(March 5, 2025) – Today, the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Representative Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill), received an update on nursing in Kansas, hearing from the following conferees:
- Amy Garcia, Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
- Carol Moreland, Kansas State Board of Nursing
- Scott Brunner, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, presented on staffing agency reporting, as well as state hospitals contracting nursing
- Meghan Shreve, associate director, Interhab
- Allison McCain, Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities
Committee members asked if we need to consolidate nursing programs, if the immigration policies have made it harder to attract workers, if there are faculty challenges, if there are K-12 gaps, if there is a need for APRN care in rural Kansas, and if there are unfilled slots at each nursing program. The committee indicated there would be an interim on contract nursing in state hospitals.
The committee also held a hearing on Senate Bill 14. The legislation provides for continuous state budgets until amended, lapsed or eliminated by the legislature, temporary reallocations and establishing conditions and limitations.
Proponents:
- Senate President Ty Masterson (R-Andover).
The committee had many questions about how this could cause future litigation or change oversight and interactions between the legislative and executive branches of government.
Opponent:
- Leah Fliter, with the Kansas Association of School Boards
Representative Kyle Hoffman (R-Coldwater) suggested that there will be an amendment that will require that a budget be passed by both chambers and vetoed before the ability to go back to previous budgets as this legislation dictates. The chair suggested that the committee work on the legislation tomorrow.