[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6372747,"mediaKeyId","2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03","parentId",2147259,"title","DCF budget hearing: agency seeks $23.8M in reappropriations, proposes summer EBT admin funding and nurse \"co-responder\" pilots","audioSeconds",3629,"startMs",3629000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03&start=3629&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03/thumbnail_3629000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6372747/Kansas/DCF-budget-hearing-agency-seeks-238M-in-reappropriations-proposes-summer-EBT-admin-funding-and-nurse-co-responder-pilots","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372747-bd740a14749645ee3c6ee7988c7b13ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161907&Signature=RVNce3sT0USqmpUk85gAiGC2EL1rboRaxolEyPAEz9UkdOekOZUkkUUFiBXw9-GnwYrBHCyBAXbeeDessfPn30leZMiFfeNSHHolqTwh5xJjhAYTGY2uBEVHAXnIXeJ7h04XFArB9uu-hIupB8va2~RKvWfw7Fqhq0UzfmWozWszF45w93FJCJknjY2Nh-9XUmSAvFsO32qr3LsifKG5v7A1VkqHWzG2t8QNgm7loCEvSxq2bwlI71DlO3LD-CETVHmtzMpOEUITh944K-1LHcklPX6lW3t~i34iNcfPIHw3ELjmddiVJz22Go50TmpG430GIP~8k~oAw1lqqSmQIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Committee on Social Services Budget, KS","date","2025-01-23T00:00:00Z","article","Legislative Research staff and Department for Children and Families officials briefed the Committee on Social Services Budget on the agency’s FY2025 revised estimate and FY2026 enhancement requests, highlighting $23.8 million in reappropriation requests, several proposed new programs and differences between the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) and the governor’s recommendations.

Amanda from Legislative Research opened the session by reviewing the budget summary and explaining that the agency’s revised FY2025 estimate incorporates money the legislature approved last session as well as reappropriations carried forward. She noted the LBC recommendation removed some SGF reappropriations from HB2007; that lapse reduced the carryforward the agency had planned to spend in FY2025. Amanda and staff walked members through Figure 4 (current year analysis) and Figure 7 (FY2026 enhancements), explaining that federal fund timing and updated caseload consensus estimates also changed the totals the agency reported.

Secretary Laura Howard and DCF staff described the agency’s priorities. Secretary Howard said the agency is not requesting supplemental funding for the current year beyond asking to retain most reappropriations that were budgeted in 2024 but not spent; she said $23.8 million of $30.8 million in reappropriations are the agency’s requested authority to spend in FY2025, while the governor’s recommendation lapsed roughly $7 million of that total.

Where the money would go
The agency gave the committee a breakdown of the reappropriations and the requested FY2026 enhancements. Secretary Howard and staff emphasized most reappropriations fund IT modernization projects and other multi-year procurements that are timing-driven; delaying those expenditures would slow planned system upgrades. Key items discussed included:
- Summer EBT: The federal summer EBT benefit (100% federal assistance to families when school meals are not available) is estimated to deliver about $64 million in benefits to roughly 266,000 children. DCF is proposing to fund the state’s administrative share (about $925,000 SGF) and program administration for a permanent summer EBT program.
- Call center and workload management: The agency entered into a contracts-based virtual call center and reported inflationary cost increases; DCF seeks ongoing funding for those contract costs. DCF also proposed purchasing workload-management software licenses (a product used by KDHE) to improve timely processing of benefit applications.
- Nurse co-responder pilot: DCF proposed contracting with up to 12 public-health nurses to act as co-responders with child protection specialists when investigators respond to homes with infants under age 1. DCF framed the request as a multidisciplinary way to improve assessment of infant medical issues and family needs during investigations.
- Behavioral health intervention teams: To address a cohort of youth with multiple placement disruptions (a focus area in the McIntyre child-welfare litigation), DCF requested funding to expand in-home behavioral intervention teams; the governor’s recommendation would fund several more teams so that high-need youth receive intensive supports.
- Executive order implementation on conserving children’s federal benefits: Governor’s executive action aimed to stop using eligible children’s federal benefit payments (SSI, survivor benefits) to offset foster care costs and instead conserve those funds for the child’s future. DCF estimated an $8 million SGF impact to shift away from using those federal benefits to offset foster-care costs; the proposal would set aside funds (including ABLE-account options) for eligible youth.
- Child support and TANF changes: The governor proposed ending mandatory child-support referrals in child-in-need-of-care petitions and returning the state’s share of child-support retained from some TANF cases to the families; DCF described federal guidance and cited research suggesting such changes can support reunification and family stability.
- Workforce registry and child-care items: The governor proposed moving maintenance of a child-care workforce registry (previously supported with Children’s Initiatives Fund dollars) to SGF ($1.1 million) because the Children’s Initiatives Fund balance was strained.

