Brief⁽¹⁾

As amended by Senate Committee, H.B. 2227 amends two statutes that relate to the establishment of governing boards of community mental health centers and community facilities for the mentally retarded. The latter are also referred to as community developmental disabilities organizations.

The amendments to K.S.A. 19-4002 are technical. The second statute, K.S.A. 19-4002a, currently authorizes the Board of County Commissioners of Sedgwick County to serve as the mental health center or mental retardation governing board in Sedgwick County. Amendments to the statute create a new paragraph (a)(2) that gives the same statutory authorization to act as the mental health or mental retardation governing board to the Unified Government Board of Commissioners of Wyandotte County. Other subsections of the statute are amended to include the Unified Government Board of Commissioners of Wyandotte County.

Background

H.B. 2227, as introduced, would have given authorization to any board of county commissioners to serve as the governing board of a mental health center or community facility for the mentally retarded. The House Committee amendments limited the authority to Sedgwick and Wyandotte counties. The Senate Committee amendments give specific authority to the Unified Government Board of Commissioners of Wyandotte County. Counsel for the Unified Government appeared in support of the bill.

H.B. 2227 was amended in the House on Final Action to add a new section that would have created an 11-member Task Force on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Services to, among other responsibilities, evaluate community mental health and developmental disabilities services; review community system design under the Developmental Disabilities Reform Act; review funding sources; review emerging systems models and trends in service delivery; evaluate the way in which quality oversight is exercised; and study the feasibility of separating the administrative and service provider functions of community developmental disability organizations. The Senate Committee amendments delete the House amendment.

The fiscal note indicates the bill would have no fiscal impact on state revenues.

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