We’re Back!
Welcome to the first Legislative Update of the 2018 Kansas Legislative Session. The Legislature will meet for (at least) 90 Legislative Days over the course of the next five months. It’s the first week of session, and Legislative leadership is already battling with the Governor in dueling press releases and newspaper statements about budget plans and school funding. We will be pushing past school funding noise this year to make sure properly funding aging services remains a priority in the coming fiscal year. Review our 2018 Legislative Priorities.
Weekly Policy Calls
Our weekly policy calls were a great success last session, and we will be resuming them next week! Anyone in our membership may dial in and listen to the latest developments at the statehouse, and ask questions or provide feedback as we pursue our legislative priorities. Does that sound fun to you? Then join us next Friday at 12:00 PM sharp! Email Rachel for the conference call number.
You Can Now Listen to Legislative Hearings From Your Desk!
For the first time ever, the audio for legislative hearings will be streamed live on the statehouse website. Many of them will also be archived for later listening! Now you can witness our legislative advocacy firsthand on your computer or mobile device, without having to wait for my summary on Fridays. Find the streaming schedules here. Have fun!
Governor’s Budget Recommendations for State Fiscal Year 2019
After his State of the State speech this week, Governor Brownback released his new budget recommendations for state fiscal year 2019. His recommendation includes a large amount of spending increases, most notably for schools, but does not include any new tax increases. State Senate leadership pushed back strongly against the Governor’s budget, stating that the spending increases have no realistic funding sources to support them. Budget Director Sullivan defended the budget, stating that the state is seeing a notable increase in revenues that will cover the spending over the next fiscal year. And if it does not, the budget can be revisited.
Here are some relevant highlights from the Governor’s FY 2019 budget:
- $17.7 million in FY 19 for nursing home Medicaid rate increase
- $22.1 million in FY 19 for hospital Medicaid rate increase
- $500,000 to increase salaries for KDADS nursing home surveyors
- Adds staff position(s) to attorney general’s office to prosecute elder abuse and exploitation
- $7.3 million in FY 18 and $8.2 million in FY 19 to fully fund Career and Technical Education programs
- $3 million in seed money for a new dental school at KUMC
- Adds $608 million to school funding over five years
- Projected ending balances are $266.6 million in FY 18 and $150.3 million in FY 19
For the number lovers among us (or just Shawn Sullivan fans), feel free to read through Director Sullivan’s budget presentation.
You can also read the Governor’s full budget proposal in two volumes here.
Coming Up Next Week…
We have a very busy second week of session! Here are the long term care focused hearings we know of so far. And don’t forget that you can listen in live!
- Tuesday at 9:00 AM we will be in the House Children and Seniors Committee to discuss staffing challenges in long term care
- Wednesday at 9:00 AM the House Federal and State Affairs committee will be taking action on HB 2427 which makes many changes to the adult care home background check laws
- Thursday at 9:30 AM we will be in Senate Public Health and Welfare for a hearing on HB 2232 concerning electronic monitoring in adult care homes
- Thursday at 1:30 PM we are talking to the House Health and Human Services Committee about the many issues we are facing in long term care
Bill Tracker
HB 2427 Amends background checks in adult care homes to require fingerprinting, increases fees, and adds various new misdemeanor and felonies to the exclusion list
HB 2232 Electronic monitoring in adult care homes
HB 2458 Expands the type of crimes that qualify as elder abuse
2018 Legislative Calendar
Monday, January 8th
Legislature Convenes
Monday, January 29th
Last day for individual members’ bill requests
Monday, February 5th
Last day for non-exempt Committees to request to have bills drafted
Wednesday, February 7th
Last day for individual members to introduce bills
Friday, February 9th
Last day for Committees, except exempt Committees, (House Appropriations, Calendar and Printing and Taxation, House and Senate Federal and State Affairs, Senate Ways and Means) to introduce bills
Thursday, February 22nd
Last day to consider bills in House of Origin, except by exempt committees
Friday, March 29th
Last day to consider bills not in House of Origin, except by exempt Committees
Friday, April 6th
First adjournment
Thursday, April 26th
Veto Session begins
