(Feb. 23, 2024) – This week, the House took up House Bill 2637, which would expand eligibility for rural emergency hospital licensure to facilities that meet criteria at any point after 2015. The bill was amended on the floor in a way that could have prevented any hospital within 35 miles of an existing hospital from becoming a rural emergency hospital.
The House, having voted the amendment onto the bill, saw lawmakers change their vote on the bill to ensure hospitals won't have to meet any mileage requirements. The bill, as amended, failed on a vote of 58-62.
The House also took action on the following bills during their day-long session on Thursday:
House Bill 2484 – Enacts the Social Work Licensure Compact to provide interstate practice privileges for social workers. 118-2
House Bill 2487 – Provides immunity from prosecution for certain drug crimes when persons seek or provide medical assistance related to the use of a controlled substance. 120-0
House Bill 2547 – Authorizes schools to maintain certain emergency medication kits and to administer such medication in emergencies. 116-4
House Bill 2579 – Authorizes the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services to distribute non-prescription over-the-counter medications. 120-0
House Bill 2596 – Adds and removes certain substances in schedules I, II, IV and V of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and makes conforming changes to the criminal code definition of "fentanyl-related" controlled substances.120-0
House Bill 2614 – Requires state agencies to provide to the public notice of revocation of administrative rules and regulations and removes abolished state agencies from state agency review requirements. 120-0
House Bill 2629 – Requires the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to provide a death certificate of a child to the State Child Death Review Board, increases the number of board members, allows for compensation and provides for the disclosure of certain records to certain persons for securing grants. 119-1
House Bill 2690 – Abolishes the 911 Coordinating Council and establishes the Kansas 911 Board; abolishes the 911 Operations Fund, 911 Kansas Fund and 911 State Grant Fund outside of the Kansas Treasury and establishes the Kansas 911 Operations Fund, Kansas 911 Fund and Kansas 911 Grant Fund in the Kansas treasury; and authorizes counties to contract with other counties for the provision of 911 public-safety answering point. 117-3
House Bill 2751 – Authorizes the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to condition or restrict a disability service provider license, grants the secretary authority to grant regulation waivers unrelated to health and safety and authorizes correction orders and civil fines to be appealed to the secretary. 111-9
House Bill 2645 – Amends the Nursing Service Scholarship Program to remove limits on the amount of awards and number of scholarships, removes the sponsorship requirement, modifies the interest rate terms for repayment obligations and abolishes the Nursing Service Scholarship Review Committee. 119-0
House Bill 2646 – Modifies the financial limitations on awards under the Kansas Hero's Scholarship Act and broadens the eligibility requirements for such awards. 118-1
House Bill 2784 – Transfers authority for certification of continuing care retirement communities from the Kansas Insurance Department to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and lowers the nursing facility provider assessment for continuing care retirement communities. 118-1
House Bill 2745 – Provides military spouses of active military service members shall be exempt from all occupational licensing, registration and certification fees. 119-0
House Bill 2777 – Prohibits an employee of the office of the Kansas Fire Marshal from wearing or operating a body camera during an on-site inspection at a patient care facility. 108-11
Sub for House Bill 2494 – Establishes policy requirements for cardiac emergency response plans for school districts and provides a grant program for the implementation of such policy. 117-2