County presses for juvenile detention reimbursement and protection of corrections program funds

County staff told commissioners on Oct. 21 they plan to ask the Kansas Legislature to amend recent laws so juvenile detention facilities can receive reimbursement provisions that previously applied to adult competency-restoration costs and to protect several evidence-based corrections funding streams from being swept into the state general fund.

The county described SB228 (2023'24 session) as precedent: that statute directed KDADS to reimburse counties for costs related to adult custody while awaiting evaluation and treatment to restore competency. The county wants similar reimbursement authority added for juvenile detention facilities, and staff said they had attempted an amendment last session but ran into drafting and procedural issues.

Separately, staff and commissioners discussed repeated attempts by the Legislature to "sweep" funds from accounts earmarked for evidence-based community programming into the general fund. Speakers said prior attempts removed dollars that counties intended to use for juvenile crisis centers, group homes and other community-based alternatives, leaving programs underfunded. County staff asked for language that would protect those designated funds and to consider loosening overly strict evidence-based requirements so local providers can qualify for and spend the money.

County leaders asked for a short, focused approach: protect the fund from sweeps and clarify allowable uses to enable counties to stand up crisis and group-home programming. Commissioners asked staff to draft specific legislative language and to pursue input from corrections directors who have raised concerns about overly stringent program definitions.

Closing note: Staff will prepare draft bill language for the reimbursement expansion and for statutory protections to reduce the risk of future appropriations sweeps.