The House and Senate are on their respective floors this week hearing bills passed out of the second chamber and determining conference committee appointments. The House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means held their first conference committee to review differences between the two mega budget bills yesterday. This conference committee is anticipated to continue meeting throughout the week to work through the budget package and come to an agreement between the two positions.
Since the House and Senate positions on PACE and hospice funding matched, these two items are not included in the conference part and will be included in the final budget bill. The nursing facility add-on, involuntary discharge proviso, HCBS-FE funding, and staffing agency proviso will all be reviewed at the conference committee. So far, HB2777 (body camera bill), HB2784 (CCRC bill), and H Sub for SB352 (patient visitation bill) have not made it “above the line” for committee of the whole consideration.
Coming up next week is the Subcommittee on Contract Nursing on April 1, 2, and 3. The committee will meet over lunch hour from noon to 1:30 p.m. each of those days and rather than hearing oral testimony will use the time to ask follow-up questions based on testimony submitted. LeadingAge Kansas and five provider members will be submitting testimony by this Friday, March 29.
