(March 21, 2023) – Today, Senate Public Health and Welfare, chaired by Senator Beverly Gossage (R-Eudora), held a hearing on several bills.

Final Action was taken on the following bills:

Senate Bill 287 expands the Kansas Silver Alert Plan to include persons 18 years of age or older who have dementia, a developmental disability or cognitive impairment. The chair brought an amendment that strikes the definition of vulnerable motion. The bill was recommended favorably as amended and now goes to the Senate.

Senate Bill 297 revises the definition of "abortion" to clarify procedures that are excluded from such definition. The committee recommended it favorably and it now goes to the Senate floor.

House Bill 2264 enacts the No Patient Left Alone Act to allow in-person visitation to certain patients at hospitals, adult care homes and hospice facilities. The bill was amended to return to shall and requiring language when establishing visitation policies that was included in earlier versions of the legislation. The committee saw an amendment that says that if compliance with the state statute puts facilities in violation the state would have to reimburse the facility for such losses. The bill was ultimately tabled for a later date.

House Bill 2263 authorizes pharmacy technicians to administer certain vaccines. The committee made a motion to recommend favorably for passage. Following passage, an attempt was made to add Senate Bill 233 and Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Mark Steffan (R-Hutchinson); however, the motion was rejected since action had already been taken. The bill could be reconsidered at a future date.

The committee also held hearings on:

House Bill 2288 enacts the Counseling Compact to provide interstate practice privileges for professional counselors. Dr. Andrew Secor appeared before the committee as a proponent. There were no opponents or neutral testimony.

Senate Bill 315 requires childcare facilities, schools and employers to grant exemptions from vaccine requirements for all vaccines without inquiring into the sincerity of the request and repealing the meningitis vaccine requirement to live in student housing.

Proponents appearing before the committee included:

• Gayln Perry, MD, Olathe
• Lauren Shiffman, Private Citizen
• Jeffrey Earl, DO, Overland Park
• Olivia Lyon, Private Citizen
• Kathryn Andress, Private Citizen
• Carol Daunis, Precinct committeewoman
• Kathy Brown, Private Citizen

Opponents appearing before the committee included:

• Dena Hubbard, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Eric Stafford, Kansas Chamber of Commerce
• Geovannie Gone, Immunize Kansas Coalition
• Paula Bundy, School Nurses Association
• Rabbi Moti Reber, Kansas Interfaith Action
• Blake Flanders, Kansas Board of Regents

The committee was scheduled to hear Senate Bill 234, prohibiting governmental entities from sharing or transmitting social care information into a closed-loop referral system; however, they ran out of time.