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Committee accepts Kansas Dental Board budget after questions about large fee-fund balance
Summary
The committee approved the Kansas Dental Board’s 2025–2027 budget after extended questioning about the board’s fee-funded reserves; the board director said higher-than-expected retirements timing and a licensing database rollout justify holding reserves for now.
The Committee on General Government Budget approved the Legislative Research recommendations for the Kansas Dental Board’s budgets for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 after extended discussion about the agency’s sizable fee-fund balance.
Julia Kofoid, a legislative fellow with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, summarized the board’s request and projections. She told the committee the dental board is fee-funded and asked for approximately the same amount for fiscal year 2025 as had been approved: "The agency is requesting just over $580,000 which is no change from the fiscal year 2025 approved amount," she said.
Why it matters: Representative Turk and other committee members pressed the board on its ending-balance levels and whether some funds should be returned to taxpayers or used to reduce fees. Lane Hemsley, director of the Kansas Dental Board, said higher-than-expected retention of older licensees drove the balance up and that a licensing-database modernization under Senate Bill 66 will give a clearer picture of licensee counts. "The fee fund ending balances are due really in large part to some dentists who based on our projections did not retire when we anticipated them to retire," Hemsley said.
Details: Hemsley said the board performed a prior fee reduction in 2016 and has studied fee reductions since. He said the board expects a substantial decline in reserves as older licensees retire over the next 18–24 months and that the new licensing database will provide better data for future fee decisions. He provided a snapshot count of licensed dentists reported with Kansas locations—1,621 as of January 2, 2025—to help convey scale.
Action: Representative Pickert moved to accept the Legislative Research recommendations for the Kansas Dental Board for fiscal years 2025–2027; Representative Melton seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.
Looking ahead: Committee members said they will monitor the database rollout and licensee trends before considering further transfers or fee reductions. Hemsley said the board prefers to wait for the database results before adjusting fees or transferring funds.
