House Substitute for HB 2390 by Committee on Public Health and Welfare - Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of acquired and related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or contagious diseases and repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.
Impact
The legislation mandates that the Secretary of Health and Environment oversee the board and study drug overdose cases, which includes reviewing autopsy reports and medical records—all while ensuring the confidentiality of such sensitive information. This confidentiality is crucial for encouraging open and honest discussions about overdose causes without fear of legal repercussions. Such measures are intended to facilitate better data collection and sharing among health care providers, law enforcement, and community services, ultimately aiming to enhance drug addiction treatment and prevention strategies in Kansas.
Summary
House Bill 2390 introduces the Kansas Overdose Fatality Review Board Act to address the alarming rise in drug overdose fatalities in Kansas. The act aims to establish a systematic approach to review overdose death cases by forming a specialized board which will analyze relevant data, identify patterns, and recommend evidence-based strategies to prevent such tragedies in the future. The board's composition will include various stakeholders from health, law enforcement, and social services to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issues surrounding drug fatalities.
Contention
Despite its benefits, the bill has raised some concerns regarding the implications of extensive data collection and the confidentiality provisions. Critics argue that while protecting individual identities is vital, the bill also creates a potential barrier to accessing necessary information that could inform public health interventions and policy changes. Moreover, ensuring that numerous government agencies cooperate effectively within the confines of confidentiality may pose a practical challenge to the success of the review board's objectives.
Restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious or contagious diseases; repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.
Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to control the spread of infectious or contagious diseases, repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose penalties for violations thereof and prohibiting the secretary of health and environment from requiring COVID-19 vaccination for children attending a child care facility or school.
Enacting the constitutional right to health freedom act to regulate the activities of the secretary of health and environment related to public health functions; repealing statutes relating to the secretary's authority to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.
Substitute for SB 29 by Committee on Public Health and Welfare - Removing the authority of the county or joint board of health or local health officer to prohibit public gatherings when necessary for the control of infectious or contagious disease.
Authorizing the secretary of health and environment to license nuclear fusion systems, establishing such licensure fee and authorizing the secretary to impose late fees for any expired radiation protection and control license.
Enacting the conscientious right to refuse act to prohibit discrimination against individuals to refuse medical care and creating a civil cause of action based on such discrimination; repealing the authority of the secretary of health and environment to quarantine individuals and impose associated penalties.
Requiring the secretary of health and environment to adopt anaphylaxis prevention and response policies for schools and day care facilities that set forth guidelines and procedures to prevent and respond to anaphylaxis.
Requiring the secretary for health and environment to provide a death certificate of a child to the state child death review board, increasing the number of board members, allowing for compensation and providing for the disclosure of certain records to certain persons for securing grants.
Expanding the duties of the secretary of health and environment when investigating maternal deaths to include promoting continuity of care, helping develop performance measures and establishing an external review committee to study cases and make recommendations to prevent maternal deaths.
Expanding the duties of the secretary of health and environment when investigating maternal deaths to include promoting continuity of care, helping develop performance measures and establishing an external review committee to study cases and make recommendations to prevent maternal deaths.
House Substitute for SB 287 by Committee on Health and Human Services - Prohibiting a healthcare provider from administering medication, diagnostic tests or conducting ongoing behavioral health treatments to a minor in a school facility without parental consent, enacting the no patient left alone act to require medical care facilities to allow in-person visitation in certain circumstances, expanding licensure of rural emergency hospitals that meet criteria between January 2015 and December 2020 and authorizing emergency medical responders to distribute non prescription over-the-counter medications.
Revises sections of the uniform controlled substances act to remove specific opioid dosage requirements, revises the uniform controlled substances act in accordance with current standards of professional practice and would repeal chapter 37.4 of title 5.