Committee reaction and next steps
Members asked for operational details and suggested staff-level follow-up on some administrative items. Representative Wilcott and others requested more specificity on how reappropriated dollars were committed and spent; Secretary Howard said most of the reappropriations are already committed to multi-year IT projects, contract renewals and a small set of program investments. Lawmakers also discussed the trade-off between restoring large enhancements in full versus adopting smaller, incremental restorations the committee felt it could defend in Appropriations.

No final committee votes on FY2026 enhancements were recorded during this hearing; the chair said the committee will consider recommendations and present them to Appropriations next week. DCF staff provided program status slides and performance indicators in the packet for lawmaker review.

Ending
The committee paused after the DCF hearing to allow public testimony at a future meeting; members and staff agreed to follow up on operational questions about reappropriations, call center costs and specifics of proposed pilots.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Social Services Budget 01/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Legislative Research staff and Department for Children and Families officials briefed the Committee on Social Services Budget on the agency’s FY2025 revised estimate and FY2026 enhancement requests, highlighting $23.8 million in reappropriation requests, several proposed new programs and differences between the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) and the governor’s recommendations.","taxTitle","Committee on Social Services Budget, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",18818,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6372752,"Social Services committee backs higher funding for four state hospitals; Larned gets $30M boost",3069,336000,3405000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03&start=336&end=3405","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03/thumbnail_336000.jpg","/articles/6372752/Kansas/Social-Services-committee-backs-higher-funding-for-four-state-hospitals-Larned-gets-30M-boost","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372752-35f2d0a47279fca87c0dedb381938497/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161907&Signature=F4PQ7ixHcDsRnKE-Km6kf5-Dh9t21dNpprRIIi5pesD94Vy8Lds7tgTS2AP9gM~3eRuJPdXvstuCefGKc6IJUMchXnnEVMIVSqIyERWop~vsKWEDPMZQTDcjC2WtzzvtEhCteJ0DpyNNyd7UyCh2GXVnFlSaL8zGtSi90gV4CkF5mKgxc~3qJMRGdc31S3nfJ9HxOXlILrJTnIrvbcwpFe1mkGwup7kKHqyw9QdvGpd0YO7N0Ib0~RldxSGqIXwoq6ZzGqz1da9N3mF2zLj4NYQthtA4y2CMyUkyyKVpea8FLtcfc1fme4sSwBmcBwMaBrMTzjslB-dhb5JVi2xUWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Social Services Committee on the state legislature recommended increased funding for four state psychiatric hospitals and sent those recommendations to the House Committee on Appropriations after a series of motions and voice votes.

Committee members focused first on Larned State Hospital, where agency witnesses described high staff vacancy rates and the agency's continuing reliance on expensive contract staffing to keep beds open. Scott Brunner, Deputy Secretary, said the agency used reappropriated dollars and higher-than-budgeted Medicaid revenue to cover contract staff this fiscal year and that fully staffing existing state positions would cost roughly $34 million and require hiring about 350 people. Brunner described a practice of delaying vendor payments and using journal vouchering to bridge timing gaps until appropriations arrive.

Lawmakers debated how much of the governor's or agency request to restore after the Legislative Budget Committee (LBC) deleted certain reappropriations. Representative Angela Carpenter proposed restoring $30 million for Larned's contract staffing fund (reducing a $32 million gap by accounting for about $1.5 million in unspent SGF reappropriations). The committee made the motion, put it to a voice vote and approved it; the chair said the committee will present that recommendation to Appropriations next week.

The committee then reviewed Osawatomie Hospital. The agency had requested a substantial enhancement to address contract nursing shortages (the governor and agency sought roughly $11 million for that purpose). A motion to restore the full $11 million failed on a voice vote after members signaled concern the amount would not survive Appropriations. Representative Daniel Rivas offered an alternative motion to add $8 million for Osawatomie in FY2025; the committee approved that motion and later approved the same $8 million for FY2026. Representative Orpiza successfully moved to add two psychologists for Osawatomie — an enhancement of $253,723 for FY2026 — and the committee approved that amendment.

Parsons State Hospital and the hospital identified in the packet as KNI (K and I) drew less debate: the committee accepted the Legislative Budget Committee recommendations for both facilities without amendment.

The committee’s recommendations reflect concern about immediate patient-care needs, vacancy-driven reliance on contract labor and the limited time left in the fiscal year to spend newly appropriated dollars. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that their recommended amounts are intended as what they believe can be justified to Appropriations, not necessarily the total amount hospital leadership said would meet all needs.

