Appropriations panel amends HB 2007: IDD slots trimmed, telehealth pilot advanced with RFP, child-advocacy grants leveled

The Kansas House Committee on Appropriations on Thursday amended House Bill 2,007, the chamber's main budget bill, approving a package of changes that trimmed some proposed spending increases and advanced a telehealth pilot while directing that it be competitively procured.

Committee members voted on a series of separate motions tied to HB 2007. The panel removed a proposed $40 million revolving-loan component for a new housing program, reduced the number of people to be removed from the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) waiver wait list in 2026, approved a telehealth pilot for students contingent on a request-for-proposal process, set interim review of contract nursing at state hospitals and adjusted several health-related payments.

Why it matters: HB 2007 sets the legislature’s spending priorities and the committee's amendments change how that money would be targeted. The most immediately consequential items affect long-waiting Kansans on the IDD waiver list, school mental-health access via telehealth, and grants that support child advocacy centers around the state.

Dylan, a legislative fiscal staffer who briefed the committee, told members the printed summary he was using lists the adjustments adopted in appropriations so far and detailed dozens of agency items. “What this document details is all of the adjustments that have been made in budget committees and adopted by the appropriations committees so far,” he said during the briefing.

Housing revolving loan removed

The committee removed $40 million that had been included in HB 2007 for a proposed revolving-loan program under a Kansas Housing Link account, citing duplication with the existing Kansas Housing Resource Corporation (KHRC) revolving-loan activity. The chair said the committee would preserve funding for specific housing infrastructure projects statewide but remove the new revolving-loan authority.

“The only items that we would, fund out of this fund would be the housing projects throughout the state because it was a statewide initiative,” the chair said when explaining the motion to strip the revolving-loan component. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

IDD waiver slots: substitute reduces slot increase to 320

Committee members debated how many additional people should be removed from the IDD waiver wait list in fiscal 2026. The Social Services committee and some members had pushed to add 500 slots; the chair and others raised workforce-capacity concerns.

Representative Will Carpenter introduced a substitute motion to add 320 slots in 2026 rather than the larger numbers previously proposed. “I would make a substitute motion that we, bring it down to, 320,” Carpenter said. After discussion about capacity, survey response rates and past changes to the wait list, the committee approved the substitute motion by voice vote. Committee discussion referenced the SGF cost range for different slot totals; committee members said the SGF portion for the final agreed number was about $8.7 million (all‑funds impacts were discussed in committee but figures varied in the transcript).

Telehealth pilot advanced on RFP after division vote

A heated discussion addressed a proposed pilot to expand telehealth services to students through a vendor identified in committee testimony. Representative Sutton moved to strike the telehealth item pending more information; Vice Chair Williams instead offered a substitute to keep the pilot but require a competitive procurement. Williams said the intent was to preserve up to $2 million in funding but have the State Board of Education or KDADS oversee a formal RFP so districts and community providers could compete.

After debate, members called for a division. The substitute motion — effectively preserving the pilot but directing a procurement process and maintaining a funding cap of up to $2 million — passed on a roll-call division, 12 in favor, 5 opposed.

Child advocacy center grants: level funding retained

Representative Walsinger moved to restore funds for child advocacy center (CAC) grants to $6.1 million after an earlier deletion of $2.3 million. Representative Sutton offered a substitute that would hold the appropriation at the prior-year level (about $4.6 million). After committee discussion about program demand and local/private funding partners, the substitute to maintain level funding at roughly $4.6 million passed by voice vote.

Judiciary cybersecurity add fails

Representative Walsinger sought to add $1.1 million SGF to implement cybersecurity and IT posture improvements in the judicial branch, including work tied to SB 291 (the committee noted SB 291's cybersecurity requirements). The committee voted against adding the $1.1 million; the motion failed on a voice vote.

Larned State Hospital — interim committee on contract nursing

Members voted to request that the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) convene an interim review on contract nursing and related staffing and pay matters at Larned State Hospital and other state hospitals. The motion — to create an interim committee (number of days to be set by the LCC) to review contract nursing, nursing pay and local housing issues — passed by voice vote.

Other health items: dental and brain-injury payments adjusted

Representative Carpenter successfully moved to cut a proposed, larger increase in Medicaid dental rates for FY 2026 to a smaller addition (he proposed lowering a larger add down to roughly $4 million); that motion passed. Carpenter also moved to change the brain‑injury waiver pay increase from a proposed $25 per hour to $20 per hour for the waiver; the committee approved the $20/hour figure. The fiscal staff noted the brain-injury change equated to about $1.0 million all funds and roughly $415,000 SGF in the transcript’s fiscal estimate.

What’s next

The committee chair told members the profile being used does not yet incorporate possible changes from pending tax legislation, which could materially affect the overall balance. The committee recessed to await further floor action.

Votes at a glance

- Remove $40 million housing revolving-loan component: motion passed (voice vote). (Mover: Chair; second: Rep. Williams.) - IDD waiver: substitute to add 320 slots (rather than 500): motion passed (voice vote). (Mover: Rep. Will Carpenter; second: Rep. Hoffman.) - Telehealth student pilot: substitute to retain pilot and require competitive RFP, funding up to $2,000,000: passed by division, 12–5. (Mover: Vice Chair Williams; second: Rep. Hawaii.) - Child advocacy center grants: substitute to hold funding at ~ $4.6 million (level funding): passed (voice vote). (Mover of substitute: Rep. Sutton; second: Rep. Hoffman.) - $1.1M SGF add for judicial cybersecurity (SB 291 implementation): motion failed (voice vote). (Mover: Rep. Walsinger; second: Rep. Francis.) - Interim committee to study contract nursing and related issues at state hospitals: passed (voice vote). (Mover: Chair; second: Rep. Tarwater.) - Medicaid dental rates: committee reduced a larger proposed add down to ~ $4,000,000 (motion passed). (Mover: Rep. Carpenter.) - Brain-injury waiver: changed proposed $25/hour to $20/hour (motion passed; fiscal note ~ $1M all funds, ~$415K SGF). (Mover: Rep. Carpenter.)

Quotes

- Dylan, legislative fiscal staffer: “What this document details is all of the adjustments that have been made in budget committees and adopted by the appropriations committees so far.” - Rep. Will Carpenter (Representative, sponsor of the substitute on IDD slots): “I would make a substitute motion that we, bring it down to, 320.” - Vice Chair Williams (Vice Chair, Committee on Appropriations): “It would be up to $2,000,000. And I think that the RFP would come back and say we can serve this number of students in rural areas, this number of school district.”

Ending note

Committee members repeatedly framed several decisions as trade-offs between immediate program expansion and the state’s workforce or administrative capacity to deliver services. The panel’s actions alter the spending profile in HB 2007 ahead of further floor consideration and potential changes tied to tax legislation that remained unresolved at the time of the meeting.