Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB88

Introduced
1/28/25  
Refer
1/29/25  
Report Pass
2/13/25  
Engrossed
2/19/25  
Refer
2/19/25  
Report Pass
3/6/25  
Enrolled
3/18/25  

Caption

Requiring the state long-term care ombudsman and regional ombudsman to receive training in memory care.

Summary

SB 88 updates Kansas law governing the state long-term care ombudsman program. The bill requires the state long-term care ombudsman, regional ombudsmen, and ombudsman volunteers to receive training in memory care, with specific instruction on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The training topics include recognizing symptoms, person-centered dementia care, communication strategies, alternatives to restraints, wandering prevention, family support resources, and protocols for connecting residents to dementia-care professionals and local resources. The bill also preserves and restates the ombudsman’s existing duties to investigate and resolve complaints, educate residents and families, report to the legislature and governor, monitor laws and policies affecting long-term care facilities, and coordinate with other advocacy systems. In practical terms, it strengthens the ombudsman program’s capacity to respond to residents with cognitive impairment and to identify abuse or neglect issues in memory care settings. The measure passed both chambers overwhelmingly, indicating broad legislative support.

Impact

SB 88 amends K.S.A. 75-7306, the statute defining the duties and training requirements of the state long-term care ombudsman. It adds a specific dementia- and memory-care training requirement for the state ombudsman, regional ombudsmen, and authorized volunteers, expanding the scope of required preparation beyond general long-term care law, investigative techniques, and related duties. The bill affects the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and the ombudsman office by requiring implementation of training focused on residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, while leaving the core complaint-resolution and advocacy structure intact.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment around SB 88 appears strongly positive and noncontroversial. The bill passed the Senate 40-0 and the House 121-1, suggesting broad bipartisan agreement that ombudsmen should be better trained to serve residents with memory-related conditions. No committee transcript was provided, but the voting history indicates the measure was viewed as a practical improvement to long-term care oversight rather than a contentious policy change.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record. The only notable point of possible contention is the added training mandate itself, which could require additional administrative effort for the ombudsman program and its volunteers. However, the near-unanimous votes suggest any concerns about workload, implementation, or cost were minimal or outweighed by support for improving advocacy and protection for residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB4

Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SCR1601

Informing the Governor that the two houses of the Legislature are organized and ready to receive communications.

Similar Bills

MS SB2749

Mississippi Long-Term Care Ombudsman Act; enact.

MI HB4316

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MS HB1074

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MI SB0156

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MI HB5920

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NJ S1196

Renames Office of Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, creates position of deputy ombudsman, and expands duties of office.

ME LD1962

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NC H979

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