LEGISLATURE PASSES HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME STAFFING RELIEF BILL; GOVERNOR SIGNS NEXT DAY
The House and Senate passed a bill late Thursday that would extend a recent Executive Order promulgated by the Governor, just before the order was set to expire. Major changes made by the Legislature to the Governor’s Executive Order (issued on January 6, 2021), which provided more flexibility as it pertains to staffing requirements so that more healthcare professionals can help during the current COVID surge, included the following:
- Clarify that the subsection does not authorize a health care professional to practice a profession that is not authorized by Kansas law
- Specify that such practice must be for the purposes of preparing for, responding to, or mitigating any effect of COVID-19
- Require health care professionals practicing under the subsection to notify the appropriate Kansas regulatory body of such practice, within seven calendar days of initiating practice in Kansas, on a form and in a manner prescribed by the regulatory body
- State that such health care professionals shall be subject to all rules and regulations applicable to the practice of the licensed profession in Kansas and considered a licensee for the purposes of the applicable practice act administered by the regulatory body.
The bill also extends all provisions from May 15, 2022, to January 20, 2023. The Governor signed the bill on Friday and will go into effect immediately.
SPARK POLICY PANELS MAY BEGIN MEETING SOON
The panel tasked with distributing over a billion dollars in federal stimulus money met this week announced plans to move forward. The Strengthening People and Revisiting Kansas or SPARK Executive Committee met Thursday and heard a report from consultants who said they hope to have Advisory Panels begin meeting in February and allocate funds by June. The next step for the four panels, which focus on areas where funding could possibly be allocated - including economic revitalization, health and education, connectivity, and efficiency and modernization – are as follows:
- Set upcoming meeting dates.
- Distribute background information to Advisory Panels to begin discussion on key topics.
- Hold a kick-off meeting with Advisory Panel members and the Executive Committee to lay out goals and expectations.
- Publicize investment idea submission form, sharing a publicly accessible URL. The goal is to have the form available online by next week.
Additional information about the SPARK Committee, ARPA or the Governor’s Office of Recovery can be found at www.covid.ks.gov.
Legislative Hearings of Interest
Schedule subject to change. Daily Session calendars may be found here.
