Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 598 amends a statute that is a part of the Pharmacy Act of the State of Kansas that sets out requirements to be met by a pharmacy registered by the Board of Pharmacy. The amendments concern the provisions of the statute that relate to the use of pharmacy technicians.

The Board of Pharmacy would be authorized by SB 598 to establish a greater than two-to-one ratio of pharmacy technicians to pharmacists through rules and regulations.

As amended by Senate Committee, the bill would also require the pharmacist in charge of a pharmacy to provide the Board the name, address, and date of birth of each pharmacy technician employed by the pharmacy at the time the pharmacy is registered with the Board. Additionally, the pharmacist in charge would be required to report the same information about any newly employed pharmacy technician within ten days of the hiring of such technician and the name of any pharmacy technician no longer employed by the pharmacy within ten days of the cessation of employment. Any pharmacy that employs a pharmacy technician or technicians would be required to pay a $20 pharmacy technician register fee.

Background

The introduction of SB 598 was requested by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry on behalf of the Kansas Federation of Chain Pharmacies, an affiliate of the Chamber. A representative of the Chamber also appeared in support of the bill on behalf of the Federation and the Kansas Retail Council. Support for the bill was also expressed by a representative of the Kansas Pharmacists Association. A representative of the Board of Pharmacy expressed the Board's support of the concepts contained in the bill and suggested issues relating to the registration of pharmacy technicians that were not dealt with in the bill as introduced. Some of the issues are addressed by the Senate Committee amendments.

The Board of Pharmacy indicated the paperwork associated with the registering of pharmacy technicians as proposed in SB 598 as introduced would require an additional staff person. As introduced there was no fee associated with the registration to offset additional costs.

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