(March 10, 2023) – Next week, committees will continue to work bills as budget discussions are accelerated in the House and Senate. The activity in the statehouse will be lively as many students on spring break look to serve as legislative pages and advocacy groups will visit the statehouse.
Monday, March 13
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: House Bill 2024 – Expanding the legal surrender of an infant to include newborn safety devices
Senate Education – 1:30 p.m. – Room 144S
Hearing: House Bill 2375 – Establishing the temporary candidacy baccalaureate and masters social work licenses and providing requirements and fees therefor
House Local Government – 9:00 a.m. – Room 281N
Final action: Senate Bill 194 – Requiring hospital district board members to be qualified electors of the county where the hospital is located or any adjacent county
House Health and Human Services – 1:30 p.m. – Room 112N
Hearing: Substitute for Senate Bill 131 – By Committee on Public Health and Welfare – Permitting an out-of-state physician to receive a sports waiver to practice medicine in this state on a limited basis during certain sporting events and permitting the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts to adopt procedures to allow other licensed and regulated health care professionals to be issued a sport waiver
House Child Welfare and Foster Care – 1:30 p.m. – Room 152S
Final action: House Bill 2443 – Establishing the Office of the Child Advocate
House K-12 Education Budget – 3:30 p.m. – Room 546S
Final action: Senate Bill 113 – Allowing naturopathic doctors to engage in the corporate practice of medicine
House Taxation – 3:30 p.m. – Room 346S
Hearing: Senate Bill 248 – Providing a sales tax exemption for healthy food and repealing the state rate reduction for sales of certain food and food ingredients
House Insurance – 3:30 p.m. – Room 218N
Final action: Senate Bill 24 – Changing the required number of employees contained in the definitions of "large employer" and "small employer" for purposes of coverage for autism spectrum disorder
Senate Bill 28 – Discontinuing payments to certain group-funded insurance pools, refunding existing balances thereof and abolishing such funds; establishing the Group-Funded Pools Refund Fund
Tuesday, March 14
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: House Bill 2338 – Designating Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Week and requiring the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to study and report on topics related to sickle cell disease
House Bill 2408 – Exempting certain services provided in adult care homes from the provisions of the acts regulating cosmetologists and barbers
House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Budget report out: Post-secondary Education System – Chairperson Steven Howe, Higher Education budget
House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development – 1:30 p.m. – Room 346S
Hearing: House Bill 2401 – Defining "benefit year" and "temporary unemployment" in the employment security law, requiring electronic filing of reports for employers with 25 or more employees, permitting discretion in the number of appointments and length of terms for the Temporary Employment Security Board of Review and extending the time required for the establishment of a new account due to a business acquisition
House Corrections and Juvenile Justice – 1:30 p.m. – Room 546S
Final action: Senate Bill 228 – Modernizing statutes concerning county jails, removing the requirement that every county shall have a jail, modifying procedures used when district courts commit prisoners to jail in another county and when counties contract with city jails to keep prisoners and requiring a medical examination before certain United States prisoners or city prisoners are taken into custody of a county jail
House Health and Human Services – 1:30 p.m. – Room 112N
Hearing: Senate Bill 96 – Establishing an income, privilege and premium tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities
Wednesday, March 15
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing on: House Bill 2263 – Authorizing pharmacy technicians to administer certain vaccines
House Bill 2325 – Adding maternity center to the definition of "health care provider" for purposes of the Healthcare Provider Insurance Availability Act
Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance – 9:30 a.m. – Room 546S
Final action: House Bill 2093 – Discontinuing payments to certain group-funded insurance pools, refunding existing balances thereof; abolishing such funds and establishing the Group-Funded Pools Refund Fund
House Bill 2094 – Specifying certain requirements necessary to demonstrate fiscal soundness for health maintenance organizations and Medicare provider organizations applying for certificates of authority
Senate Federal and State Affairs – 10:30 a.m. – Room 144S
Hearing: Senate Bill 135 – Creating the Medical Cannabis Regulation Act to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and use of medical cannabis. (Proponents and Neutral)
House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Discussion: Social Services Enhancements for Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
House Financial Institutions and Pensions – 9:00 a.m. – Room 582N
Hearing: Senate Bill 34 – Expanding the use and availability of rural housing incentive districts
KanCare Expansion Rally – 1:15 p.m. – Second Floor Capitol
Thursday, March 16
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: House Bill 2264 – Enacting the No Patient Left Alone Act to allow in-person visitation to certain patients at hospitals, adult care homes and hospice facilities
Senate Federal and State Affairs – 10:30 a.m. – Room 144S
Hearing: Senate Bill 135 – Creating the Medical Cannabis Regulation Act to regulate the cultivation, processing, distribution, sale and use of medical cannabis (Opponents)
House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Hearing: House Bill 2418 – Abolishing the study commission for the consolidation of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County, consolidation commission of Topeka, Kansas, and Shawnee County, study commission for the consolidation in Greeley County, Podiatry Review Committee, Kansas State Board of Healing Arts Review Committee for each branch of the healing arts, Contact Lens Advisory Council, State Emergency Response Commission, Naturopathic Advisory Council, Transportation Vision Task Force, Special Education Funding Task Force, the Persian Gulf War Veterans Health Initiative Act, Kansas Export Finance Act, Community Strategic Planning Assistance Act, Natural and Scientific Areas Advisory Board, Public Finance Transparency Board, Kansas Film Services Commission, Kansas Bioscience Authority, KAN-ED Act and Kansas Department of Health and Environment Advisory Committees
House Federal and State Affairs – 9:00 a.m. – Room 346S
Discussion and action: House Bill 2438 – Eliminating the instructor-coordinator's certificate requirement associated with the teaching of emergency medical services courses.
Friday, March 17