Session of 2000
         
HOUSE BILL No. 2632
         
By Representative Myers (By request)
         
1-13
         

  9             AN  ACT concerning the state long-term care ombudsman; prescribing
10             certain powers and duties; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 75-7301 and
11             repealing the existing section.
12      
13       Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14             New Section  1. (a) The ombudsman shall adopt and implement any
15       policies the ombudsman deems necessary to recruit and train a number
16       of volunteer ombudsmen sufficient to provide the services of at least one
17       volunteer ombudsman in each region of the state.
18             (b) The ombudsman may adopt any rules and regulations necessary
19       to implement the provisions of this act.
20             (c) The provisions of this section are a part of and supplemental to
21       the long-term care ombudsman act.
22             Sec.  2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 75-7301 is hereby amended to read as
23       follows: 75-7301. (a) The office of the state long-term care ombudsman
24       is hereby attached to the department of administration. The office of the
25       state long-term care ombudsman shall be in Topeka, Kansas. The sec-
26       retary of administration shall provide such technical assistance and advice
27       as the secretary deems reasonable and necessary to assist the state long-
28       term care ombudsman office to function as an independent state agency.
29       The secretary of administration and the department of administration
30       shall have no authority over the state long-term care ombudsman, any
31       regional long-term care ombudsman, any other ombudsman, including
32       any volunteer ombudsman, or any other officer, employee or volunteer
33       of the office of the state long-term care ombudsman with respect to the
34       performance of any power, duty or function of the office or the exercise
35       of any other authority of the office or the state long-term care
36       ombudsman.
37             (b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000 2001, and for each fiscal
38       year thereafter, the secretary of administration shall include the budget
39       estimate of the office of the state long-term care ombudsman, as prepared
40       and approved by the state long-term care ombudsman, along with the
41       budget estimate prepared and submitted to the division of the budget for
42       the department of administration under K.S.A. 75-3717 and amendments
43       thereto. The budget estimate of the office of the state long-term care


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  1       ombudsman for each such fiscal year shall be prepared at the direction
  2       and under the supervision of the state long-term care ombudsman. Ex-
  3       penditures from appropriations to the department of administration for
  4       the office of the state long-term care ombudsman, made pursuant to
  5       budget estimates for the office, shall be made on vouchers approved by
  6       the state long-term care ombudsman or the state long-term care om-
  7       budsman's designee. All vouchers for expenditures and all payrolls of the
  8       office of the state long-term care ombudsman shall be approved by the
  9       state long-term care ombudsman or the state long-term care ombuds-
10       man's designee.
11             (c) For each fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and for each fiscal year
12       thereafter, the budget estimate of the state long-term care ombudsman
13       shall include adequate funding for the activities of the statewide long-term
14       care ombudsman program, including a regional long-term care ombuds-
15       man program for each region of Kansas and a sufficient number of officers
16       and employees for the office of the long-term care ombudsman, to provide
17       for the recruiting and training of volunteer ombudsmen, to provide the
18       services of the statewide long-term care ombudsman program under the
19       provisions of the long-term care ombudsman act for all residents of facil-
20       ities in Kansas and to investigate all complaints involving residents of
21       facilities in Kansas pursuant to the long-term care ombudsman act. 
22       Sec.  3. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 75-7301 is hereby repealed.
23        Sec.  4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
24       publication in the statute book.