Brief(1)
S.B. 129 amends two of the statutes in the act that establishes the Department on Aging and sets out the powers and duties of the Secretary of Aging, one of the statutes in the Kansas Senior Care Act, and one of the statutes in the act that transferred certain program responsibilities from the Secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services to the Secretary of Aging.
Amendments to the statute that sets out the general powers and duties of the Secretary of Aging, K.S.A. 75-5908, give the Secretary new authority to lend surplus state property to area agencies on aging or the Long-term Care Ombudsman and to enter into contracts or agreements. The amendments also clarify the authority of the Secretary to adopt rules and regulations that are necessary to administer specified laws. Amendments to K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 75-5910 are corrective only. Amendments to the statute that is a part of the Kansas Senior Care Act (K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 75-5928) relate to area agency plans for in-home services that must be approved before the area agency can receive funds under the Act. The amendments require the plan to be renewed annually by the area agency on aging's Older Americans Act Advisory Council and representatives of senior organizations, home health agencies, health departments, and the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. The amendments to K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 75-5945 are technical in deleting duplicative language. The bill also repeals K.S.A. 1997 Supp. 75-5935, a statute in the Kansas Senior Care Act that requires evaluation of the effectiveness of the in-home services program operated pursuant to the Act, sets out data that is to be included in the evaluation, and requires an annual report to the Governor and Legislature.
Background
S.B. 129 was introduced during the 1997 Session at the request of the Secretary of Aging whose representative also supported the bill at the time of Senate Committee hearings.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.