[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",6357782,"mediaKeyId","2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122","parentId",2213711,"title","Committee approves tiny budget for Hearing Aid Examiners; director describes part-time operation","audioSeconds",737,"startMs",1669000,"endMs",2406000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122&start=1669&end=2406","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122/thumbnail_1669000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6357782/Kansas/Committee-approves-tiny-budget-for-Hearing-Aid-Examiners-director-describes-part-time-operation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357782-b333e04d37962a636a43f2d7aa14d95a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177250&Signature=Dq-UwQDUySnfa6pm9xNGwMf4Amjup~jUtFpqjuEvvV7JsVucHvuBKFWe64C~rSfLBrnu6~QOZDhX2WT-KGk-P5dFEQJy~movzrgtxM5GFpYIiHInLMn35qkyVIqih3Oj2HrGFmFDnNOJRxJXIA9bZYGdjyIuHY2ANCxUTdUvU0tXxJVPOS20s4BsMWR--ohBaGmA8u5ec190m4G3VPd8fRWzesZjVWU-lwXDQtSNMAF1vP5LIIsaUB4030JO36m8yvbLj75U3PMC-SK-x4WDAnpvqeg97gdy7s2RNaevGbT-U8PqVdY~wz5B8grF2HMa-fCu8bLrYodB0rGWAbvOyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," Committee on General Government Budget, KS","date","2025-01-31T00:00:00Z","article","The Committee on General Government Budget voted to accept the Legislative Research recommendations for the Kansas Board of Hearing Aid Examiners’ budgets for fiscal years 2025–2027.

Julia Kofoid presented the board’s request and described it as a fee-funded program with a small budget: fiscal-year requests were roughly $38,000 for 2025 and similar amounts for 2026 and 2027, each below the fiscal year 2025 approved amount. \"The Kansas Board of Hearing Aid Examiners' mission is to regulate hearing aid dispensers by determining the competence of new practitioners, ensuring licensees keep their equipment calibrated, and meet continuing education requirements,\" Kofoid said.

Why it matters: Committee members noted the small size of the agency and asked about the executive director’s workload and resource use. Danielle Dorner, the board’s executive director and a practicing audiologist, told the committee she works less than half time for the board, is reimbursed for mileage when test sites are held, and has used personal equipment such as a printer to handle administrative tasks. \"Anytime I have to purchase supplies, we are in line again to do the digitizing of the licensing. So, once we do that, then all of that paper product that I purchase again and then go through smart, that will be alleviated,\" Dorner said.

Details: Kofoid said the board requested decreases in several line items tied to prior pay-plan inclusions and website-development costs. Committee members praised the director’s stewardship and asked her to keep the committee updated as the licensing digitization proceeds.

Action: The committee approved the board’s budget recommendation on a voice vote; Representative Van Howden seconded the motion.

Looking ahead: The board will transition to a new licensing database alongside other agencies, which staff said should reduce paper and website-development costs and may change future budget needs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on General Government Budget 01/31/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee accepted the Kansas Board of Hearing Aid Examiners’ recommended budgets for 2025–2027; the board’s executive director said the office operates with minimal staff and uses personal resources for some functions.","taxTitle","Committee on General Government Budget , Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",18816,"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},6357787,"Committee accepts Kansas Dental Board budget after questions about large fee-fund balance",1780,596000,2376000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122&start=596&end=2376","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122/thumbnail_596000.jpg","/articles/6357787/Kansas/Committee-accepts-Kansas-Dental-Board-budget-after-questions-about-large-fee-fund-balance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357787-27d6ec4c111c20edb036dce07e786f64/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177250&Signature=J1qLdTWspfuVmsD8YxLTT0E-pxQ~eQhQWVPofLsJ9G9ew2hO0lHrUm-E-ubuxuJQA3msD6bmf7QhEaVP78vnkisjlbn266FeiFsNGemgpD-A294AfvtqxLgDEae6XEKvYn89VFrMOZJ5~a2iJSn~pFJnXehF7B8VszOyNUDTPS1EcnFyO6SGbtd3KWtSzUMv7KNtO8JVEr78AYpwA2OGr3tCUSjGcCLXaMcgYDt~JBKg~jnNRc7JvmjOXRz9Z8TN5nqTqCEGWfGOnYP36XsSan8d3UNf0amgiO6tSL1OXxUyZLvKpRm4At32a~w~XzORMT51yr5M9oy3jeQ7O5CBOg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on General Government Budget approved the Legislative Research recommendations for the Kansas Dental Board’s budgets for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 after extended discussion about the agency’s sizable fee-fund balance.

Julia Kofoid, a legislative fellow with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, summarized the board’s request and projections. She told the committee the dental board is fee-funded and asked for approximately the same amount for fiscal year 2025 as had been approved: \"The agency is requesting just over $580,000 which is no change from the fiscal year 2025 approved amount,\" she said.

