Brief(1)
S.B. 135 enacts new legislation that, with the exception of the Senate Committee amendment and the expiration date, is identical to the statutes that are repealed by the bill. The bill recreates the Health Care Reform Legislative Oversight Committee, with a sunset date of July 1, 2001.
The Senate Committee amendment deletes the authority of the Oversight Committee to employ an executive secretary, an authority which has never been used by the Committee.
Background
S.B. 135 was drafted and introduced at the request of the Health Care Reform Legislative Oversight Committee. The statutes that created the Committee expired on December 31, 1998 so the bill reenacts the authorization that expired. S.B. 135 is identical to the act found at K.S.A. 1998 Supp. 46-2501 through 46-2506 which have been combined into one statute in S.B. 135.
The members of the Health Care Reform Legislative Oversight Committee were unanimous in their support of continuation of the Committee. Since the creation of the Committee it has considered health-related issues that have been assigned by the Legislative Coordinating Council as well as those issues the Committee has chosen as its annual agenda. Because health and health-related issues often have ramifications for health insurance and appropriations the Committee has always included members of the House and Senate committees that deal with health insurance and appropriations as well as members of the health committees. This unique composition is seen by the members of the Oversight Committee as one of its major assets, as is the ability to respond to new federal legislation by adding it to the Committee agenda as happened during the 1997 interim when the Committee was able to consider and make recommendations relating to Kansas implementation of the federal legislation that added a new Title XXI to the Social Security Act authorizing federal funding for a child health insurance program. In the 1998 interim the Committee was made aware of federal changes that have had an impact on home health services in Kansas and of proposed federal rules that would impact organ transplantation and has prepared legislation on both subjects for consideration by the 1999 Legislature.
The fiscal note on S.B. 135 estimates the cost of the bill to be that of previous years. Meetings of the Committee must be authorized by the Legislative Coordinating Council so costs reflect the number of meetings authorized and held.
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/bill_search.html.