Senate committee hears hours of testimony on bill to allow independent CRNA practice

Chairwoman Beverly Gossage and the Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee heard extended testimony on Senate Bill 67, a proposal to authorize certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to practice independently and to prescribe drugs, while explicitly prohibiting CRNAs from performing abortions or prescribing drugs to induce abortions.

The measure, presented to the committee as a refiled bill (the sponsor said it mirrors Senate Bill 112 from 2023), would remove enumerated lists of activities in current statute and instead allow CRNAs “to practice as an independent advanced practice registered nurse to the full extent of the licensee’s education and qualifications,” with a narrow statutory exception that would bar doing surgery for implantation of medication reservoirs for drug-delivery devices.

Why it matters: Supporters said the change would expand access to anesthesia and pain-management services in rural and underserved areas, reduce costs and eliminate regulatory barriers they say impede modern practice. Opponents, including physician anesthesiologists and the Kansas Medical Society, said the bill removes important physician oversight and raises patient-safety concerns.

Proponents’ case

Jeremy Salisbury, a practicing CRNA from Wichita and a representative of the Kansas Association of Nurse Anesthetists, told the committee the association represents about 900 members in Kansas and asked lawmakers to “support Senate Bill 67” so CRNAs can “continue to provide safe,…