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Minutes for HB2577 - Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
Short Title
Emergency responders and creating the Kansas right-to-know fee fund.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 20, 2018
Chairperson Kerschen called for final action on HB2577.
Tamera Lawrence of the Revisor of Statutes Office updated the committee on the bill.
Senator Francisco offered a balloon amendment which she explained.(Attachment 1)
Senator Francisco moved and Senator Berger seconded the balloon amendment.
There was discussion from the committee about training of first responders and emergency management officials regarding who pays for their training to respond to hazardous chemical incidents. Kim Steves with Kansas Department of Health and Environment stood for questions from the committee. She told the committee that currently there is grant money available for training first responders, but it is not enough money to cover what they need. The money comes through the Department of Transportation, however, the focus of that training is on highway accidents with chemical spills.
Some of the committee members felt that the fees that various agencies paid into the Right-to know fee fund should only be used to administer that program and not be used to pay for training of the first responders. This training, in their opinion, should be provided by other state agencies.
Senator Francisco then withdrew her amendment and suggested that lines 14, 15, and 16 in the bill be stricken and that in section 5 language be added that the Secretary of Agriculture be required to reduce fees when it is determined that the fees are making more money than is needed. She then moved this amendment.
It was decided to delay final action on this bill until the next meeting.
