Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a measure that would tighten the state’s rules for obtaining food assistance for non-disabled adults without children and another extending protections from lawsuits that health care providers received during the coronavirus pandemic. Neither measure cleared the Legislature with the two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate necessary to override a veto. The measure dealing with food assistance would require non-disabled adults without children to enroll in job training to receive assistance if they’re not working 30 hours a week.
Republicans argue that it would move people receiving assistance into the workforce. Critics say some poor adults who are working part-time would be forced to quite to do the job training. Kelly says lawmakers made the bill shielding health care providers from COVID 19 related lawsuits into January 2023 too broad. Kansas lawmakers are on their Annual Spring Break, but are scheduled to reconvene next Monday to wrap up business for the year.
