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Minutes for HB2070 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Enacting the dietitian licensure compact to provide interstate practice privileges for dietitians.
Minutes Content for Wed, Feb 5, 2025
Carly Choi provided an overview of HB2070 (Attachment 18).
Michelle Richart, Midwest Region Liaison, Defense State Liaison Office, U.S. Dept. of Defense, provided an overview of the Department of Defense's efforts to work with state leaders to harmonize state and federal law and regulations(Attachment 19). The Department has advocated for improved licensure and career portability for military service members and their spouses for several years. Military spouses are disproportionately affected by state-specific professional licensing requirements that can causes delay and gaps in employment. Military spouses experience unemployment at significantly higher rates than their civilian peers. Moving state to state, obtaining licenses in order to obtain employment is important. Compacts will serve to relieve one of the many stressors of a military move and support military families' financial and personal well-being. Currently 4 states have entered the compact and 12 states are considering joining the compact.
Lt. Col. Keith Marshall, Adjutant General's Department, U.S. Air Force, provided testimony in support of HB2070 (Attachment 20). This bill is a priority of the Department of Defense. Military spouses face significant employment challenges with an unemployment rate consistently around 21%. These compacts play a vital role in supporting military families by easing the transition for spouses and professionals who require state-specific licenses to work. these agreements streamline the process of transferring professional licenses across state lines. The compacts provide greater job stability and allow maintaining employment without lengthy re-certifications and additional coursework.
William Wilk, on behalf of the Kansas Chamber, provided testimony in support of HB2070 (Attachment 21). The United States is facing a shortage in dieticians nationally. Kansas is seeing shortages especially in rural areas. Enacting the compact will give Kansans access to more dieticians to address their nutritional needs to live a healthier life.
Mr. Wilk responded to questions from the committee.
Stephanie Wagner, Private Citizen, provided testimony in support of HB2070 (Attachment 22). Ms. Wagner holds licenses in 3 states. If a patient from a different state needs her expertise, current license barriers make it impossible to help. Licensing is a lengthy and burdensome process. The compact is a solution that will increase patient access to licensed dieticians across multiple states while maintaining high professional standards.
The following provide written only proponent testimony:
Katrina Abraham, Government Affairs, The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (Attachment 23)
Kylee Childs, Director of Government Affairs, LeadingAge Kansas (Attachment 24)
Lacey Hunter, Commissioner of Survey, Certification & Credentialing, KDADS (Attachment 25)
Kansas Hospital Association (Attachment 26)
Catrisse Alvord, Director of Food Hospitality & Nutrition, Mission Health (Attachment 27)
Jordan Chen, Owner, Manhattan Nutrition Clinic (Attachment 28)
Melaney Coco, President, Kansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Attachment 29)
Hannah Brown, University of Kansas Cancer Center (Attachment 30)
The hearing was closed.
