HB 2168: Kansas hospitals and nursing facilities chose to tax themselves nearly 2% to create a fund. They applied to Medicaid to use that money in place of the state’s matching portion, because the state wasn’t moving on expansion. This bill allows the provider assessment to increase to 3% of revenues added to the fund. Again, providers requested this increase as it allows them to better serve low-income Kansans. It passed the House 91-24 and the Senate 33-6. I voted YES.
 
SB 66: The budget is usually the last thing to get done, but it was the one thing we had to do before sending everyone to quarantine. We call it a “basic” budget, but that’s only because we didn’t get much time to ruminate on it. While there were a few priorities I wish were included, this bill does the trick for now:

• More than $80 million in direct coronavirus response and prevention
• Mental Health: 
  • $4 million to create eight pediatric acute inpatient psychiatric beds in Hays
  • $2 million increase for Community Mental Health Centers
  • $1 million for a psychiatric residential treatment facility project in Newton
• Medicaid reimbursement rate increases: 
  • 1% increase for nursing facilities
  • 5% increase for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) providers for the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) community
  • $3 million increase for reimbursements to dentists under KanCare
• 1-year extension of STAR bonds (Sales Tax & Revenue)

It passed the House 99-16 and the Senate 28-10. I voted YES.
 
H Sub SB 173 is the final version of the new transportation bill, now called the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Plan. The bill includes a number of important provisions:

• One of the most impactful components is not even physical transportation, but virtual, by providing matching funds for construction of a broadband network. 
• Allows construction of three toll roads (likely to be expanded lanes of existing highways).
• Unfulfilled T-WORKS projects must have at least the first phase begun before any new expansion project is begun. 
• Creates a need-based scholarship up to $200 for completion of a driver’s education course.
• Requires at least $8 million be spent in each county.
• Final price tag of $10 billion over 10 years, but projects will be determined on a two-year rolling basis to provide flexibility with changing transportation modes.

It passed the House 112-3 and the Senate 37-2, I voted YES.
 
HCR 5025 extends Governor Kelly’s state of emergency declaration through May 1. It passed both chambers unanimously.

Emergency Actions in Kansas: 

1. Extended the tax deadline from April 15 to July 15. 
2. Extended unemployment benefits from 16 to 26 weeks and removed the one-week waiting period.
3. Utilities are prohibited from cutting service until April 15.
4. Lenders and landlords are prohibited from foreclosures and evictions through May 1.
5. $5 million in no-interest loans for the hospitality industry, dubbed the Hospitality Relief Emergency (HIRE) Fund.
6. The U.S. Small Business Administration has low interest loans available to sustain small businesses.
7. Kansas House Leadership compiled a very helpful site with resources all on one page and categorized in a helpful way. 

Groups
Governor Kelly issued an executive order reducing mass gatherings from 50 to 10 people. The order included a statewide framework for stay at home orders to provide consistency as counties make those calls. Kansas is not seeing the doubling of cases every 3-4 days, which we are not seeing. She is not issuing a statewide stay at home order yet because 89 of 105 counties do not have confirmed positive cases. 

Child Care
A handful of child care providers are remaining open to serve the needs of essential employees like health care and law enforcement. Call Child Care Aware (877.678.2548) for more information.