that welfare recipients have adequate access to their benefits without having to pay excessive fees.
Benefits are issued on an ATM debit card. Each transaction costs the recipient $1, plus potentially larger private ATM fees.
The state receives about $102 million a year for the program. Benefits for a family of four top out about $500 a month.
The $25 withdrawal limit became national news in conjunction with other limits the Legislature put on welfare recipients.
The bill also banned them from spending Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money on a long list of goods and services deemed by lawmakers as too luxurious or frivolous.
Activities banned ranged from strip clubs and cruise ships to swimming pools, sports events, movies and theme parks.
Democratic senators argued against the bill, saying they wanted a full repeal of the ATM restriction and cuts in the list of banned activities.
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, said having to be on welfare is already embarrassing and the restrictions in the bill “further belittle those who find themselves in situations where they need assistance.”
Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City Democrat, said the welfare restriction “gives a black eye to Kansans” and makes the state look mean and petty. Haley, who is black, told his predominantly white colleagues that the face of poverty in the state “looks more like you than me.”
Sen. Michael O’Donnell, a Wichita Republican who carried the original bill on the floor, said he found Haley’s rhetoric “a little bombastic.”
“If that was political or racial,” he said, “I’m not sure.”
Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, a Shawnee Republican, said the restrictions are designed to get welfare recipients working and improve their self-esteem.
“This was not done to save money, quite the contrary,” she said. “Everyone here in this body wants to do the right thing. … To insinuate otherwise is degrading.”
The money for welfare is “taken” from other Kansans and the Legislature has a duty to see it spent responsibly, said Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, a Leavenworth Republican. He called opposition to the restrictions “political theater masquerading as concern.”
http://www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article23312298.html
