Max Baucus: “As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, but also as the ranking Democrat on the…”

“As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, but also as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, I would like to thank Agriculture Committee Chairman Cochran and Ranking Member Harkin for their clarification on this point. The Senate Finance Committee has long grappled with the challenges of allowing sensitive program information to be shared. While there are many cases where it is in the public good to share limited amounts of information, such as in this case, it is important that we take such steps carefully and that we not inadvertently or unintentionally allow more information to be shared than is absolutely necessary to accomplish our goals. The amendment to the Social Security Act that is under consideration ensures that only certain Medicaid information can be shared with local educational authorities for the purpose of verifying eligibility and income with respect to the School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Information about a child's health or disability status or medical expenses would not be relevant to verifying eligibility for school breakfast and lunch programs, which is based only on the child's family income.”