TOPEKA — Kansas officials refused persistent demands from the federal government for access to residents’ personal data solely based on the legal responsibility to protect that data, a state leader says.

In the midst of political attacks and two lawsuits, Department for Children and Families secretary Laura Howard and Gov. Laura Kelly pushed back against federal demands because they don’t know how Kansans’ personal data will be used. The release of information isn’t about detecting fraud because those procedures are already in place, Howard said.

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