AG Schmidt gives Governor Kelly until Friday to drop welfare plan

Kansas’s top prosecutor is threatening to go to court if Governor Laura Kelly doesn’t drop a policy that allows some adults without children to receive welfare even if they don’t meet work requirements.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt has given Kelly a deadline of Friday to act.

Kelly has stood by the policy and her office plans a news conference Thursday to address the issue.  She has long been critical of the state’s restrictions on welfare, which lawmakers placed into law under former Governor Sam Brownback.

The policy at issue represents an attempt to minimize welfare restrictions through agency action after unsuccessful attempts by Democrats to make changes through the legislative process.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.