(March 12, 2025) – Today, the House Committee of the Whole met. The House took final votes on House Sub for Senate Bill 126. House Sub for Senate Bill 126 allows the hospital provider assessment to go up to 6 percent and allows some Critical Access Hospitals to participate in the program as determined by the Healthcare Access Improvement Panel Committee. The bill also contains Newborn Screening Cap Funding, increases in Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility and increases some transfers to local health departments. The bill passed on a vote of 119-3.

The committee also took final votes on the following:

• House Bill 2217 expands the scope of the inspector general to audit and investigate all state cash, food or health assistance programs and grants the inspector general the power to subpoena, administer oaths and execute search warrants thereto. The bill passed on a vote of 85-37.

• Senate Bill 82 requires the secretary for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to grant physical environment waivers for certain rural emergency hospitals to provide skilled nursing facility care. Passed on a vote of 122-0.

• Senate Bill 88 requires the state long-term care ombudsman and regional ombudsman to receive training in memory care. Passed on a vote of 121-1.

• Senate Bill 175 updates the definition of athletic trainer and provides an exemption for those licensed in another state, District of Columbia, territory or foreign country to practice in Kansas. The bill passed on a vote of 121-1.

• Senate Bill 193 exempts law enforcement agencies that do not provide emergency opioid antagonists pursuant to the statewide protocol from the requirement to procure a physician medical director. Passed on a vote of 122-0.

The House also debated the following bills:

• Senate Bill 18 provides for the hunter nation distinctive license plate

• Senate Bill 98 provides for the Route 66 Association of Kansas distinctive license plate

• Senate Bill 121 authorizes the commissioner of insurance to select and announce the version of certain instructions, calculations and documents in effect for the upcoming calendar year and causes such announcement to be published in the Kansas Register, allows certain life insurers to follow health financial reports and adopts certain provisions from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Holding Company System Regulatory Act relating to group capital calculations and liquidity stress testing