SB 70--
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SENATE BILL No. 70
By Committee on Judiciary
1-21
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AN ACT concerning the Kansas tort claims act; expanding the definition of community service work; amending K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6102 and repealing the existing section. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: Section 1. K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6102 is hereby amended to read as follows: 75-6102. As used in K.S.A. 75-6101 through 75-6118, and amend- ments thereto, unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (a) ``State'' means the state of Kansas and any department or branch of state government, or any agency, authority, institution or other instru- mentality thereof. (b) ``Municipality'' means any county, township, city, school district or other political or taxing subdivision of the state, or any agency, au- thority, institution or other instrumentality thereof. (c) ``Governmental entity'' means state or municipality. (d) ``Employee'' means any officer, employee, servant or member of a board, commission, committee, division, department, branch or council of a governmental entity, including elected or appointed officials and persons acting on behalf or in service of a governmental entity in any official capacity, whether with or without compensation and a charitable health care provider. Employee includes any steward or racing judge ap- pointed pursuant to K.S.A. 74-8818, and amendments thereto, regardless of whether the services of such steward or racing judge are rendered pursuant to contract as an independent contractor, but does not otherwise include any independent contractor under contract with a governmental entity except (1) employees of the United States marshal's service en- gaged in the transportation of inmates on behalf of the secretary of cor- rections and (2) a person who is an employee of a nonprofit independent contractor, other than a municipality, under contract to provide educa- tional or vocational training to inmates in the custody of the secretary of corrections and who is engaged in providing such service in an institution under the control of the secretary of corrections provided that such em- ployee does not otherwise have coverage for such acts and omissions within the scope of their employment through a liability insurance con- tract of such independent contractor. ``Employee'' also includes an em- ployee of an indigent health care clinic. ``Employee'' also includes former employees for acts and omissions within the scope of their employment during their former employment with the governmental entity. (e) ``Community service work'' means public or community service performed by a person (1) as a result of a contract of diversion entered into by such person as authorized by law, (2) pursuant to the assignment of such person by a court to a community corrections program, (3) as a result of suspension of sentence or as a condition of probation pursuant to court order, (4) in lieu of a fine imposed by court order or, (5) as a condition of placement ordered by a court pursuant to K.S.A. 38-1663, and amendments thereto, or (6) pursuant to the assignment of such per- son by the Kansas parole board or the department of corrections. (f) ``Charitable health care provider'' means a person licensed by the state board of healing arts as an exempt licensee or a federally active licensee, a person issued a limited permit by the state board of healing arts, a physician's assistant registered by the state board of healing arts or a health care provider as the term ``health care provider'' is defined under K.S.A. 65-4921, and amendments thereto, who has entered into an agree- ment with: (1) The secretary of health and environment under K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6120, and amendments thereto, who, pursuant to such agreement, gratuitously renders professional services to a person who has provided information which would reasonably lead the health care provider to make the good faith assumption that such person meets the definition of medically indigent person as defined by this section or to a person re- ceiving medical assistance from the programs operated by the department of social and rehabilitation services, and who is considered an employee of the state of Kansas under K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6120, and amendments thereto; or (2) the secretary of health and environment and who, pursuant to such agreement, gratuitously renders professional services in conducting children's immunization programs administered by the secretary; or (3) a local health department or indigent health care clinic, which renders professional services to medically indigent persons or persons receiving medical assistance from the programs operated by the depart- ment of social and rehabilitation services gratuitously or for a fee paid by the local health department or indigent health care clinic to such provider and who is considered an employee of the state of Kansas under K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6120 and amendments thereto. Professional services ren- dered by a provider under this paragraph (3) shall be considered gratui- tous notwithstanding fees based on income eligibility guidelines charged by a local health department or indigent health care clinic and notwith- standing any fee paid by the local health department or indigent health care clinic to a provider in accordance with this paragraph (3). (g) ``Medically indigent person'' means a person who lacks resources to pay for medically necessary health care services and who meets the eligibility criteria for qualification as a medically indigent person estab- lished by the secretary of health and environment under K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6120, and amendments thereto. (h) ``Indigent health care clinic'' means an outpatient medical care clinic operated on a not-for-profit basis which has a contractual agreement in effect with the secretary of health and environment to provide health care services to medically indigent persons. (i) ``Local health department'' shall have the meaning ascribed to such term under K.S.A. 65-241 and amendments thereto. Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1996 Supp. 75-6102 is hereby repealed. Sec. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication in the statute book.