Kansas to Ban Poor from Swimming Pools, Theme Parks, Cinemas in New Welfare Bill
The state of Kansas is trying to make it illegal for people on welfare to participate in recreational activities like swimming if they have to use welfare funds to pay for it.
The Washington Post reports that Kansas House Bill 2258 has passed both the Kansas House and Senate and just needs to be into law by Gov. Sam Brownback. The law explicitly outlaws the use of welfare funds for gambling, the movies, tattoos, theme parks, or swimming pools, among other activities.
If Brownback signs the law, it will come into effect July 1.
In addition to the restrictions on spending, the law makes it impossible for people on welfare to withdraw more than $25 dollars a day. This could prevent people from making investments in their own business they could use to lift themselves out of poverty.
The bill would also make it so that people are cut off from welfare if they have been on the program for 36 months or more.
The number of people on welfare in Kansas has declined in recent years, but no one is quite sure why. At the same time, the number of Kansans on welfare has increased by 5,000.
