Capitol Comments Articles
Next Week's Schedule

Schedule (Jan. 31, 2025) – Next week, the legislature will see a focus in the House on the budget and more focus in the Senate on taxes. As legislative deadlines are nearing, committees will continue to work through agency updates, report outs and legislation. Next week also is the deadline for non-exempt committees to have bill introductions. Hearings will begin picking up the pace ahead of the Feb. 20 turnaround deadline, where non-exempt bills must be passed by their chamber of origin.

Monday, Feb. 3
House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Budget report: Chairperson David Buehler, Social Services Budget  Kansas Guardianship Program, Kansas Neurological Institute, Office of the Child Advocate, Parsons State Hospital and Training Center

House Judiciary – 3:30 p.m.  Room 582N
Hearing: House Concurrent Resolution 5008  Proposing a constitutional amendment to provide for legislative oversight of rules and regulations adopted by executive branch agencies and officials

House Social Services Budget – 3:30 p.m. – Room 152S
Hearing continuation: Recommendations for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Tuesday, Feb. 4
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: Senate Bill 3  Requiring the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to audit hospital compliance with the Lay Caregiver Act and report the results of such audit to the legislature
Final action: Senate Bill 31  Updating certain provisions of the Kansas Dental Practices Act relating to dentist information requested by patients, in-person practice requirements in dental offices using the licensee's name, unprofessional conduct and patient complaints

Senate Ways and Means – 10:30 a.m. – Room 548S
Briefing: Contract nursing at state hospitals
Briefing by staff: House Appropriations Committee budget action

Senate Education – 1:30 p.m. – Room 144S
Hearing: Senate Bill 50  Establishing uniform interest rate provisions for service scholarship programs administered by the Kansas Board of Regents that have repayment obligations as a part of the terms and conditions of such programs and authorizing the Kansas Board of Regents to recover the costs of collecting such repayment obligations and charge fees for the costs of administering such programs and requiring eligible students to enter into agreements with the Kansas Board of Regents instead of a postsecondary educational institution as a condition to receiving a grant under the Adult Learner Grant Act
Hearing: Senate Bill 44  Expanding the postsecondary educational institutions eligible to participate in the Kansas Promise Scholarship Program

House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Hearing: House Bill 2007  Making and concerning supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025 and appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for various state agencies

House Health and Human Services – 1:30 p.m. – Room 112N
Presentation: Children's health

Wednesday, Feb. 5
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: Senate Bill 19  Enacting the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act to prohibit discrimination against individuals who refuse medical care and creating a civil cause of action based on such discrimination and revoking the authority of the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties
Final action: Senate Bill 3  Requiring the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to audit hospital compliance with the Lay Caregiver Act and report the results of such audit to the legislature

Senate Government Efficiency – 9:30 a.m. – Room 144S
Hearing: Senate Bill 85  Directing the secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families to review and compare data for Public Assistance Program eligibility.
Hearing: Senate Bill 77  Requiring state agencies to provide notice of revocation of administrative rules and regulations to the public and removing abolished and inactive state agencies from the agency review requirement

Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance – 9:30 a.m. – Room 546S
Presentation: Kansas Pharmacist Association

Senate Ways and Means – 10:30 a.m.  Room 548S
Briefing: Home and Community-Based Services Waivers and waitlists

House Health and Human Services – 1:30 p.m. – Room 112N
Hearing: House Bill 2068  Enacting the Cosmetology Compact to provide interstate practice privileges
Hearing: House Bill 2069  Enacting the School Psychologist Licensure Compact to provide interstate practice privileges for school psychologists
Hearing: House Bill 2070  Enacting the Dietitian Licensure Compact to provide interstate practice privileges for dietitians

House Judiciary – 3:30 p.m. – Room 582N
Informal Hearing: Judicial Council Update of the Guardianship and Conservatorship Statutes

Thursday, Feb. 6
Senate Public Health and Welfare – 8:30 a.m. – Room 142S
Hearing: Senate Bill 41  Adding advanced practice registered nurses to the definition of health care provider for purposes of the Healthcare Provider Insurance Availability Act
Final action: Senate Bill 19  Enacting the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act to prohibit discrimination against individuals who refuse medical care and creating a civil cause of action based on such discrimination and revoking the authority of the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties

Senate Assessment and Taxation – 9:30 a.m. – Room 548S
Hearing: Senate Bill 69  Extending by five years the Loan Repayment Program and income tax credit for rural opportunity zones

House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Budget report: Chairperson David Buehler, Social Services budget – Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Health and Kansas Office of Veterans Services

House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications – 9:00 a.m. – Room 582N
Hearing: House Bill 2110  Eliminating the requirement that the state 911 board shall contract with a local collection point administrator for services, rescheduling the date on which the state 911 operations fund, state 911 grant fund and state 911 fund shall be established, requiring certain transfers to be made to the state 911 operations fund and rescheduling the date for transferring all 911 fee money currently held outside the state treasury to the state treasury

House Health and Human Services – 1:30 p.m. – Room 112N
Presentation: Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, Community Mental Health System,
Kansas Behavioral Health Center of Excellence

House Social Services Budget – 3:30 p.m. – Room 152S
Hearing continuation: Recommendations for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services

Friday, Feb. 7
House Appropriations – 9:00 a.m. – Room 112N
Budget report: Chairperson David Buehler, Social Services budget  Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services