A Republican-backed bill to ease child labor regulations and tighten eligibility criteria for food stamps passed the Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday, over fervent opposition from Democrats.
Both bills passed back-to-back votes and were sent to the Republican-controlled Senate after lengthy debate in the House. Democratic lawmakers decried the proposal as harsh on low-income and young Kentuckians, while Republicans argued the measure reflected pro-labor policies.
One bill would introduce income and asset tests for Kentuckians applying for benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and impose work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents. SNAP helps low-income households supplement their budgets so they can buy groceries.
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Republican Rep. Wade Williams said the bill would close loopholes that are a disincentive to hiring more people, contributing to the state’s stubbornly low labor force participation rate. Stated. He says he hears complaints like this all the time from employers who are struggling to find enough workers.
“Now that the pandemic is behind us, it’s time to come up with thoughtful solutions on how to get more workers back to work,” he said. “Keeping someone just in the service of the government is not mercy.”
Opponents warned that under the stricter standards, tens of thousands of low-income Kentuckians would lose food assistance, putting them at greater risk of struggling to get enough to eat. The effects will not only affect healthy adults, but also young people and the elderly, they said.
April 7, 2021 at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. On February 22, 2024, the Kentucky House of Representatives passed a Republican-backed measure that would repeal child labor rules and increase eligibility standards for food stamps. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
Democratic Rep. Sarah Stoker read out the estimated number of people who would lose SNAP benefits under the bill in many Kentucky counties, including Republican strongholds.
“How poor do you have to be to eat food in Kentucky?” she said. “That’s today’s question. We’re talking about basic needs and rights.”
Other opponents of House Bill 367 said stricter eligibility criteria would put more strain on food pantries and would come at a time when Kentucky has large budget reserves.
“It stands to reason that we should be the least loved of our own,” Democratic Rep. Chad Orr said. “This is bullying them.”
The bill would close loopholes that allow people to qualify for food stamps despite having significant available assets or incomes well above the poverty level, Williams said. The gross income threshold for SNAP eligibility would also be lowered. He said the new loophole would be closed with the goal of recruiting able-bodied adults between the ages of 18 and 52 without dependents into the workforce.
Williams said voters “don’t think it’s too much to require people to work, train, go to school or volunteer in order to receive government benefits.”
Another bill that passed the House after lengthy debate would ease state regulations on child labor. This would remove a cap on the number of hours older teens can work on school nights. The bill would also prohibit Kentucky labor officials from setting child labor standards that exceed federal minimum protections.
The bill’s lead sponsor, Republican Rep. Philip Pratt, emphasized the life lessons teens can learn by holding down jobs, from the value of money to the importance of taking personal responsibility.
“For those on the other side of this bill, you are standing in the way of these lessons,” he said.
Opponents of HB255 warned that teenagers working longer work weeks would suffer from school work. Democratic Rep. Josie Raymond said employers will use the deregulation to increase the work hours of young workers, especially teenage workers who help their families with living expenses.
“No teenager is going to say, ‘Oh, I can only work 40 hours a week now,’ but if Congress would make it unlimited, I’d go work 50 hours in a heartbeat,” she said. . .
As lawmakers finished debating the food stamp bill, Republican Rep. Samara Heblin said the bill provides answers to questions frequently asked by voters back home.
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“Honestly, every time I go to Walmart or Dollar General or anywhere, I get stopped and asked, “What are you doing in Frankfort to get people back to work?” she said.
Democratic Rep. Rachel Roberts offered a very different assessment, saying the House had just “pounded one cruel bill after another.” He noted the irony that the vote on the food stamp bill came after a debate about loosening work rules for teenage workers.
“The timing of these two bills in quick succession suggests that the solution to how to feed hungry families is for more children to work to earn money for their families,” she said. I did.
