Committee Reports to the 2017 Legislature
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Committee Reports to the 2017 Kansas Legislature Special Committees; Selected Joint Committees; Other Committees, Commissions, and Task Forces Kansas Legislative Research Department January 2017 2016 Legislative Coordinating Council Chairperson Representative Ray Merrick, Speaker of the House Vice-chairperson Senator Susan Wagle, President of the Senate Terry Bruce, Senate Majority Leader Anthony Hensley, Senate Minority Leader Jene Vickrey, House Majority Leader Peggy Mast, Speaker Pro Tem Representative Tom Burroughs, House Minority Leader Kansas Legislative Research Department 300 SW 10th Avenue Room 68-West, Statehouse Topeka, Kansas 66612-1504 Telephone: (785) 296-3181 FAX: (785) 296-3824 [email protected] http://www.kslegislature.org/klrd Special Committees; Selected Joint Committees; Other Committees, Commissions, and Task Forces Special Committee on Foster Care Adequacy Special Committee on Patient Protections for Step Therapy Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Joint Committee on Information Technology Joint Committee on Kansas Security Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments and Benefits Joint Committee on State Building Construction Legislative Budget Committee Capitol Preservation Committee Health Care Stabilization Fund Oversight Committee Kansas Legislative Research Department 300 SW 10th Avenue Room 68-West, Statehouse Topeka, Kansas 66612-1504 Telephone: (785) 296-3181 FAX: (785) 296-3824 [email protected] http://www.kslegislature.org/klrd Foreword In the 2016 Interim, the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) appointed four special committees to study four study topics. The LCC further specified four issues to be studied by the Special Committee on Foster Care Adequacy and seven such items for study by the Special Committee on Larned and Osawatomie State Hospitals. Legislation recommended by the committees will be available in the Documents Room early in the 2017 Session. Joint committees created by statute met in the 2016 Interim as provided in the statutes specific to each joint committee. Several of the joint committees have reported on their activities, and those reports are contained in this publication. Legislation recommended by these committees will be available in the Documents Room early in the 2017 Session. This publication also contains reports of other committees, commissions, and task forces that are not special committees created by the Legislative Coordinating Council or joint committees. Reports of the following are not contained in this publication and will be published in a supplement: Special Committee on Larned and Osawatomie State Hospitals Special Committee on Organization of Public Health Boards Robert G. ‘Bob’ Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight Minutes of the meetings of the special committees, joint committees, other committees, commissions, task forces, and panels are on file in the Division of Legislative Administrative Services. A summary of each reporting entity’s conclusions and recommendations may be found beginning on page i. This publication is available in electronic format at http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD- web/Publications.html. TABLE OF CONTENTS Special Committee on Foster Care Adequacy Report..............................................................................................................................................1-1 Special Committee on Patient Protections for Step Therapy Report..............................................................................................................................................2-1 Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Annual Report.................................................................................................................................3-1 Joint Committee on Information Technology Annual Report.................................................................................................................................4-1 Joint Committee on Kansas Security Annual Report.................................................................................................................................5-1 Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments and Benefits Annual Report.................................................................................................................................6-1 Joint Committee on State Building Construction Annual Report.................................................................................................................................7-1 Legislative Budget Committee Annual Report.................................................................................................................................8-1 Capitol Preservation Committee Annual Report.................................................................................................................................9-1 Health Care Stabilization Fund Oversight Committee Annual Report...............................................................................................................................10-1 Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations Special Committee on Foster Care Adequacy The Committee recommends a House bill be introduced containing the language of 2016 HB 2585 as amended by the House Committee on Children and Seniors, establishing a foster care oversight task force. It encourages the use of citizen review boards in child-in-need-of-care cases and that legislative standing committees examine expanding the statutory scope of such boards. It affirms the right of biological parents and grandparents to visitation with children and grandchildren. It requests the Legislature address the Legislative Division of Post Audit (LPA) findings on foster care and adoption in Kansas, as well as the concerns raised through the audit and the actions being taken by the Department for Children and Families (DCF) to address those concerns; DCF investigate the value of additional vendors for foster care programs; DCF report annually to a standing committee of the Senate and a standing committee of the House; and the Legislative Post Audit Committee consider addressing the Special Committee’s concern regarding the low response rate to the LPA survey of public employees and employees of contractors reported in the foster care and adoption audit. Special Committee on Patient Protections for Step Therapy The Committee was not convened during the 2016 Interim. Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight The Committee recommended continued legislative oversight of staffing issues at state correctional facilities, the prevalence of mental health issues among inmates, and the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at Larned State Hospital. The Committee also recommended careful consideration of the Judicial Council’s report on 2016 HB 2639 concerning the use of licensed crisis recovery centers for emergency observation and treatment of persons with mental illness, substance use disorders, and co-occurring conditions. Joint Committee on Information Technology The Committee recommended the Legislative Chief Information Technology Officer CITO consider requiring multi-factor authentication for legislators in order to access the legislative network and to review the security policies for interns and temporary staff accessing the legislative network. The Committee recommended the Executive CITO make IT security a primary priority as the Executive Branch Information Technology (IT) 2016-2017 Strategic Plan is implemented. The Committee recommended the House Committee on Appropriations and Senate Committee on Ways and Means consider adding proviso language to the FY 2018 budget bill that would defer a portion of an agency’s budget under certain circumstances. The Committee also recommended the Chief Information Security Officer separately review security plans and certify approval of the security plan for proposed new projects over $250,000 prior to approval by the Executive CITO. The Committee further recommended mandatory technology security training be provided to all members within the first three weeks of the 2017 Legislative Session. Kansas Legislative Research Department i 2016 Interim Committee Reports Joint Committee on Kansas Security The Committee recommends review of preparedness for possible terrorism events at the Capitol and adding security protocols; training on Statehouse emergency policies and procedures for all legislators; consideration of specified changes to statutes related to security in K-12 educational settings; legislative action on low pay of state employees in security-related jobs and the effect on recruitment and retention; legislative review of recruitment and retention incentives applicable to the Kansas Army National Guard and the Kansas Air National Guard, including tuition assistance; removal of expenditure limits from federal funds received by the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office; and review of preparedness at major venues in Kansas. Joint Committee on Pensions, Investments and Benefits The Committee recommends a bill be introduced that would exempt Regents’ schools and employed retirees from certain working-after-retirement rules. When lawmakers consider future modifications to working-after-retirement policy, the Committee suggests legislation be considered that would allow retirees to return to public employment if certain hardship conditions are met. The Committee recommends the State honor its obligation to