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Minutes for HB2577 - Committee on Water and Environment
Short Title
Emergency responders and creating the Kansas right-to-know fee fund.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 6, 2018
The Chair opened the hearing on HB2577.
Staff Matt Sterling briefed the Committee on the bill (Attachment 9). He explained that the bill would create a separate fee fund in the state treasury that would be administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE); the fund would be used exclusively for administration under KDHE.
Randy Stookey, Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association, testified in favor of the bill (Attachment 10). He commented that presently there is no dedicated fee fund addressing right-to-know issues, and any surplus generated by the fees is swept into the State General Fund. This bill will assure that sufficient resources are available to administer the fund.
Tom Palace, Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, spoke as a proponent (Attachment 11). He highlighted the importance of maintaining a database for hazardous chemicals and observed that if a surplus is developed by the fund, the fee could be reduced.
Kim Steves, Director, Radiation Control Program, KDHE, explained that the fees addressing Tier II hazardous chemicals were established in 1994. Neither the statute nor the regulations governing the fees indicate where the fees are to be deposited (Attachment 12). She stated that a dedicated fee fund will enable the agency to add outreach services, enhance the data systems, and streamline reporting and accessing data.
Written-only testimony in support of the bill was provided by Mandy Roe, Kansas Cooperative Council (Attachment 13). Responding to a question, Ms. Steves replied that currently there is no supervisor for the program, no money for training, and only funds for web maintenance.
The Chair closed the hearing on HB2577.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:01 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 8, 2018.
