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 Developmental Disabilities also urged support, describing existing apprenticeship and training programs and recommending that self-directed service arrangements be included in implementation.

Supporters outlined several specific provisions. The bill tasks KDADS with developing career education programs with the Kansas State Department of Education and community colleges; directing the KDADS secretary to work with the Department of Administration on a performance-based contract program for disability services providers; requiring managed-care organizations to consider total cost-of-care models; directing KDADS to establish a public statewide registry of direct support workers by Dec. 31, 2025; requiring expanded labor-statistics tracking for disability support professionals beginning Oct. 1, 2025; and mandating an online portal for waiver wait-list management and communication, to be implemented by Dec. 31, 2026.

Neutral witnesses raised implementation concerns and urged clarifications. Interhab, the state association for IDD providers, said its members support professionalization but flagged several sections that may be costly or difficult to execute without further stakeholder engagement. Interhab recommended that training participation remain voluntary and urged that funding be included to cover professional development. Representatives from provider organizations described existing apprenticeship programs run in partnership with Wichita State University and the Kansas Department of Commerce and urged the committee to avoid adopting costly new training requirements without funding.

Witnesses and legislators stressed financing and capacity limits. Committee members noted more than 4,000 individuals remain on the IDD waiver waiting list and said money alone will not address the shortage if staff capacity is lacking. Lisonbee McCain cited preliminary cost estimates included in written testimony for workforce initiatives — roughly $500,000 to establish a two-year college degree pathway and $750,000 in state funds (with a federal 50% administrative match) to manage independent budget authority, for a total cited budget of about $1.5 million over two years — and recommended that those figures be considered in fiscal review.

The hearing closed with no recorded committee vote on HB 2,310. Several legislators and advocates indicated they view the bill as a step toward building capacity for the IDD workforce but asked for more detail and funding commitments to ensure training, rate, and portal requirements are feasible.

Ending: The committee moved on to other bills after receiving additional written testimony; proponents and neutral parties asked for continued stakeholder engagement if the bill advances to committee action.