SESSION OF 2021
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2115
As Amended by Senate Committee on Public
Health and Welfare

Brief*
HB 2115, as amended, would establish the Joint
Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight (Joint
Committee). The bill would outline the topics for Joint
Committee review, provide for the appointment and
compensation of Joint Committee members, establish the
frequency of meetings, require an annual report to designated
House and Senate leadership positions and certain standing
committees, allow for professional services, and authorize the
Joint Committee to make recommendations and introduce
legislation.

Topics for Review by Joint Committee
The Joint Committee would be required to review the
following:
● Data on child maltreatment and demographic
trends impacting the child welfare system;
● Duties, responsibilities, and contributions of the
Kansas Department for Children and Families
(DCF), Kansas Department for Aging and Disability
Services (KDADS), Department of Health and
Environment (KDHE), Department of Corrections,
law enforcement, and the Judicial Branch that
comprise and impact the child welfare system;
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
● Programs, services, and benefits offered directly or
through grants or contracts by DCF, KDADS,
KDHE, and the Judicial Branch that impact children
and families at risk of becoming involved or
involved in the child welfare system, including:
○ Child maltreatment prevention;
○ Investigation of child maltreatment;
○ In-home family services, including services
offered through federal prevention and family
preservation funding; and
○ Foster care, reintegration, and adoption
services;
● Trends, performance outcomes, activities, and
improvement plans related to the federal child and
family services reviews;
● Reports from child welfare-related groups,
including, citizen review panels, the Kansas
Supreme Court Permanency Planning Task Force,
the Kansas Children’s Cabinet, and any interim
study committees or work groups authorized by the
Kansas Legislature;
● Implementation of the 2019 Child Welfare System
Task Force Report recommendations, including
top-tier recommendations related to the child
welfare workforce, data technology, access to
behavioral healthcare for high-risk youth, and
implementation of the federal Family First
Prevention Services Act;
● Reports on concerns received from the DCF child
welfare ombudsman, customer service department,
or similar office;
● Opportunities for Kansas to strengthen the child
welfare system through evidence-based

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 interventions and services for children and families;
and
● Any other topic the Joint Committee deems
necessary or appropriate.
Joint Committee
Membership
The bill would provide for the appointment of 13
members to the Joint Committee as follows:
● Two members of the House Committee on Children
and Seniors by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives;
● One member of the House Committee on Children
and Seniors by the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives;
● Two members of the Senate Committee on Public
Health and Welfare by the President of the Senate;
● One member of the Senate Committee on Public
Health and Welfare by the Minority Leader of the
Senate;
● Two members of the House of Representatives by
the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
● One member of the House of Representatives by
the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives;
● Two members of the Senate by the President of
the Senate;
● One member of the Senate by the Minority Leader
of the Senate; and
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 ● One member of the House of Representatives
appointed by the Majority Leader of the House of
Representatives.
Terms of Membership
The bill would require members be appointed for terms
coinciding with the legislative terms for which such members
were elected or appointed. Appointments to fill vacancies or
to succeed members appointed to the Joint Committee would
occur in the same manner as the original appointment of the
member succeeded.
Appointment of Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and Ranking
Minority Member
The Speaker of the House of Representatives would be
required to appoint the first chairperson from among the
members of the Joint Committee appointed by the Speaker of
the House of Representatives, within 30 days of the effective
date of the bill. The chairperson and vice-chairperson would
be required to alternate annually between the members
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
and the President of the Senate. When appointing a
chairperson or vice-chairperson as provided in the bill, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President
of the Senate would be required to appoint a member from
their respective chambers.
The bill would require the ranking minority member of
the Joint Committee be from the same chamber as the
chairperson. When appointing a ranking minority member as
provided in the bill, the Minority Leader of the Senate and the
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives would be
required to appoint members from their respective chambers.
Member Compensation
Joint Committee members would be paid compensation,
amounts for travel expenses, and subsistence expenses or
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allowances for attendance at any meeting of the Joint
Committee or any subcommittee meeting authorized by the
Joint Committee.
Professional Services
The bill would allow the Legislative Coordinating Council
(LCC) to provide for professional services as requested by
the Joint Committee.
Recommendations and Introduction of Legislation
The bill would authorize the Joint Committee to make
recommendations and introduce legislation it deems
necessary in performing its functions.
Meetings
The bill would require the first meeting of the Joint
Committee to be held on or after January 1, 2021, on the call
of the chairperson. After the initial meeting, the Joint
Committee would be required to meet at least once during the
first and second calendar quarters when the Legislature is in
regular session and at least once during the third and fourth
calendar quarters, on the call of the chairperson. The Joint
Committee would be limited to six meetings in a calendar
year.
Seven Joint Committee members would constitute a
quorum.
Annual Report
At the beginning of each regular session of the
Legislature, the bill would require the Joint Committee submit
a written report to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
the House of Representatives, the House Committee on
Children and Seniors, and the Senate Committee on Public
Health and Welfare. The report would be required to include
any recommended changes to current laws, rules and
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regulations, and policies regarding the safety and well-being
of children in the child welfare system in the state.

Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Children and Seniors at the request of Representative
Concannon.

House Committee on Children and Seniors
In the House Committee on Children and Seniors
hearing on February 4, 2021, the Secretary for Children and
Families and representatives of Children’s Alliance of Kansas
and Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice testified
as proponents of the bill, stating the bill would address
needs within the State’s child welfare system, and the
oversight and input of the Joint Committee would assist in
crafting solutions that would advance the safety and well-
being of children and families impacted by the child welfare
system. Written-only proponent testimony was submitted by
Representatives Hawkins and Humphries and the Kansas
Association of School Boards. No other testimony was
provided.
The House Committee amended the bill to add two
members to the Joint Committee and modify the time frame
during which the Committee would be required to meet.

House Committee of the Whole
On February 17, 2021, the House Committee of the
Whole adopted a technical amendment to add a word
inadvertently omitted from the bill.


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Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare
In the Senate Committee hearing, a representative of
Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice provided
proponent testimony. Written-only proponent testimony was
provided by the Secretary for Children and Families and
representatives of the Children’s Alliance of Kansas and the
Kansas Association of School Boards.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to change the
effective date from upon publication in the Kansas Register to
upon publication in the statute book.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, enactment of the bill
could have a fiscal effect on expenditures of the Judiciary,
however the Office of Judicial Administration indicates the
cost of staff is unknown. Legislative Administrative Services
indicates that enactment of the bill would increase
expenditures by $30,009 from the State General Fund in FY
2022. The amount includes expenditures for 11 members for
salaries, subsistence, mileage, tools, and other expenses of
$25,949. There would also be committee assistant costs of
$4,060. The Kansas Department of Corrections and Kansas
Department of Health and Environment indicate that
enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect on the
agencies. Any fiscal effect associated with the bill is not
reflected in The FY 2022 Governor’s Budget Report.
Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight; children; minors


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