HB1727

Opposition Testimony for HB 1727 The proposed HB 1727, while ostensibly designed to enhance food security for children through improved inter-agency data sharing, poses significant risks concerning the privacy of students. Allowing the Department of Education to share sensitive student address information with the Department of Health and Human Services raises serious concerns about data security and the potential misuse of this information. Even though the bill stipulates that data will remain confidential and exclusively used for administering Summer EBT benefits, history has shown that data-sharing agreements can lead to unintended consequences, including breaches and misuse for purposes beyond their intended scope. Such reliance on bureaucratic promises does not adequately protect sensitive personal information, especially in a landscape where data breaches are increasingly common. Moreover, this bill shifts the focus from addressing the root causes of child hunger to merely facilitating easier access through data sharing. Instead of implementing potentially harmful data-sharing practices, we should be investing in comprehensive community programs that directly target food insecurity, such as support for local food banks, better funding for school meal programs, and educational outreach on accessing available resources. By prioritizing efforts that involve families and communities directly, we can create sustainable solutions that respect privacy and enhance child nutrition without risking the safety of personal data.