Member's Truth Report Week 10 2024

THE TRUTH REPORT

A Weekly Rundown of Important Activity in Topeka, from a Principled Perspective

Week 11 - March 23, 2024

"The impact of Medicaid expansion on health outcomes has no effect at all on major health indicators"

-House Speaker Dan Hawkins-

Topeka, KS - The Senate and House Republicans kept busy this week–working to protect and preserve our rights and best interests. This week featured BIG hearings on medicaid expansion and discussion on how the governor's plan to expand would hurt far more than it would help!

Important Action in the House this Week!

HB2825 - Hospital Price Transparency

HB2825, or the consumer protection related to hospital price transparency act, had its hearing in the House Committee on Insurance on Monday. The bill enables Kansans to make educated choices about their healthcare by requiring hospitals to list the pricing for their services. HB2825 was recommended to be passed on Thursday.

HB2839 - Literacy in Kansas

HB2839 was heard on Tuesday and Thursday in the Committee on Education. The bill creates the literary advisory committee to oversee and modify literary training for teachers and literary education for students. Additionally, the committee would aim to…

submit a plan to the state board of regents to establish centers of excellence in reading on or before January 1, 2025,
have every Kansas elementary school teacher achieve a microcredential in the science of reading and structured literacy by 2030, and
have 85% of Kansas fourth graders achieving level 2 or above on the English language arts state assessment by 2033.

We look forward to hearing more about this bill in the coming weeks!

Sub Bill for HB2460 - Removing DEI Statements From University Criteria

The Sub Bill for HB2460 was passed by the House Committee on Higher Education Budget on Monday, and then by the House Committee of the Whole on Thursday (81-39). The bill prohibits Kansas colleges and universities from basing admissions, hiring, promotional and scholarship decisions on a person’s political ideology–specifying that statements regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion should not influence the decisions listed above. However, this bill does not prohibit colleges and universities from enforcing anti-discrimination legislation, nor does it forbid faculty from researching and teaching on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Sub Bill for HB2460 was referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Friday, where it awaits a hearing.

H Sub for SB233 - The Help Not Harm Act

H Sub for SB233 protects Kansas youth by prohibiting state-funded medical entities and personnel from encouraging gender-affirming medication or surgery. Under this bill, state aid would not be used for gender-affirming surgeries or medications. Additionally, the bill forbids physicians in Kansas from providing such procedures and medications to minors. A motion to accede was adopted in the House on Tuesday, and both the House and Senate conference committees agreed to disagree on Wednesday.

HB2181 - Rights for the Unborn

HB2181 protects the rights of the unborn by treating them as born persons under the law–criminalizing abortion, prohibiting the transfer of fetal tissue to other persons, and disallowing abortions in cases of medical emergencies. The bill classifies abortion and attempted abortion as a severity level 1, person felony. For the purpose of penalties, abortion is categorized with terrorism, sex trafficking and other severe crimes. It is important to note that removal procedures for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies are still protected under this bill.

HB2492 - Prohibiting Abortion Except in Emergency

HB2492 also prohibits abortion–noting that abortions are unlawful except when necessary to save the life of the mother, and allowing civil actions to be filed against individuals who violate this bill. HB2492 was referred to the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Thursday, and we look forward to seeing more action on this bill in the coming weeks.

HB2813 - The Crime of Coercion to Obtain an Abortion

Like its twin in the Senate, SB527, HB2813 criminalizes the act of coercing a person to obtain an abortion and specifies the penalties for doing so. The bill was recommended to be passed as amended by the Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Wednesday.

Important Action in the Senate this Week!

HB2749 - Reporting Reasons for Abortion

On Tuesday, March 19th, HB2749 had its first hearing on the Senate side. The bill approaches the pro-life issue from a different tactic by investigating the reasoning behind abortions. HB2749 requires that medical care centers list the main reason, such as lack of familial or marital support, for each abortion performed. These reasons will be included in a public biannual report and can be used to reduce outside motivations for abortion.

Senate Hearings on Medicaid Expansion

While the House worked HB2556 regarding Medicaid Expansion, the Senate had two informational hearings to further analyze the current situation. Both of these informational hearings took place on Wednesday, with the first being in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare and the second in the Committee on Ways and Means.

SB527 - Crime of Coercion to Obtain an Abortion

SB527 mirrors HB2813 by addressing coercion to obtain an abortion. Today, many pregnant women face partners, parents, friends, and medical professionals trying to convince them that an abortion is their best, if not their only, option. This bill would penalize such actions by creating the crime of coercing an individual into obtaining an abortion. SB527 had its first hearing in the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Tuesday, March 19th.

SB536 - Keeping the Budget Under Revenue Neutral

Introduced by Senator Erickson, SB539 would force political subdivisions to keep their budget at or under the revenue neutral–using the excess funds to reduce property tax. This bill had a hearing on Wednesday, March 20th in the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation, where it now awaits further movement.

HB2613 - The D.A.R.E Program

The Senate Committee on Education had a hearing on HB2613 on Wednesday, March 20th. This bill changes current legislation to provide for an educator for the statewide drug abuse resistance education (D.A.R.E.) program. The educator will use the D.A.R.E. curriculum to educate public school students across the state on the effects of various opioids such as fentanyl. In order to provide for such education, a drug abuse resistance education fund will be added to the state treasury, and money for this fund will be transferred to the D.A.R.E. fund from the Kansas endowment for youth fund.

SB542 - Homeless Shelters

The Senate had a hearing on Tuesday, March 19th in their Committee on Ways and Means discussing SB542. This bill would create the Homeless Shelter Infrastructure Grant Fund in the State Treasury. This grant would be for the purpose of building various homeless shelters in Kansas.

HB2562 - Protect Vulnerable Adults

HB2562 passed in the House on February 22nd, where it was then referred to the Senate. This bill would create the Protect Vulnerable Adults From Financial Exploitation Act as a means to protect the finances of the elderly. The Senate voted on this bill on Thursday, March 21st, where it was then passed through emergency final action.

HB2557 - Peer Support Counseling

The Senate passed HB2557 on Thursday, March 21st. This bill would amend the current definition of “peer support counseling session” and expand the definition found in K.S.A. 2023 Supp. 60-473. This would further aid and support our members of law enforcement, emergency services, and the Kansas National Guard.

Monday Night's Meeting

On Monday the 25th, we will have our last Truth Caucus Dinner at David Kensinger’s office on the fifth floor of 825 S. Kansas between 5 and 7. We hope to see you all there one last time before session ends!!