Committee approves amendment and forwards bill establishing South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital

Jenna, committee staff, briefed the committee on House Bill 2365, stating the bill "establishes the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital as well as the corresponding fund and updates the corresponding statutes renaming, related to psychiatric hospitals and mental health hospitals to add this new hospital."

Committee members discussed and approved a technical amendment intended to align the formatting of definitions in KSA 40-3401 so the statute would reconcile more easily with changes made in other bills. Jenna explained the amendment would break a large definition paragraph into labeled subsections and that the substantive correction adding the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital would remain unchanged. "If you look to page 12 and 13 of the bill, in the amendment that currently has the definition of health care provider it's 1 giant paragraph and the way that it's amended in the other bill, breaks it down so that it's easier to read," Jenna said.

Senator Petty moved to pass the bill favorably as amended and Senator Clifford seconded. The committee approved the amendment by voice vote and then approved the bill as amended by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. Committee members thanked staff for preparing the amendment and noted the alignment was intended to avoid statutory conflicts if multiple bills affecting the same statute advance.