39-7,160. Joint committee on home and community based services oversight; members; meetings; compensation and expenses. (a) There is hereby established the joint committee on home and community based services oversight. The joint committee shall review the number of individuals who are transferred from state or private institutions and long-term care facilities to the home and community based services and the associated cost savings and other outcomes of the money-follows-the-person program. The joint committee shall review the funding targets recommended by the interim report submitted for the 2007 legislature by the joint committee on legislative budget and use them as guidelines for the future funding planning and policy making. The joint committee shall have oversight of savings resulting from the transfer of individuals from state or private institutions to home and community based services. As used in K.S.A. 2012 Supp. 39-7,159 through 39-7,162, and amendments thereto, "savings" means the difference between the average cost of providing services for individuals in an institutional setting and the cost of providing services in a home and community based setting. The joint committee shall study and determine the effectiveness of the program and cost-analysis of the state institutions or long-term care facilities based on the success of the transfer of individuals to home and community based services. The joint committee shall consider the issues of whether sufficient funding is provided for enhancement of wages and benefits of direct individual care workers and their staff training and whether adequate progress is being made to transfer individuals from the institutions and to move them from the waiver waiting lists to receive home and community based services. The joint committee shall review and ensure that any proceeds resulting from the successful transfer be applied to the system of provision of services for long-term care and home and community based services.

(b) The joint committee shall consist of nine members as follows: (1) One member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; (2) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; (3) one member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate; (4) one member of the senate appointed by the minority leader of the senate; (5) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the chairperson of the house committee on appropriations; (6) one member of the senate appointed by the chairperson of the senate committee on ways and means; (7) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the ranking minority member of the house committee on appropriations; (8) one member of the senate appointed by the ranking minority member of the senate committee on ways and means; and (9) one member of the house of representatives appointed by the majority leader of the house of representatives.

(c) Members shall be appointed for terms coinciding with the legislative terms for which such members are elected or appointed. All members appointed to fill vacancies in the membership of the joint committee and all members appointed to succeed members appointed to membership on the joint committee shall be appointed in the manner provided for the original appointment of the member succeeded. The first meeting of the joint committee shall be held before August 1, 2008.

(d) The members originally appointed as members of the joint committee shall meet upon the call of the member appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall be the first chairperson, within 30 days of the effective date of this act. The vice-chairperson of the joint committee shall be appointed by the president of the senate. Chairperson and vice-chairperson shall alternate annually between the members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate. The ranking minority member shall be from the same chamber as the chairperson. The joint committee shall meet at least four times each year at the call of the chairperson of the joint committee. Five members of the joint committee shall constitute a quorum.

(e) At the beginning of each regular session of the legislature, the committee shall submit to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives a written report on numbers of individuals transferred from the state or private institutions to the home and community based services including the average daily census in the state institutions and long-term care facilities, savings resulting from the transfer certified by the secretary of social and rehabilitation services and the secretary of aging in a quarterly report filed in accordance with K.S.A. 2012 Supp. 39-7,161 and 39-7,162, and amendments thereto, and the current balance in the home and community based services savings fund of the department of social and rehabilitation services and the department on aging.

(f) Members of the committee shall be paid compensation, travel expenses and subsistence expenses or allowance as provided in K.S.A. 75-3212, and amendments thereto, for attendance at any meeting of the joint committee or any subcommittee meeting authorized by the committee.

History: L. 2008, ch. 168, § 2; July 1.