SESSION OF 2023
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT BRIEF
HOUSE SUBSTITUTE FOR SENATE BILL NO. 4 2
As Agreed to April 5, 2023
Brief*
House Sub. for SB 42 would exempt a rural emergency hospital licensed under the Rural
Emergency Hospital Act from an assessment imposed on hospital providers as part of the
Health Care Access Improvement Program.
The bill would also require members of a hospital board to be qualified electors of either
the county where the hospital is located or any county adjacent to such county and require a
member living in an adjacent county to own real property within the taxing district of the hospital.
The bill would require a majority of the members of the hospital board to be residents of the
county in which the hospital is located.
The bill would be in effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
Conference Committee Action
The Conference Committee agreed to delete the provisions of House Sub. for SB 42, as
amended by the House Committee of the Whole, regarding appropriations for state agencies;
insert contents pertaining to hospital board membership (SB 194); and make all provisions of
the bill effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.
The Conference Committee amended the provisions from SB 194 to specify that only a
board member who lives in a county adjacent to the county in which the hospital is located must
own real property within the taxing district of the hospital.
In addition, the Conference Committee added rural emergency hospitals to the list of types
of hospitals that are exempt from the annual assessment on hospitals imposed by KSA 65-
6208, the Health Care Access Improvement Program.
Background
The bill contains amended provisions of SB 194 as passed by the Senate.
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*Conference committee report briefs are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express
legislative intent. No summary is prepared when the report is an agreement to disagree. Conference committee
report briefs may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.kslegislature.org/klrd
1 - 42 SB 194 (Membership of Hospital Board)
Senate Committee on Local Government
In the Senate Committee hearing, Senator Billinger provided proponent testimony. He
noted Logan, Gove, and Thomas counties include portions of the city of Oakley, where the
Logan County Hospital is located, and the hospital board struggles to find and retain members.
No other testimony was provided.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to specify that a majority of the members of the
board must be residents of the county in which the hospital is located.
Senate Committee of the Whole
The Senate Committee of the Whole amended the bill to require a member of a hospital
board to own real property within the taxing district of the hospital.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget on SB 194, as
introduced, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department for
Aging and Disability Services indicate enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect. The
fiscal note further states the League of Kansas Municipalities and the Kansas Association of
Counties indicate enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect on cities or counties.
No fiscal information was available for provisions exempting a rural emergency hospital
from an assessment under the Health Care Access Improvement Program.
Hospital district board; board membership; county; rural emergency hospital
ccrb_sb42_01_0000.odt
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