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Senate amends SNAP bill to add work-training requirements, lawmakers say fiscal note is zero as written
Summary
Senators returned LB192 to select file and adopted AM12-25, which adds state-level expectations about SNAP employment and training; sponsors said the amendment carries no net fiscal note under current language, while critics warned of additional costs if implemented.
Senator Anderson moved to recommit LB192 to select file to attach AM12-25, an amendment that adds provisions about the state’s administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), emphasizing employment and training programs for able-bodied adults without dependents.
Senator Anderson said the amendment "strengthen[s] Senator Quick's bill by reinforcing our dedication to promoting dignity and work and enabling DHHS to maximize access to employment and training programs." He also told colleagues that Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) had provided a letter indicating the amendment as written carried a fiscal note of zero because implementation would occur as resources were available.
Sponsor Senator Quick opposed recommittal in the moment, saying she worried the amendment could create additional barriers to benefit access if implemented as a mandatory work-requirement scheme. Senator Dungan and others highlighted the fiscal tradeoffs: a prior version produced a fiscal note in the low millions ($2.3M initially, rising to about $3.1M in subsequent years), and the amendment’s drafters said they had revised language to give DHHS discretion so that a fiscal note would be zero unless the department elected to implement the program with new resources. The motion to return to select file passed and the amendment AM12-25 was adopted on the floor; the bill was then advanced toward engrossing.
