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Minutes for SB77 - Committee on Federal and State Affairs
Short Title
Requiring the department for children and families to offer services to children with problem sexual behavior and to such child's family.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 19, 2019
Vice-Chairperson Awerkamp opened the hearing on SB77. Kyle Hamilton, Revisor, provided an overview of the bill (Attachment 4). Representative Ruiz had a question.
Senator Molly Baumgardner was recognized by Vice-Chairperson Awerkamp as a proponent of SB77 (Attachment 5). She stated our state has a problem with children that have inappropriate sexual behavior. In the metropolitan Kansas City area alone, one case worker dealt with over 1,000 victims in a two-year period. SB77 addresses the issue as far as the children committing the crime of inappropriate sexual behavior on other children. Questions were asked by Representatives Arnberger, Stogsdill, Woodard, Clalyton, Lusk, Humphries, and Erickson.
Chairperson Barker returned to the room.
Chairperson Barker recognized Phillip Cosby as a proponent of SB77 (Attachment 6) (Attachment 6A). He stated he has been working for the last sixteen years on the issue of the hyper-sexualization of the culture, the ease of access by children to pornography, and their resulting behavior. We must intercede on behalf of these children or later on down the road a much larger bill will have to be passed. A question was asked by Representative Lusk.
Chairperson Barker called upon Kim Parker who testified in support of SB77 (Attachment 7). She recommends that problem sexual behavior be defined more specifically than the statutory definition of sex abuse so that it is clearly distinguished from abuse. Some, but not all, of the Child Advocacy Centers have begun training their mental health providers in this special treatment program which is called Problematic Sexual Behavior-Cognitive Behavior Therapy (PSB-CBT). Additional funding is needed to fully implement treatment for these children.
Chairperson Barker directed the Committee's attention to the written proponent testimony of Heidi Olson (Attachment 8).
Chairperson Barker then recognized Alicia Johnson-Turner as a neutral on SB77 (Attachment 9). She stated that if SB77 is passed, additional funding will be needed. Questions were asked by Representatives Lusk and Awerkamp, as well as by Chairperson Barker. Representative Awerkamp requested data from the files of the Department for Children and Families on what could have caused these children to act out in this way.
Chairperson Barker closed the hearing on SB77.
