Kansas
   Chiropractic
      Association
LEGISLATIVE
INFORMATION
  About Membership Legislative Resources Foundation Events  
 

Legislative Information

  • Senate Committee Calls for Heads to Roll. In a very unusual step for the Legislature, the Senate Committee on Health Care Strategies voted late last month to demand the firing of the Executive Director and of the General Counsel of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. The extreme action came under the direction of the committee chairperson, Sen. Susan Wagle, after a series of hearings focusing on some high-profile cases of alleged patient abuse and deaths that the Committee did not think had been investigated quickly enough by the Board staff. Although there was no direct criticism of Board members, in hearings attended by KCA, the Committee certainly fired off all its ammunition at the staff. Problems that were cited by the Committee included slow investigations, unwillingness to cooperate with federal investigators in shared cases, and lack of communications with patients and families that had reported Kansas doctors. A resolution calling for "such changes in personnel as necessary to ensure that the Board effectively fulfills its statutory duties and to restore public confidence in the Board’s operations …" passed the full Senate and went on to be passed by the full House in nearly the same form.

    Before a meeting of the Board of Healing Arts could be called the next week to deal with the resolution, which did not have the force of law, both targeted staff members resigned their positions effective in June and July. It appeared that the majority of Board members did not agree with the Senate committee’s conclusions and were prepared to defend their staff members, who had both worked for the Board since the 1980s.

    The Senate committee hearings also came in response to the introduction of H. B. 2620 this year, which would allow the Board of Healing Arts to impose intermediate sanctions that would be non-disciplinary, to establish a searchable database on doctors’ history on the Internet, and to allow the use of fingerprinting and background checks on practitioners applying for license. The bill also calls for a redefinition of various offenses concerning patient care and standards of care. The KCA Legislative Committee will be reviewing new amendments to the bill before the Legislature returns for wrap-up April 30.
     
  • Kansas.gov is the State of Kansas internet site is the entry point into Kansas government information on the internet, including lists of legislators in your area and current status on all pending legislation.
     
  • The KCA Legislative Chairman is Travis Oller, D.C.  Messages for him may be sent to the KCA office.


 

(C) . Kansas Chiropractic Association.  785-233-0697, FAX 785-233-1833
1334 South Topeka Blvd, Topeka KS 66612-1878 .  kca@kansaschiro.com