Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that she signed four bills, bringing to 13 the number of bills she has signed this sesssion. The bills she announced signing were:
Senate Bill 77: Fosters the interstate practice of audiology and speech-language pathology with the goal of improving public access to the services. Passed 38-2 in the Senate and 119-3 in the House.
Senate Bill 21: Retroactively ratifies the results of a November 2020 election in Cherokee County that imposes a 0.5% retail sales tax for financing ambulance services, renovation, and maintenance of county buildings and facilities, or other projects within the county approved by its governing body. Passed 34-1 in the Senate and 119-4 in the House.
House Bill 2078: Suspends the speedy trial statute until May 1, 2023, in all criminal cases. The bill was portrayed as a solution to allow courts to clear a backlog of cases resulting from the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill also removes a provision in the law that authorizes the chief justice of the Supreme Court to issue an order extending or suspending any deadlines or time limitations and requiring trials to be scheduled within 150 days. Passed 114-7 in the House and 32-7 in the Senate.
House Bill 2124: Clarifies the authority of healing arts school clinics to provide healing arts services. It allows schools exempted from the State Board of Regents approval requirements to be exempted from the prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine. It also allows off-site clinics owned or operated by a school in partnership with other providers to engage in the practice of healing arts. Bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
