Appropriations panel strips summer EBT administration from OPI, debates transfer to DPHHS

The House Appropriations Committee on February 6 removed the Office of Public Instruction’s (OPI) appropriation for administration of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) program and debated where administration should be housed.

Committee members moved and debated a global amendment that would have shifted Summer EBT administration from OPI to the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). Representative Cafaro explained that the program was administered jointly by OPI and DPHHS in the current biennium and that combining administration in one agency would “streamline and simplify the process” (Representative Cafaro).

Why it matters: The committee’s action changes which agency would hold the personnel and administrative authority for Summer EBT in the budget text, and committee members flagged follow-up work in Section B to determine whether the program itself will receive funding there. If the program is not funded in Section B, the appropriation removed from OPI would have no effect because no program would remain to administer.

Key details and votes - A global amendment (O.005) that would have moved Summer EBT administration from OPI to DPHHS was introduced and discussed but later withdrawn by the mover to allow a separate Section B amendment to handle the funding mechanics (motion withdrawn by Representative Johnson; motion recorded as withdrawn in committee). - Representative Beatty moved amendment E.011 to remove the Summer EBT appropriation from OPI (so OPI no longer holds the PB/position or administrative funding). The committee approved E.011 by voice vote; the motion passed unanimously by those present.

Clarifying details: Committee staff and sponsors said DPHHS had been doing major portions of program administration and that moving the PB and administrative funding to DPHHS also incorporated a small additional PB and administrative costs (sponsor and staff described an additional roughly $72,000 in administrative costs tied to DPHHS’s existing work). Committee members pressed that if a Section B amendment to fund the program failed, the administrative PB would disappear because there would be no program to administer.

What’s next: The committee recorded the removal of OPI’s authority for Summer EBT administration in Section E; members said a companion amendment or action in Section B will determine whether the program will be funded and administered in DPHHS. The global that attempted to address both sections at once was withdrawn to allow the B-section amendment to be drafted and considered.

Quotes (selected) “[Summer EBT] was administered by both DPHHS and OPI…we don’t need administration of one program in two different departments, and this will just streamline and simplify the process,” Representative Cafaro said as he introduced the transfer idea. “If the amendment failed in B for summer EBT, there would be no need for administration in either department,” Representative Gillette noted during committee discussion.

Ending: Committee members said they expect further action in Section B to resolve whether Summer EBT is funded and to finalize which agency will administer it; if Section B does not restore the program, the removed OPI appropriation will not be needed.