Juan Salinas II
LINCOLN — Lincoln resident Andrea Evans said public assistance programs were never easy to navigate, but she was able to build a better life for herself and her family.
“People sometimes hear pieces of my life story and assume that I just want to stay on assistance forever,” Evans said. “But that’s not true. I want financial self-sufficiency.”
Evans testified against a bill Thursday seeking to reduce how long someone could receive cash assistance under the Welfare Reform Act.
Proposed changes
State Sen. Bob Andersen of Papillion introduced Legislative Bill 656, which would adjust who is eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, a state and federal government program that provides monthly funds to help people buy groceries at stores.
The bill’s significant change would no longer let the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services accept or renew federal waivers making exceptions to work requirements for SNAP, such as living in areas with high unemployment rates or studying in school or training programs.
Andersen said he aims to send a “clear message” that Nebraska wants to turn Nebraska’s “welfare system into a workforce system and help more Nebraskans regain their independence.”
Andersen also filed LB 379, which would change the maximum length of time someone can receive cash assistance under the public assistance program.
“This bill simply recognizes it does not take five years to learn a skill and get a job,” Andersen said.
Several people who testified against the bills said both would only make it harder for low-income Nebraskans to be financially stable. Some argued lawmakers should focus on expanding social programs, not reducing them. Supporters of the bills pointed to states with similar regulations governing welfare programs there.
“Right now, too many individuals remain on cash welfare for too long, creating a cycle of dependency instead of a bridge to self-sufficiency,” said Clay Rhodes, a State Affairs Director for the Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based conservative public policy think tank.
Different approach to public assistance
As of August 2024, 2,965 families in Nebraska were receiving cash assistance, according to a report from the state Legislative Fiscal Office. The bill would require “all able-bodied dependents between [ages] 18 and 59 to participate in an employment and training program.”
However, LB 656 makes exceptions for “caregivers of a dependent child or incapacitated individual,” students enrolled at least half-time and individuals ages 16 to 18 who are not heads of households or attending school or training programs half-time.
The state’s current SNAP requirements are that any household’s gross total monthly income be at or below 165% of the federal poverty level, which fluctuates depending on the number of people in one household, and net monthly income must be at or below 100% of the poverty level. The bills won’t change the requirements but will limit how long someone can be on the program.
According to LB 379’s fiscal note, the new limit on cash assistance would save Nebraska roughly $1 million in state funds. The Legislature is currently facing a projected $432 million budget shortfall.
The freshman lawmaker said he would be open to amending his bill so that the proposed new guidelines wouldn’t affect people already in the program. Andersen is a newly elected lawmaker in suburban Sarpy County’s Legislative District 49, after defeating former Democratic lawmaker Jen Day last year. Anderson was one of the two Republicans who flipped Democratic seats and helped the GOP maintain a supermajority in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.
His approach to public assistance differs from Day, the previous District 49 senator, who pursued bills aiming to expand social programs, including a summer feeding program eventually embraced by Gov. Jim Pillen.
The Health and Human Services Committee took no immediate action on either bill.