Gov. Laura Kelly announces expanded food stamp benefits will be able to continue in Kansas

Expanded food stamp benefits will continue to flow to Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Tuesday in a bid to continue to aid more than 60,000 households that otherwise would have lost the support after the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration ended earlier in June.

Kelly instructed Department of Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard to use her authority to allow the $14.5 million in additional Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program support to continue.

Under the passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act last March, states can increase monthly benefits to the highest possible level, based on the number of individuals in a given household. But the changes would only be allowable if there was both a federal and state disaster emergency in place.

Republican legislators ended the state's disaster declaration, effective June 16, arguing the threat of COVID-19 had diminished.

Read more: https://www.salina.com/story/news/state/2021/06/30/coronavirus-covid-19-food-stamp-boost-kansas-ks-continue-gov-governor-laura-kelly-says/7810619002/