(March 11, 2026) – Today, the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee held hearings on the following bills:

House Bill 2520 increases the number of allowed residents in a home-plus facility from 12 to 16.

House Bill 2524 permits the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families to license family foster homes when certain persons reside in such homes, and creates an appeal process for family foster homes when licenses are not granted.

The committee also worked the following bills:

House Bill 2587 authorizes a licensed private psychiatric hospital to maintain a stock supply of emergency medication kits for pharmaceutical emergencies. The committee made an amendment requiring the medication kits to mirror those used in state hospitals and recommended the bill favorably for passage. The bill will now go to the full Senate.

House Bill 2702 requires physician assistant license applicants to agree to a criminal record check, provides for the collaboration between physicians and physician assistants and requires the revocation of a physician assistant license under certain circumstances. The bill was recommended favorably for passage and will now go to the Senate.