Public assistance research exemption advanced

A bill aimed at promoting research on the impact of poverty on children advanced from general file March 16.

LB1081, sponsored by Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell, would allow low-income Nebraskans to be part of a nationwide study on the impact of public assistance on early childhood development.

Sen. Sara Howard of Omaha made LB1081 her priority bill this session and said the research behind the bill will help future senators make smart funding decisions regarding public benefits.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center has been selected as one of four institutions that will conduct the study, she said, and researchers want to ensure that the small stipend provided to participants does not interfere with their ability to continue to receive public assistance.

“LB1081 does not require the state to increase benefits and the increased income [for participants] does not come from the state,” Howard said.

For the study, 1,000 new mothers with incomes below the federal poverty level will receive a stipend for the first 40 months of their child’s life, she said. The study seeks to discover whether the small increase in income has an effect on the cognitive, social and emotional development of low-income children, she said.

“The study is so important to see if there is a causal relationship and not a mere correlation between income and child outcomes,” Howard said.

The bill would exclude the following types of public assistance from a participant’s income when determining eligibility:
• the child care subsidy program;
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The exclusion would be limited to $4,000 per year for four years.

A Health and Human Services Committee amendment, adopted 26-0, would add the low-income home energy assistance program to the list of exclusions and would specify that all exclusions could be given only if allowed under federal law. The amendment also would discontinue the exclusions at the end of 2022.

Omaha Sen. Heath Mello spoke in support of the bill and the amendment, saying the study—which is funded by nonprofit dollars—would provide the state with additional evidence-based research on how best to assist families living in poverty.

“This falls directly in line with some of the issues that have been raised through the intergenerational poverty task force,” he said.

The bill advanced to select file 30-0.