(Feb. 6, 2026) – The committee had questions about the state waiver programs, which were answered by Kansas Legislative Research, and asked about state and federal funding shares for these programs. The committee then heard from Deputy Secretary Tanya Keys of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, who provided background information and took questions on federal compliance rates, the potential costs of augmenting services and staffing to meet federal requirements. The committee wanted to know how other states are handling changes at the federal level and how those changes have impacted states. They also discussed potentially canceling an open RFP to assist with meeting guidance to differentiate between candy and other food items for vendors.

Committee members debated whether taxpayer dollars spent through the SNAP program could be funding products that contribute to negative health outcomes and how much is currently spent on health education in the program. The committee ultimately made no recommendations, but the chair expressed disappointment with the agency over the difficulty in getting the waiver approved and the timeline for implementing the SNAP restrictions.