(Feb. 14, 2023) – Today, the House Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Representative Brenda Landwehr (R-Wichita), held a hearing on House Bill 2288. The legislation enacts the Counseling Compact to provide interstate practice privileges for professional counselors.
The committee heard from proponents:
- David Fye, Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board
- Andrew Secor, Kansas Counseling Association
- Dominique Marsalek, American Counseling Association
The committee also heard House Bill 2259, which provides certain mental health medications to be available without prior authorization to treat Medicaid recipients. The legislation also abolishes the Mental Health Medication Advisory Committee.
Proponents included:
- Kyle Kessler, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas
- William Warnes, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and medical director for the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas
- Amy Campbell, Kansas Mental Health Coalition
- Madison Elliot, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Opponents included:
- Sarah Fertig, State Medicaid director, emphasized it would reopen the door to dangerous prescribing practices. She also maintained it would eliminate the current parity between mental health and medical drug coverage pointing out the Medicaid program is already working to reduce provider burdens.
- Annette Graham, Kansas Department of Health and Environment testified the state's managed care organizations are committed to a prior authorization response within 24 hours, approved, denied or need more information. But says it is not very often at all.
The committee worked on House Bill 2340. The legislation increases the membership of the Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board, decreases the years of practice required for reciprocity licensure of certain professions, extends the license period for temporary licenses, establishes new license categories and provides additional continuing education requirements.
The committee amended to strike the requirement of cultural diversity training and reduced the continual training requirement to three hours. They further amended to reduce the bills 15 credit hours required to three and left certain course requirements. The committee will finish the bill tomorrow and continue bill hearings.