(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch.
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Iowa lawmakers consider asset testing for food assistance
['Katie Akin', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2022-01-26 00:00:00
Iowans would need to undergo an asset test to receive food assistance and other state benefits under a proposal moving in the Iowa House.
Under House Study Bill 508, the Department of Human Services would be required to conduct an “asset test” on applicants to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The department would consider an applicant’s bank accounts, cash on hand, and lottery or gambling income. The department would also account for any real estate, other than the primary residence, and other personal property, excluding “personal belongings, household goods, and one vehicle.”
This would be more restrictive than the current system, which allows Iowans to qualify for SNAP if they are enrolled in other public assistance programs.
A lobbyist from the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability, Scott Centorino, spoke in several subcommittees on Wednesday. The group advocates for welfare reform, including measures to tie food assistance to work requirements.
Centorino told Iowa lawmakers the change would close loopholes and align the state with the federal guidelines for SNAP. The goal, he said, was to ensure benefits only went to those who truly needed them.
“It’s a pro-work measure, too, as you remove people who are able-bodied who can and should be working, who are on the program despite being above the asset limit,” Centorino said.
Opponents to the proposal argued the change would require additional paperwork and hardship for individuals who are already struggling. Peter Hurd, lobbyist for the AFL-CIO, noted that many SNAP recipients in Iowa are employed.
“Around a third of people who are on SNAP benefits actually have two or more people working in the household, so this isn’t just a non-working-class issue,” he said. “This is a working-class issue.”
Rep. Ann Meyer and Rep. Tom Jeneary, both Republicans, approved the proposal for consideration in committee. Democratic Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell did not sign off on the proposal.
Another bill, House Study Bill 507, also moved through subcommittee on Wednesday. That proposal would instruct DHS to use federal, state and local public records to determine eligibility.
The bills are part of a seven-part proposal to change the way DHS determines eligibility for public assistance. Republican proponents of the proposal say new rules are necessary to improve Iowa’s error rate, though DHS officials say the error rate has already improved significantly in the past few years.
House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters last week the changes would also address the state’s “social safety net,” which some lawmakers believe is keeping people from taking jobs.
“We don’t want the government to be the reason why people feel they shouldn’t be entering the workforce,” Grassley said.
Meyer, chair of the House Human Resources committee, told reporters it was unlikely the set of bills will make it to committee next week. Several of the proposals have stalled in subcommittee, pending further discussion from lawmakers.
Read more: Republicans pursue changes to public assistance eligibility
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