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Senate concurs with House amendments to merge three health and disability agencies into a single cabinet agency
Summary
The Senate concurred with House amendments to S.2, a bill combining the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, the Department of Mental Health and DAODAS into a single cabinet-level department. The Senate vote to concur was 40–2 on a roll call.
The Senate concurred with House amendments to S.2, a bill merging three state agencies that serve overlapping behavioral‑health and disability populations into a single cabinet‑level agency.
Senator Diefenbaugh (floor sponsor in the transcript) said the scaled‑back consolidation focuses on the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) so the agencies that serve overlapping clients can be better coordinated. Diefenbaugh said the House amendments largely made technical clarifications — for example, distinguishing the cabinet director from component office directors — and added a required accountability report from the new cabinet agency through calendar year 2028.
Supporters said the changes are intended to improve coordination of services, eliminate duplication and require a three‑year review to report back to the General Assembly whether the changes produced the intended efficiencies.
A roll‑call vote to concur in the House amendments was recorded; the clerk tabulated the vote as 40 yeas and 2 nays. The Senate applied the appropriate vote and concurred in the House amendments.
