There’s nothing fun about being on welfare, and a new Kansas bill aims to keep it that way.
If House Bill 2258 is signed into law by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback this week, Kansas families receiving government assistance will no longer be able to use those funds to visit swimming pools, see movies, go gambling or get tattoos on the state’s dime.
Those are just a few of the restrictions contained within the measure that promises to tighten regulations on how poor families spend their government aid.
State Sen. Michael O’Donnell, a Witchita Republican who has advocated for the bill, said the legislation is designed to pressure those receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to spend “more responsibly.”
“We’re trying to make sure those benefits are used the way they were intended,” O’Donnell, vice chairman of the state senate’s standing committee on public health and welfare, told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “This is about prosperity. This is about having a great life.”
That, according to the legislation, means limiting spending on body piercings, massages, spas, tobacco, nail salons, lingerie, arcades, cruise ships or visits to psychics. The bill — which limits TANF recipients from withdrawing more than $25 per day from ATMs — also forbids recipients from spending money at a theme park, dog or horse racing facility, parimutuel facility, sexually oriented business, any retail establishment that provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe, or in any business where minors are not permitted.
The measure was passed by the Kansas House and Senate last week and is widely supported by Republicans, who control both legislative chambers.
