(Jan. 16, 2026) – Yesterday, the House Social Services Budget Committee held a discussion on the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at Larned State Hospital. The committee heard about the program's background, related Supreme Court decisions on civil commitment procedures, and a presentation from the Deputy Secretary at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services on the program's exit, patient populations, and budget. The committee also heard from citizens, family members of program patients, law professors, and former licensed counselors, all of whom expressed concerns that the program isn't truly rehabilitative.

The committee is meeting again today to work through fee-funded agency budgets, including those for the Kansas Board of Pharmacy, the Kansas Board of Nursing, the Kansas Guardianship Program, the Board of Mortuary Arts, the Office of the Child Advocate, and the Office of Veterans Affairs, as well as the Healthcare Stabilization Fund.