Senate and House budget negotiators got down to work late Monday as they hashed out more than 200 differences between the budgets each chamber passed.
When they left Monday, they had settled 107 of 225 differences between the two budgets. They returned Tuesday morning to hammer out differences as they continued progressing toward concluding business by the end of the week.
Here’s a look at many of the major items the budget the conference committee has already tentatively agreed to after one round of negotiations:
Department of Agriculture
- Adds language to appropriate the Crop Research Act Licensing Fee Fund.
- Deletes $62,334 for agriculture marketing in fiscal 2019.
- Does not recommend $250,000 for animal traceability pilot study in fiscal 2019.
Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism
- Allow the state wildlife department to spend money from the Wildlife Fee Fund to issue senior lifetime hunting and fishing licenses to disabled Kansas veterans in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
- Allow state natural resource offices to progress within the existing pay structure without the requirement to transfer into unclassified service in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
- Adds $200,000 from special revenue funds for parks department vehicles and equipment in fiscal 2019.
Kansas Water Office/State Water Fund
- Adds $400,000 from the state water plan fund for harmful algae bloom project in fiscal 2018 and $450,000 in fiscal 2019.
- Adds language transferring $200,000 from state general fund to state water fund plan for water-related projects in fiscal 2018.
- Adds $100,000 for bathymetry research in fiscal 2019.
- Adds $900,000 for watershed conservation best practices implementation in fiscal year 2019.
- Adds $50,000 for an equus beds chloride plume project for fiscal year 2019.
- Adds $175,000 for the implementation of the Kansas Watershed Restoration and Projection Strategy program for fiscal 2019.
- Adds $100,000 for hemp crop research
Higher education
- Mandate all state universities meeting about student fees be subject to the open meetings act in 2018 and 2019.
- Allows state universities to spend money from Education Building Fund for a three-year period for funds appropriated in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
Board of Indigent Defense Services
- Authorizes the Board of Indigent Services to classify public defenders based on the level of cases to which they are assigned in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
Department of Commerce
- Adds $50,000 to the Global Trade Services Program in the Commerce Department in fiscal 2018 and $175,000 in 2019.
Department of Transportation
- Limits $200 million in bonding authority at the transportation department to apply to net proceeds of bond issue and not just the principle amount in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
Department for Children and Families
- Deletes $300,000 in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 and for the Strong Families Program. Money would have funded the Success Sequence method, which refers to life priorities to prevent poverty.
- Deletes $36,000 for protective investigator at Department for Children and Families to leave funding for one quarter in fiscal 2018. Adds language lapsing any state general fund money not expended for this purpose.
- Deletes $900,000 for a top-to-bottom review of the agency in 2018 and $500,000 in fiscal year 2019.
- Adds $1 million for the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and municipal parks and recreation programs for fiscal 2019. Requires the agency to use half the money to pay for foster children participating in the programs.
- Adds $300,000 for Communities in Schools, which provides case management services for at-risk students. The program emphasizes improving academics, behavior, attendance and graduation rates.
- Adds $1 million for the Kidzit program in fiscal 2019. Kidzit is an out-of-school enrichment program designed to teach reading skills while developing social skills.
- Deletes $2 million in 2019 for the Work for Success Fatherhood program, which promotes healthy relationships, responsible parenting and self-sufficiency through gainful employment.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- Requires Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to implement a policy for authorizing in-patient treatment at psychiatric residential treatment facilities in no less than 60 days.
- Prohibits the transfer of $11.5 million from the Health Care Access Improvement Fund to the Medical Programs Fee Fund until concerns about the fund balance have been resolved and the 4 percent Medicaid rate increase for hospitals is increased.
- Adds language addressing concerns with federal Medicaid Institutions for mental disease exclusion, behavioral health access and telehealth options for fiscal 2018.
- Requires legislative approval for certain changes to state Medicaid services and cuts off appropriations if provisions are violated in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
- Adds $47,000 to assist the state health department in processing finger printing for child-care facilities in fiscal 2018 and 2019 as required by HB 2639.
- Adds $9,400 for funding the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Council and the state Palliative Care Consumer and Professional Information and Education Program within the state health department in fiscal 2018. Another $115,000 is added in 2019. The funding stems from passage of HB 2600. x
- Requires agency to provide all information necessary for the Health Care Access Improvement Panel to review with approval all expenditures from the Health Care Access Improvement Fund.
- The agency is directed to reinstate a program operated under the federal Medicaid Health Homes option. The program would be required to be opt-in, allowing no more than a 10 percent administrative claiming rate by managed care organizations. The program will be focused on eligible adults who have significant mental illness, a substance abuse problem or a chronic physical health condition.
