Legislative Update | April 26, 2024

Omnibus Discussions at the Kansas Legislature

Governor Kelly vetoed the tax bill and utilized a line-item veto on the budget bill this Wednesday. Notably, all provisions concerning aging services funding managed to withstand the veto. The next steps for the legislature remain uncertain; they might either pursue a veto override for the tax bill or embark on drafting a revised version. On Thursday this week, members from the Senate Ways and Means and House Appropriations committees came together to review spring consensus caseloads and make recommendations for the omnibus budget bill. Omnibus typically includes items that were controversial earlier in session, needed more time for deliberation due to pending governmental decisions, or are costlier requests. The subcommittee recommendations for contract nursing were presented to House Appropriations on Thursday and the recommendation to update the language in SB28 to include tech platform companies in registration was passed by the committee. The oral health recommendation to make preventative dental cleanings part of the Medicaid state plan versus a value added benefit for MCOs failed and will not be included in this year’s budget.

Outstanding CCRs of interest for LeadingAge Kansas members include:

• HB2784 – Oversight of CCRCs from KID to KDADS and prohibiting Fire Marshal’s Office from utilizing body cameras on inspections.
• H Sub SB287 – Contains contents of patient visitation act which had the word federal “guidance” removed as superseding state statute.

Bill Tracker

View our bill tracker to see which bills are still alive before final adjournment.

Coming Up

Legislature is anticipated to take final action on outstanding  conference committee reports on Friday, veto overrides on Monday, and final adjournment on Tuesday.

Minimum Staffing Rule

On Monday, April 22, Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement sharing the finalization of two rules impacting long-term care. These two rules include the Minimum Staffing Rule proposed September 2023, and the Medicaid Access Rule proposed in May 2023. LeadingAge Kansas closely monitored and reviewed the 329-page document after it was posted to the Federal Register and started creating guides for providers to utilize. A members-only webinar was hosted Tuesday morning to discuss the overview of what is known about the rule so far, what LeadingAge Kansas is doing to advocate against and in preparation for implementation, as well as to provide a short Q&A with members. All member resources related to the minimum staffing rule can be found on the LeadingAge Kansas website under Advocacy, Trending Issues, Minimum Staffing Rule.

LeadingAge Kansas Member Data Collection on Certified Dietary Managers/Licensed Dietitians

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