Committee hears testimony on bill to create career pathway, registry and online portal for direct support professionals

House Bill 2,310, introduced to the Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, would require the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) to develop career education programs for direct support professionals, create a performance-based contracting program for providers, establish a statewide registry of direct support workers by Dec. 31, 2025, and implement an online data portal to support waiver wait-list management by Dec. 31, 2026.

Proponents and neutral witnesses said the bill attempts to address a long-standing shortage of direct support workers and to improve communication with individuals on waiver waiting lists. "There's a shortage, obviously. We don't have enough care providers," said Stacy Crowe, a parent and proponent who spoke about her daughters' needs on the IDD waiver. Mike Burgess of Disability Rights Center Kansas and Lisonbee McCain of the Kansas Council on…