Enacting the every mom matters act to require the state treasurer to contract with eligible organizations to provide information and support services to pregnant women and parents considering adoption.
Impact
The act mandates the state treasurer to contract with eligible non-profit organizations to facilitate the delivery of these support services. Notably, the funding for these programs will come from the Every Mom Matters Program Fund, which is also established through this bill. Contractors must register with the state, and the act prohibits organizations that provide abortions from receiving funds under this program, thus influencing the landscape of reproductive health resources available in Kansas.
Summary
House Bill 2193, known as the 'Every Mom Matters Act', aims to provide substantial support and resources for pregnant women and parents considering adoption in Kansas. This legislation establishes the Every Mom Matters Program within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The act's primary purpose is to enhance access to various health and support services, ensuring healthy pregnancies and childbirths while also offering critical information regarding adoption options. Furthermore, it emphasizes holistic family and child development, thereby addressing a spectrum of needs faced by parents and parents-to-be.
Contention
One potential point of contention surrounding HB 2193 is its stipulation against contracting with abortion providers. Supporters argue that this ensures the focus remains on providing comprehensive, pregnancy-centered support without the distraction or influence of abortion-related services. However, critics may view this limitation as an infringement on comprehensive reproductive healthcare, as it restricts the array of support services available to pregnant individuals under stress or facing unintended pregnancies. Additionally, the requirement for contractors to offer services solely through nonprofit organizations may raise questions regarding the adequacy and scope of available resources in the state.
Creating the every mom matters act to require the state treasurer to contract with eligible organizations to provide information and support services to pregnant women and parents considering adoption.
Enacting the adoption savings account act allowing individuals to establish adoption savings accounts with certain financial institutions, providing eligible expenses, requirements and restrictions for such accounts and establishing addition and subtraction modifications for contributions to such accounts under the Kansas income tax act, increasing the income tax credit amount for adoption expenses, establishing an income, privilege and premium tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities and providing for a sales tax exemption for purchases by pregnancy resource centers and residential maternity facilities.
Requiring custodial and non-custodial parents to cooperate with child support enforcement programs for food assistance eligibility and disqualifying such parents from food assistance for being delinquent in support payments.
Establishing a tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities, increasing the tax credit amount for adoption expenses and making the credit refundable and providing a sales tax exemption for pregnancy resource centers and residential maternity facilities.
Establishing the pregnancy compassion program to provide resources and promote childbirth to women facing unplanned pregnancies, establishing the pregnancy compassion awareness program to promote public awareness of available resources; appropriating $4,000,000 per year from the state general fund toward such program and establishing a fee on the In God We Trust and the choose life license plates and using such fees to provide additional revenue for such program.
Establishing a tax credit for contributions to eligible charitable organizations operating pregnancy centers or residential maternity facilities and establishing a child tax credit, increasing the tax credit amount for adoption expenses and making the credit refundable and providing a sales tax exemption for pregnancy resource centers and residential maternity facilities.
Enacting the adoption savings account act, allowing individuals to establish adoption savings accounts with certain financial institutions, providing eligible expenses, requirements and restrictions for such accounts and establishing addition and subtraction modifications for contributions to such accounts under the Kansas income tax act.