Brief (1)
HB 2780, as amended, creates a 20-member Task Force on Long-Term Care Services to study state and federal laws and regulations that impact on services provided by the public and private sector to citizens who are consumers of long-term care services, the financing of such services, the effectiveness of partnering activities between state agencies and long term care providers, and other matters as the Task Force deems appropriate.
Seven members of the Task Force created by HB 2780 are to be appointed by the Legislative Coordinating Council, three of whom are to be consumers of long-term care, three providers of long-term care, and one a trustee or board member of a long-term care facility. Of the appointees named by the Legislative Coordinating Council, no more than two members shall reside in any one congressional district The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Task Force are to be appointed by the Legislative Coordinating Council from among the members of the Task Force. The Chairperson is to be a legislative member.
Two members are to be appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. Of the two appointments, one is to be a member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and one a member of the House Committee on Appropriations. The appointees are to be from different political parties. An additional two members are to be appointed by the Senate President, and the Minority Leader of the Senate is to appoint two members. In each case, one appointee is to be a member of the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare and one a member of the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance. Two additional members are to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, and two members appointed by the Minority Leader of the House. In each case, one appointee is to be a member of the House Committee on Health and Human Services and one a member of the House Committee on Insurance. The Secretaries of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Aging, and Health and Environment or their designees make up the remaining members of the Task Force.
The Senate Committee amendments add a definition of long-term care to the bill and change the dates by which the Task Force is to report; require that in developing recommendations, the Task Force consider creative, common sense solutions and approaches to problems that do not necessarily require additional expenditures; and change the expiration date of the statute that would be created by the bill from July 1, 2001 to July 1, 2005.
Background
HB 2780 was introduced by the Committee on Health and Human Services as a successor to a 1999 Senate bill recommended by the House Committee that would have created a similar task force. Representatives of the Department of Health and Environment, the Statewide Independent Living Council, the Kansas Association of Services and Homes for the Aging, the Alzheimer's Disease Association Affiliates of Kansas, the Kansas Professional Nursing Home Administrators Association, the Area Agencies on Aging, and Kansas Advocates for Better Care appeared in support of the bill, although several proposed amendments. Written testimony was received from the Council of Developmental Disabilities. A representative of the Kansas Home Care Association appeared to give information and to suggest the entire health care delivery system be studied.
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