SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner Nancy Buckner warned state senators this week that a Republican-backed bill aimed at tightening eligibility for SNAP and Medicaid could cost the state millions of dollars and require the hiring of hundreds of additional employees.
Speaking during a public hearing on Senate Bill 61, Buckner told members of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee they were “going to be astounded at the cost” of implementing the legislation.
Introduced by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, SB61 would significantly change eligibility requirements for both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. Much of the bill mandates that the Department of Human Resources and the Alabama Medicaid Agency collect and cross-verify data from 10 state and federal agencies to determine eligibility.
The bill would also eliminate broad-based categorical eligibility, a streamlined process that allows some applicants to qualify for SNAP based on participation in other low-income assistance programs. Additionally, it would shorten certification periods, requiring recipients to recertify eligibility more frequently.
Critics say those changes would increase administrative burdens and errors.
Carol Gundlach, senior policy analyst with Alabama Arise, told lawmakers the bill would likely raise Alabama’s SNAP payment error rate — a costly outcome under new federal rules.
A federal budget signed by President Trump last year requires states with error rates above a certain threshold to cover a share of SNAP benefit payments. Had the rule been in place during fiscal year 2024, Alabama would have owed approximately $173 million, Gundlach said.
“Eliminating categorical eligibility forces caseworkers into labor-intensive and error-prone determinations,” Gundlach said, warning the bill would increase both staffing needs and mistakes.
Gundlach also cautioned that shortening certification periods would increase “churn,” meaning eligible recipients could temporarily lose benefits and face delays in regaining food or health care assistance.
During the hearing, senators increasingly directed questions to Buckner, despite her initial reluctance to comment before discussing the bill with Orr.
When asked whether current systems could handle the required data sharing, Buckner responded plainly: “No, ma’am, we don’t. And yes, ma’am, it will cost a lot of money.”
Buckner estimated that complying with SB61 could require hiring as many as 800 additional SNAP staff, in addition to $35–$40 million in other administrative costs already facing the agency.
Despite concerns raised by Buckner, advocates, and even some Republican senators, the committee voted 8–4 to give SB61 a favorable report. Orr did not respond to requests for comment.