Capitol Comments Articles
Introduction of Bills

Kansas Seal (Jan. 19, 2024) – Senate Bill 351 – Establishing requirements for school safety and security plans and cardiac emergency response plans; creating the School Safety and Security Grant Fund and the School Cardiac Emergency Response Grant Fund – By Committee on Education

Senate Bill 352 – Concerning health and health care; enacting the John D. Springer Patient's Bill of Rights; requiring hospitals to allow in-person visitation in certain circumstances; requiring hospitals to adopt visitation policies and procedures; creating a civil cause of action for violation of such rights – By Committee on Public Health and Welfare

Senate Bill 353 – Concerning gender identity medical care; creating a civil cause of action against a physician who performs childhood gender reassignment service; requiring revocation of a physician's license if such physician performs childhood gender reassignment service – By Committee on Public Health and Welfare

Senate Bill 354 – Concerning insurance; relating to the Healthcare Provider Insurance Availability Act; designating certain facilities where elective abortions are performed as being ineligible to purchase professional liability insurance from the Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund; requiring such facilities to maintain continuous professional liability coverage equivalent to that provided by the Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund as a condition of licensure – By Committee on Public Health and Welfare

Senate Bill 355 – Concerning health and health care; relating to health insurance coverage; expanding medical assistance eligibility; enacting the Cutting Healthcare Costs for all Kansans Act; directing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to study certain Medicaid expansion topics; adding meeting days to the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based services and KanCare Oversight to monitor implementation of expanded medical assistance eligibility – By Committee on Ways and Means

Senate Bill 371 – Concerning the Kansas Silver Alert plan; relating to public notice of certain missing persons; expanding such plan to include persons 18 years of age or older who have an intellectual disability – By Committee on Federal and State Affairs

House Bill 2515 – Concerning health and health care; amending the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act; creating a civil cause of action against any health care provider who injures a child during an attempted abortion – By Committee on Federal and State Affairs, Requested by Representative Fairchild

House Bill 2536 – Concerning children and minors; relating to the revised Kansas Code for Care of children; establishing SOUL family legal permanency as a permanency option for children in need of care who are 16 years of age or older; allowing courts to establish SOUL family legal permanency; defining SOUL family legal permanency; reconciling definition of behavioral health crisis in the revised Kansas Code for Care of Children – By Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care, Requested by Rachel Marsh, Children's Alliance of Kansas

House Bill 2539 – Concerning postsecondary education; relating to the Kansas Promise Scholarship Act; removing the Kansas residency requirement for eligibility for such scholarships; modifying the definition of part-time student – By Committee on Education, Requested by Representative Thomas

House Bill 2547 – Concerning schools; relating to student health; authorizing the maintenance of emergency medication kits for certain life-threatening conditions; requiring a prescription for distribution of emergency medication to schools; providing requirements for the administration of emergency medication by school personnel, training; exempting certain persons from the practice of healing arts and civil liability if acting in good faith – By Committee on Health and Human Services, Requested by Representative Eplee on behalf of Kansas School Nurses Organization

House Bill 2548 – Concerning health and health care; enacting the No Patient Left Alone Act; relating to hospitals, adult care homes and hospice facilities; requiring such facilities to allow in-person visitation in certain circumstances; authorizing such facilities to adopt visitation policies and procedures – By Committee on Health and Human Services, Requested by Representative Eplee 

House Bill 2555 – Concerning schools; relating to school districts and nonpublic schools; authorizing schools to maintain emergency albuterol kits and school personnel to administer such medication in emergency situations; establishing training requirements for administration of such medication; exempting certain persons from the practice of the healing arts and civil liability if prescribing or administering such medication in good faith – By Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care, Requested by Representative Carr

House Bill 2556 – Concerning health and health care; relating to health insurance coverage; expanding medical assistance eligibility; enacting the Cutting Healthcare Costs for All Kansans Act; directing the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to study certain Medicaid expansion topics; adding meeting days to the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community-Based Services and KanCare Oversight to monitor implementation of expanded medical assistance eligibility – By Committee on Appropriations, Requested by Representative V. Miller on behalf of the Office of the Governor