Requiring the secretary of state to enter into agreements with the Kansas department of aging and disability services, the Kansas department of children and families and the Kansas department of health and environment to cross-check various welfare recipient data to ensure the state's voter registration rolls are current.
Impact
The potential impact of HB2118 on state laws involves the creation of a systematic approach to audit and refine voter registration lists. By cross-checking these lists with welfare recipient data, the state aims to ensure that its voter rolls are current and accurate. This process is intended to bolster the integrity of election procedures and may help to eliminate duplicate registrations or outdated information related to deceased individuals or those who have changed residency. Consequently, this bill underscores the importance of maintaining clear and precise voter registration databases.
Summary
House Bill 2118 is a legislative measure aimed at enhancing the accuracy of voter registration rolls in the state of Kansas. The bill mandates that the Secretary of State enter into partnerships with several state departments, specifically the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the Kansas Department for Children and Families, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. These partnerships will allow the Secretary of State to access data related to welfare assistance recipients in order to verify and update voter registration information.
Contention
However, the bill has raised some concerns among various stakeholders regarding privacy and the implications of utilizing welfare data for voter registration purposes. Critics may argue that it could lead to disenfranchisement, particularly among vulnerable populations who might be impacted by the scrutiny of their welfare status. The balance between ensuring electoral integrity and protecting individual rights could become a major point of contention in discussions surrounding this bill.
Abolishing the department of corrections alcohol and drug abuse treatment fund, creating the Kansas department for aging and disability services alcohol and drug abuse treatment fund and transferring the moneys and liabilities from such abolished fund to the Kansas department for aging and disability services alcohol and drug abuse treatment fund.
Requiring the secretary for children and families and the secretary of health and environment to execute a memorandum of understanding, data use agreement or other written data-sharing instrument upon written request of the United States department of agriculture or the United States department of health and human services and comply with data requests from such federal agencies.
Requiring the department of administration to report identifying information of persons who claim Kansas lottery or gambling prize winnings in excess of $5,000 to the department of health and environment.
Requiring all applicants for teaching licenses and certificates and employees of a school district or public innovative district to submit to a criminal history record check and creating the criminal history record check reimbursement fund for certain state and criminal history record checks conducted by the Kansas department for aging and disability services.
Requiring the department of health and environment in coordination with the Kansas department for aging and disability services to seek federal approval to establish continuous medicaid eligibility for certain individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are receiving services through a home and community based services waiver, requiring the secretary for children and families and the secretary of health and environment to enter into data-matching agreements with state agencies to verify eligibility for food and medical assistance, directing the department of health and environment to submit certain data to the centers for medicare and medicaid services, prohibiting certain public assistance program waivers or exemptions without legislative approval, prohibiting self-attestation for purposes of determining eligibility for public assistance programs, limiting retroactive enrollment in the medical assistance program, increasing the age limit for able-bodied adults without certain dependents and prohibiting certain exemptions from work requirements under the food assistance program.
Requiring the secretary for children and families and the office of inspector general to exchange information and documents related to cash assistance, childcare assistance and food assistance fraud investigations and requiring the secretary for children and families and the secretary of health and environment to execute a memorandum of understanding or other written data-sharing instrument upon written request of the United States department of agriculture or the United States department of health and human services and comply with data requests from such federal agencies.