- Adds $2.5 million to reinstate a program under the Medicaid Health Homes option for fiscal year 2019.
- Adds $350,000 for Medicaid tobacco cessation policy changes in fiscal 2019.
- Adds $1 million for the tiny-K program for 2019.
- Adds $823,000 for health facility survey contractors.
- Deletes $2.3 million for graduate medical education start-up funding.
- Adds $175,000 for one full-time position and contractual services in livestock waste management.
Department for Aging and Disability Services
- Adds $1.2 million for Rainbow Services Inc. to pay off a loan used to remodel its building to make it suitable for meeting its needs. The money from the fee fund at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
- Adds $1 million for additional substance abuse treatment services in fiscal 2018 and 2019 from the Problem Gambling and Addictions Grant Fund.
- Adds $433,000 in fiscal year 2019 for increasing salaries for nursing facility surveyors. The amount is above the $500,000 included in the governor’s budget recommendation.
- Adds $116,000 in fiscal year 2019 to contract with the Association of Community Mental Health Centers to fund a statewide “Train the Trainer” course for Mental Health first aid training.
- Adds $200,000 in fiscal year 2019 for additional meals through grants to Meals on Wheels.
- Adds language stipulating that no community crisis center that receives funding from the agency will receive less funding for base services in 2019.
- Adds language to continue the mental health task force authorized in 2017 to meet during the 2018 legislative interim to study various mental health topics and submit recommendations to the 2019 Legislature.
- Adds language requiring the agency to develop a long-term plan to eliminate the waiting list for Medicaid Home and Community Based Service waivers and to include in its plan a revised budget estimate for 2019.
Other budget provisos
- State funds cannot be used for settling sexual harassment claims.
- Bans non-disclosure agreements for sexual harassment claims.
Adjutant General
- Didn’t recommend $562,000 for pre-disaster mitigation administrative grant.
- Deleted $3 million for disaster relief in fiscal 2018, but adds $1.4 million in 2019.
- Deletes $337,666 to update regional mitigation plans in 2018
- Deletes $58,000 for air support operations squadron in 2018.
Kansas State Fair Board
- Gives state fair board bonding authority up to $1.7 million.
- Did not recommend $500,000 for Bison Arena renovations in fiscal 2019.
Education Department
- Adds $4.2 million for the Pre-K pilot program in fiscal 2019.
- Adds $1 million to provide additional funding for Parents as Teachers in fiscal 2019.
- Adds $520,000 for Teach for America to recruit, train and develop teachers in school districts determined to be operating below academic standards.
- Requires that 3-year-old students not replace 4-year-old students in the at-risk, pre-school program for fiscal 2019.
- Rejected requirement for school districts to post finance reports on their website.
- Reduces the match from local school districts for Parents as Teachers Program to 50 percent from 65 percent.
Attorney general
- Adds language to appropriate state Medicare Fraud Forfeiture Fund for fiscal 2019.
Board of Nursing
- Adds $340,000 and a full-time investigator to implement Nurse Licensure Compact for fiscal 2019.
Board of Pharmacy
- Adds $12,500 to fund administrative clinical alerts for Prescription Monitor Program in fiscal 2019.
Department of Administration
- Adds $300,000 from the state general fund to demolish a grain mill and elevator in Clyde. Interest in property would be conveyed to the city of Clyde in 2018.
- Deletes $200,000 in funding for event setup and maintenance in statehouse in fiscal year 2018.
- Add language to a appropriate the Dwight D. Eisenhower Statue Fund in fiscal 2019.
Department of Revenue
- Adds language appropriating the ABC modernization fund as a no-limit fund, created by the passage of HB 2362, which enacts a $20 alcoholic beverage control modernization fee to be charged for initial liquor licenses and their renewal in fiscal year 2019.
- Adds language to appropriate the Native American Veterans Income Tax Fund as a no-limit fund created by the passage of HB 2147. The new law establishes a process for Native American military veterans to apply for a refund of state personal income taxes improperly withheld from their income.
Insurance Department
- Deletes $70,000 to accurately reflect the cost of replacing the cost of carpeting on the first floor of the Kansas Insurance Department building.
- Adds $35,000 to implement SB 410, the Captive Insurance Act.
Judicial branch
- Adds $200,000 for the construction of two judicial suites on the second floor of the Judicial Center in fiscal 2019.
Commission on Veterans Affairs
- Adds $1.2 million from the Veterans Lottery Game Fund and deletes $918,000 from the state general fund to modify the agency’s funding from lottery proceeds for fiscal year 2019.
