Chair Erickson opened the hearing on SB 363.

Staff provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 5)

Proponents:

Kaitlyn Finley, Visiting Fellow, Foundation for Government Accountability provided oral proponent testimony. (Attachment 1) Kansans are generous people, but they aren't gullible. They expect their tax dollars to be protected and for assistance to reach the children, seniors, and people with disabilities who cannot afford a system that loses its credibility. This bill reinforces that trust by prioritizing responsibility and program integrity.

Neutral:

Christine Osterlund, Deputy Secretary of Agency Integration & Medicaid Director, Kansas Department of Health and Environment provided neutral testimony. (Attachment 2) This bill potentially creates increased costs to the state and risk of noncompliance with federal law, which could potentially result in lost federal funds, repayment of federal funds, and higher error rates. It is likely at least an additional 192 full-time employees would be needed to process Medicaid eligibility within the parameters SB 363 sets.

Dr. Carla Whiteside-Hicks, Director of ESS, Department of Children and Families (DCF) provided neutral testimony. (Attachment 3) SB 363 directs the secretary of the DCF to enter into agreements with other state agencies to allow for the review, comparison and verification of data for food assistance eligibility. Data used from other state agencies to review food assistance eligibility includes death records, wage information, residency changes, incarceration status, changes in employment and lottery winnings. This bill requires more frequent review for these databases.

Written only neutral testimony:

Andrew Brown, Deputy Secretary for Programs, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (Attachment 4)

Chair Erickson recessed the hearing until Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Opponent testimony for SB 363 will be presented on February 11.

The next meeting is February 11, 2026. The meeting adjourned at 10:23 am.