Why it matters: Representative Turk and other committee members pressed the board on its ending-balance levels and whether some funds should be returned to taxpayers or used to reduce fees. Lane Hemsley, director of the Kansas Dental Board, said higher-than-expected retention of older licensees drove the balance up and that a licensing-database modernization under Senate Bill 66 will give a clearer picture of licensee counts. \"The fee fund ending balances are due really in large part to some dentists who based on our projections did not retire when we anticipated them to retire,\" Hemsley said.

Details: Hemsley said the board performed a prior fee reduction in 2016 and has studied fee reductions since. He said the board expects a substantial decline in reserves as older licensees retire over the next 18–24 months and that the new licensing database will provide better data for future fee decisions. He provided a snapshot count of licensed dentists reported with Kansas locations—1,621 as of January 2, 2025—to help convey scale.

Action: Representative Pickert moved to accept the Legislative Research recommendations for the Kansas Dental Board for fiscal years 2025–2027; Representative Melton seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.

Looking ahead: Committee members said they will monitor the database rollout and licensee trends before considering further transfers or fee reductions. Hemsley said the board prefers to wait for the database results before adjusting fees or transferring funds.","The committee approved the Kansas Dental Board’s 2025–2027 budget after extended questioning about the board’s fee-funded reserves; the board director said higher-than-expected retirements timing and a licensing database rollout justify holding reserves for now.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6357791,"Committee approves Board of Examiners and Optometry budget, allows higher hospitality cap",2294,31000,2325000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122&start=31&end=2325","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2213711-673ba8d0832017c5a570e54fb5860122/thumbnail_31000.jpg","/articles/6357791/Kansas/Committee-approves-Board-of-Examiners-and-Optometry-budget-allows-higher-hospitality-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6357791-9fa9ccedf9a5fe027c3f86faab858927/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177250&Signature=TYn7JeFbFaWM9qGFpl~5PdAIErCp2DgZCPpRb-ft5-1jCwuACBXl~7lyGTYH8QqKXBJtU2QOK75LbWS-89pfl8fNQ0998lajqRXm9HCugw~85AjZUcrgTVT4rzj4bB4F7wZdkdd5kiCx8pkL6MsOLZyZW8dTn7SvnLvOSjmjIlX2f~p55GaKXaVbXa1WB1hPVaDJMM9f~CpHdgGj4OhoTlKUS35m0mK7n0eDU9ARO8hcrb8Hizno~Gic0j8khZrFNmj-ri0D~Nf5Qhs3D4KwTpM9MnbETpZlmxYFR0PAwBeFuPQros~hEBJzwGhAIU5NUwhmeda4ZPInEQTKaK0DjQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on General Government Budget voted to accept the Legislative Research recommendations for the Board of Examiners and Optometry’s biennial budget and to raise the agency’s official hospitality spending limit to $1,000.

The move, made by Representative Riley and approved by voice vote, covers the agency’s current fiscal year and the two budget years 2026 and 2027. Amanda, a Legislative Research presenter, told the committee the optometry board is a fee-funded, biennial agency and has no State General Fund appropriation. \"This is a biennial agency completely funded with licensing fees,\" she said.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed on whether the agency’s office would move to Topeka if a newly hired executive director were based there and on how recent one-time costs affect the agency’s ending balance. Jan Murray, executive officer for the board, said the board plans to post the executive-officer position in March with an April start and that the office move is not guaranteed. \"It might help us find the correct person. And that's the reason we put that in there in the, the budget for the office to move to Topeka,\" Murray said.

Details: The budget includes cross-training costs for a new executive director—three months in fiscal year 2025 and three months in fiscal year 2026—as well as planning for higher rent, a board cellphone recommended by the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS), and increased estimates for OITS and legal counsel fees. Amanda said the agency is requesting the hospitality limit change to address inflation and that the cost would be covered by the licensing fee fund.

Committee discussion focused on operational details rather than major policy changes. Representative Turk noted the agency’s ending-balance trend and asked whether the board had a plan to stabilize reserves; Murray said hiring a single executive director and implementing a new licensing database that evens out renewal timing were expected to smooth revenues. Representative Riley asked whether the office would remain in Lawrence if the new hire lived there; Murray said the current office in Lawrence is adequate and that rent in Topeka could be substantially higher.

Action: The committee approved the recommendation and the hospitality cap increase by voice vote. The motion passed without recorded roll-call tallies.

Looking ahead: Murray and Legislative Research said they will return with further details if questions remain as recruitment and the licensing database project proceed.","The Committee on General Government Budget approved the Board of Examiners and Optometry’s biennial budget and a request to raise the agency’s official hospitality limit from $650 to $1,000; agency staff said the change would be paid from licensing fees and may support recruiting an executive director.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves tiny budget for Hearing Aid Examiners; director describes part-time operation

Committee accepts Kansas Dental Board budget after questions about large fee-fund balance

Committee approves Board of Examiners and Optometry budget, allows higher hospitality cap