[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_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":73},"mediaId",6360552,"mediaKeyId","2174570-83c51caef0c136a1ec64b99955b4f7f2","parentId",2174570,"title","Committee opens hearing on Senate Bill 28 to align public adjuster and insurance agent licensing standards","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1314970,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2174570-83c51caef0c136a1ec64b99955b4f7f2&start=1314&end=1314","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2174570-83c51caef0c136a1ec64b99955b4f7f2/thumbnail_1314970.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6360552/Kansas/Committee-opens-hearing-on-Senate-Bill-28-to-align-public-adjuster-and-insurance-agent-licensing-standards","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360552-c886881b08dec4323326a2d9c7dcbc5d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175263&Signature=jHZKQ3rDEw7WL75dOMh-uD7UQgLdfQk40uXCbHzKNQgUzInjFgfyveqg5XSr0JBe3Ubc2-80igyBsYjxS2hCb7txfJHmaUr2dXh5Am2WrnT5NxDueTlaAw1gbcmURTso9APXoNU1uKpnHWPiLkbONz3cGYa2NHi1lHkIJGXhutxEo8heG-EstbT64RBPr3viFtB2EPnvYjwqbxbRvIKsQ8Rpse6koNNtAAqT1gzFqIjhfptZcuCZXHv~42en-Azp18kqf-2GOnfEQqm8mgzFqN~AaOt2r-7XOCPbjvdvGY~dYF6c0JxpmYwtB0iXS5pFnAG1P1EfvufWEHwCQ420gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance, KS","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Kansas Senate committee opened and closed a hearing on Senate Bill 28, a bill that would amend state licensing statutes to make the public adjuster statute consistent with the insurance agent (producer) statute on grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of licenses.

Eileen, the reviser, briefed the committee on the bill text and said the measure would amend KSA 40-55-10 (public adjuster licensing) to mirror language already in KSA 40-49-09 (insurance agent/producer licensing). She said the change would add criteria for the commissioner to consider — including the applicant's age when an offense occurred, the recency and severity of the offense — and would make other language across the two statutes consistent. The reviser also noted a technical correction: language on page 5 should read \"15 business days\" rather than \"15 days.\"

Eric Turek of the Kansas Department of Insurance told the committee the department supports Senate Bill 28. \"We are just copying the statutes that are already in the producer licensing statute and mirroring them and applying them to the public adjuster statute,\" Eric Turek said, adding that the change would create parity and allow the commissioner to factor in prior revocations or suspensions of related licenses or registrations (for example, securities registrations) when deciding on an insurance or adjuster license.

The bill brief explained that the proposed amendments would permit the commissioner to consider a licensee's or applicant's other licenses or registrations issued by the department — including securities registrations — when making licensing decisions. The department said those provisions would give the commissioner additional flexibility consistent with existing securities statutes. The reviser told the committee she could make the technical amendment if the committee acted favorably.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about current practice and scope. Eric Turek said the commissioner already applies similar standards for producer licenses and that the bill would simply make the public adjuster statute consistent with that practice. Senator Gossage asked for a plain-language definition of a public adjuster; Turek described public adjusters as professionals who can assist businesses with claims settlement in commercial settings.

Proponent written testimony included a submission from Craig Sepich, director of strategy, policy and government affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau. No opponent or neutral testimony was offered. The committee closed the hearing on Senate Bill 28 with no recorded vote and no amendments announced at the hearing stage.

The bill will remain available for future committee action; committee staff noted a minor technical amendment flagged by the reviser.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance 01/30/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 28 would amend Kansas insurance licensing statutes to apply the same standards for denying, suspending or revoking public adjuster licenses as for insurance agents; the Department of Insurance supported the bill and the committee closed the hearing with no opposition testimony.","taxTitle","Financial Institutions and Insurance, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",20418,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6360558,"Kansas Senate committee hears informational presentation on paid family and medical leave",1289,63090,1352560,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2174570-83c51caef0c136a1ec64b99955b4f7f2&start=63&end=1352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2174570-83c51caef0c136a1ec64b99955b4f7f2/thumbnail_63090.jpg","/articles/6360558/Kansas/Kansas-Senate-committee-hears-informational-presentation-on-paid-family-and-medical-leave","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6360558-32465bd78bfade20c206bb190efa5acb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771175263&Signature=W5brjCm32L3QZUJQ9PQvS7YyYDtpJb7704n2usijPYQL32P0uAOP78f8FKbVQT6VLuIXMi3BixUcg36dNmqMQoRnLawI8WUxXcgZgSaxmm01nKEo1v3RiDkgUGj0-FhUgYXhDYrTXP7-nJSHDVie0oN5OedCTqp876dnjmJ1LELpIsSkRseYDSndYdu~-K~GDk7ukPGU-tRm3MOnp-hglGBG5SM8BdW8gZiXWOmQDhBMr0HSMWHsTTqFADE-Nem2IbvOllIBr6t4o-TcZpGhtGb2Grxw7O9XQUwesJS2PW91y0sWM30mBDFTwWsmNkkJLSVWDLB1n2~w75RZxehjhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Kansas Senate committee held an informational hearing in Topeka on paid family and medical leave, where advocates, a small-business employer and public-health advocates described models, costs and likely uses of a state-run program.

Advocates said the proposal would provide paid time off for parental bonding, individual serious medical conditions, caregiving for elderly relatives, and military-related leaves. \"It really represents kind of a common sense balance between health and family needs and work,\" said Tracy, speaking for the Paid Leave for All Kansas coalition.

Supporters said state-run paid-leave programs in other states typically operate through a small payroll contribution that funds a pooled benefit distributed at the state level. Tracy told the committee that 14 states have implemented paid family and medical leave and that many programs target roughly 12 weeks of paid time off, patterned in part on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act but with pay attached. She also cited Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) data that \"about 85 percent of senior caregivers are unpaid,\" noting that paid leave could help employees manage eldercare while remaining in the workforce.

Jan Mars, shareholder at Mize Here CPAs in Topeka, described the employer perspective. Mars said her firm adopted a fully funded parental-leave policy two years ago and reported retention of 87 to 88 percent and improved recruiting outcomes. \"We have not lost a single recruit due to concerns over parental leave,\" Mars said, and added that the firm saw higher productivity from secondary caregivers once leave could be planned rather than taken at short notice.

On costs, the committee heard a sample calculation for average payroll contributions. \"The employer contribution at about a little under half of a percent would be about $2.60 dollars a year for that 1 employee,\" said Brenda Bandy, executive director of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, citing a quick statewide estimate presented to the panel. Presenters also noted that most states phase in collections for 18 to 36 months to build a self-funded pool before paying claims.

Committee members asked about program design choices, including coverage thresholds for small employers, whether contributions would be mandatory statewide and how benefits would be defined. Tracy told senators that most enacted models split contributions between employers and employees and that some states exempt very small employers under a chosen threshold.

The committee treated the session as informational only. No bill on paid family and medical leave was offered at the hearing, and staff said the presentation was intended to gauge interest and gather information for future work.

The hearing included written proponent testimony from other organizations in the committee folder; presenters and senators said they wanted more data on designs, costs and implementation timelines before pursuing legislation.","Advocates and a Topeka employer told a Kansas Senate committee that paid family and medical leave could improve maternal mental health, support senior caregivers and aid small-business recruitment, and presented cost and design examples from other states.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee opens hearing on Senate Bill 28 to align public adjuster and insurance agent licensing standards

Kansas Senate committee hears informational presentation on paid family and medical leave