Summary — HB 2002 (Kansas, 2025)
Status: Introduced January 22, 2025; Referred to House Committee on Health and Human Services
Primary purpose
- Require the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to audit hospital compliance with the Kansas Lay Caregiver Act and to compile and annually report audit results to the Legislature.
Key provisions
- Adds an auditing requirement to K.S.A. 65-431a (the Kansas Lay Caregiver Act):
- KDHE must begin auditing hospitals for compliance with the Lay Caregiver Act beginning in 2026.
- KDHE must compile the audit results and report them to the House Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare (or successor committees) on or before January 31 each year.
- Does not change existing substantive rights or limitations in the Lay Caregiver Act (for example, the Act continues to:
- require hospitals to offer patients an opportunity to designate a lay caregiver and to provide caregiver education/discharge instructions;
- not create a private right of action against hospitals or caregivers;
- not, by itself, trigger licensure or disciplinary action against hospitals or profession licensees).
Who and what would be affected
- KDHE: responsible agency for carrying out statewide hospital audits and annual reporting.
- Hospitals (estimated 180 statewide): subject to annual compliance audits under KDHE survey activities.
- Patients and designated lay caregivers may see greater oversight of hospitals’ implementation of caregiver-identification, caregiver notification, caregiver education and discharge-consultation requirements.
- State General Fund: the fiscal note identifies direct state costs to implement the audit program.
Estimated fiscal impact (from KDHE / Division of the Budget fiscal note)
- Increase in State General Fund expenditures of at least:
- $325,000 in FY 2025 (initial year)
- $245,000 in FY 2026
- Staffing and operating assumptions:
- 2.30 FTE (two full‑time surveyors and one part‑time administrative assistant).
- Salaries/wages ≈ $185,000/year (surveyors $80,000 each; admin assistant $25,000).
- Vehicles: initial cost estimated at $80,000 for two vehicles.
- Travel & lodging ≈ $30,000/year; vehicle maintenance & fuel ≈ $20,000/year.
- IT/office equipment & overhead ≈ $10,000/year.
- The fiscal note states these costs were not included in the FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.
Procedural/timeline highlights
- Audits required to begin in calendar year 2026.
- Annual compiled audit report due to the two legislative committees on or before January 31 each year.
- Current procedural status (Kansas): Referred to the House Committee on Health and Human Services.
Sponsors (as listed)
- Khyl Powell (primary) and several other named sponsors/cosponsors.
Notes
- The bill as introduced focuses on oversight and reporting; it does not itself create new penalties or enforcement mechanisms against hospitals beyond KDHE audit and legislative reporting.
