Brief(1)
S.B. 161 would require the Attorney General to appoint a Statewide Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) coordinator. Within the limits of appropriations, the Attorney General also would be authorized to appoint additional staff to support the coordinator.
The bill would establish the following duties for the DARE coordinator:
Background
Senator Goodwin, primary sponsor of the bill, told the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs during its hearing on the bill that funding for the current statewide coordinator would expire in June 1999. The Attorney General, who spoke in support of the bill, told the Committee that the current coordinator is housed at the Topeka Police Department and is supported by one secretary. For the last four years, the coordinator has been funded by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council via an Edward Byrne federal grant.
The fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget states that FY 2000 expenditures for statewide coordination through the Attorney General's Office would total $165,397. That amount would support the coordinator and one other staff position and necessary office equipment and supplies.
Testimony in support of the bill was provided by the: current state DARE coordinator; DARE coordinator for Junction City and Ft. Riley; President of KS DARE Officers Association; representative of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police; representative of the Kansas Peace Officers Association; and the Merriam Chief of Police. No opponents of the bill presented testimony to the Senate Committee.
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.