Senate Health and Welfare Committee advances bill requiring proof of legal presence for some state-funded benefits

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send House Bill 135 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after hearing more than an hour of testimony and debate.

House Bill 135, sponsored in committee by Senator Phil Hart (Legislative District 2), would add language requiring adults to prove they are in the United States legally before receiving certain state-funded benefits administered through the Department of Health and Welfare. "This legislation does not take away benefits that might be necessary in an emergency situation," Hart said, adding that the Department would screen applicants and that emergency benefits would remain available.

Supporters argued the change protects taxpayer dollars. Nicholas Kleinworth, policy director at the Idaho Freedom Foundation, told the committee, "Citizenship means something and it matters to Americans," and said the state should not be a welfare destination.

But opponen…