by Anna Kaminski, Kansas Reflector
February 11, 2025
TOPEKA — A Kansas Democrat proposed prohibiting lawmakers from using their $178 per diem for purchasing soda, candy, alcoholic beverages and hot meals, the same things Republicans are trying to restrict for purchase under a government food assistance program.
Rep. Jarrod Ousley, a Democrat from Merriam, offered an amendment Thursday while legislators on the House Welfare Reform Committee discussed House Bill 2015. The legislation, along with Senate Bill 79, would direct the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, which administers the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to request a waiver that would allow the agency to eliminate soft drinks and candy from the list of eligible food products under the program.
Ousley’s amendment applied the same prohibitions to legislator per diem pay as those applied to SNAP in Kansas, including proposed bans on purchasing candy and soda. Alcohol, cigarettes and hot foods are already prohibited for purchase under Kansas’ food assistance restrictions.
“I think what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” Ousley said.
