Panel advances bill to speed permanency for children under 2 with technical fixes and delayed effective date
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Summary
HB 2734, intended to accelerate permanency for children under age 2, was amended for statutory alignment and implementation time; the committee adopted clarifying changes and reported the bill favorably as amended.
The Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care advanced House Bill 2734, a measure aimed at shortening delays to permanency for infants and toddlers, after proponents, agency staff and the Office of Child Advocate identified implementation issues that the committee addressed by amendment.
Representative Sam Humphreys (House District 99) framed the bill around the unique vulnerability of infants and toddlers and the developmental urgency of early years, arguing that children under age 2 removed into state custody should achieve permanency within a defined, shortened timeline. “When those little ones are taken into state custody due to no fault or action of their own, timely and appropriate permanency must be achieved,” Humphreys said, urging committee passage while acknowledging the need for statute‑language tweaks.
Advocates and experts testified in favor while urging caution. Crystal Hedrick, CEO of the Children’s Alliance of Kansas, supplied data the committee discussed, saying there were 715 children under age 3 removed and placed into foster care in state fiscal year 2025 and emphasizing the role of substance abuse in many of those cases. Carrie Leonard of the Office of Child Advocate supported the bill’s intent but urged clarity about siblings, who presents evidence in court, and that resource constraints be addressed across counties.
The Department for Children and Families raised technical drafting and implementation concerns, recommending changes such as replacing “reunification” with statutory language “reintegration,” substituting the term “custodian” for “guardian” where appropriate, using the past tense “resided” to define siblings present at time of removal, and aligning definitions of permanency with existing child‑in‑need‑of‑care code. Committee members accepted technical and conceptual amendments, agreed to delay the bill’s effective date to January 1, 2027, and approved language requiring parties to show good cause for continuances. The committee then voted to report HB 2734 favorably as amended.
What happens next: HB 2734 was reported favorably from committee as amended and will proceed to the full chamber; agencies were encouraged to coordinate implementation planning during the interim.
Sources: Representative Sam Humphreys; Crystal Hedrick, CEO, Children’s Alliance of Kansas; Carrie Leonard, Office of Child Advocate; Tanya Keyes, Deputy Secretary, DCF; committee proceedings.