Votes at a glance:
- Larned State Hospital (FY2025): Committee recommended adding $30,000,000 to the contract staffing fund (motion by Rep. Angela Carpenter). Outcome: approved (voice vote). Notes: Chair indicated recommendation will be presented to House Appropriations; no roll-call tally recorded in transcript.
- Osawatomie Hospital (FY2025): Motion to restore $11,000,000 enhancement (failed on voice vote). Alternative motion to add $8,000,000 (mover: Rep. Daniel Rivas; second: Rep. Ballard). Outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Osawatomie Hospital (FY2026): Committee recommended same $8,000,000 for FY2026 and also approved adding two psychologists ($253,723) for FY2026 (motion by Rep. Orpiza). Outcome: approved (voice votes).
- Parsons State Hospital (FY2025 & FY2026): Committee accepted Legislative Budget Committee recommendation (no change). Outcome: approved (voice votes).
- KNI Hospital (FY2025 & FY2026): Committee accepted Legislative Budget Committee recommendation (no change). Outcome: approved (voice votes).

What lawmakers emphasized and what remains unsettled
Committee members repeatedly noted the gap between what hospital leaders say is needed to fully staff campuses and what the committee believes it can successfully advocate for in Appropriations. Several members described the committee’s actions as a pragmatic compromise: partial restorations intended to keep beds open and reduce immediate risk while recognizing the fiscal scrutiny these requests will face in Appropriations. Several members said they expect the Appropriations deliberations to be “lively.”

Ending
The committee approved its package of recommendations for the four hospitals and will present them to the House Committee on Appropriations next week. The transcript records voice votes and motions but not detailed roll-call vote tallies; the chair and staff indicated the intent to present the committee’s amended figures to Appropriations for further consideration.","The Committee on Social Services Budget voted to recommend higher FY2025 and FY2026 appropriations for four state psychiatric hospitals, approving a $30 million addition for Larned State Hospital and other adjustments after debate about staffing and contract nurses.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6372742,"Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters asks state for $500,000 to cut waiting list; CEO shares personal story",0,12113000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03&start=12113&end=12113","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2147259-6c79ac9b882193466eb0b10035c43b03/thumbnail_12113000.jpg","/articles/6372742/Kansas/Kansas-Big-Brothers-Big-Sisters-asks-state-for-500000-to-cut-waiting-list-CEO-shares-personal-story","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372742-9f3300bf6e01449440fe9dacf3062ac8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771161907&Signature=AaeFTyq4E~-spswglh-YPrfSMwCcGP3wKaplbngllK52BjGM9k7mxH5hSn8hw2R92~6NAEx3jCiXa~7w4KXb-7LkOVfOIBCqjkkleGR3AEBjUoBHI58~qwGH6eK-LqOS1RnOrJmKq72QbzHzihpoL4BMWaMQitKyYNroHc7QbCwV5RXsoVCdV0GPr68jBDsoOebuUhpw66YUsOluyfhb4Andq401HBLU~9QLYIjUijptg7NHncl~1QDn~8iw7vIDBcaHofbc85SjvrW1coFaQncIAtF41hrEJiPmQEfEH26WbM63ZH6Rtj-O4AAJOMFn3mx9Scs~ggLHTvvvEzAvxQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mary Shannon, president and CEO of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), asked the Committee on Social Services Budget for $500,000 in state support to preserve existing mentoring matches and reduce a waiting list of nearly 1,000 Kansas children.

Shannon described program outcomes and client demographics: the statewide BBBS affiliate manages about 2,000 active matches; 85% of youth served live at or below the poverty level, 80% come from single‑parent or guardian households, 60% live in homes affected by substance use, and more than half have a household member who has been incarcerated. She said case management is the organization’s largest ongoing cost and the group’s FY2025 operating budget is about $6 million; only roughly 11% of that comes from government sources.

Shannon shared a personal history to explain her commitment, saying mentoring changed her life and helped her break cycles of poverty and foster-care involvement. She said long-term match outcomes include higher school retention and later-life employment and civic engagement. Shannon asked the committee to consider a $500,000 appropriation to help preserve existing matches and remove children from the waiting list; she said BBBS would actively fundraise and could help match state funding with private fundraising.

Committee members in the hearing praised the program and thanked Shannon for attending; no committee action on the request was recorded in the transcript, and members asked routine follow-up questions about fundraising and match operations.

Ending
The committee received the BBBS request and indicated it would consider the organization’s materials as it prepares budget recommendations for Appropriations. No vote or funding decision occurred during the meeting.","Mary Shannon, president and CEO of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, told the committee the 1-to‑1 mentoring program serves about 2,000 Kansas youth but has nearly 1,000 on a waiting list and requested $500,000 in state funding to sustain matches and reduce the backlog.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DCF budget hearing: agency seeks $23.8M in reappropriations, proposes summer EBT admin funding and nurse "co-responder" pilots

Social Services committee backs higher funding for four state hospitals; Larned gets $30M boost

Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters asks state for $500,000 to cut waiting list; CEO shares personal story