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Minutes for HB2038 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Creating the educator protection act to provide excess professional liability insurance coverage for teachers.
Minutes Content for Wed, Feb 10, 2021
Chairperson Huebert opened the hearing on HB2038.
Revisor Nick Meyers gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Vice Chairperson Adam Thomas, took the Chair while Chairperson Huebert gave his testimony.
Chairperson Huebert explained the history of this bill which was introduced in 2020 and passed but did not move forward due to the pandemic situation. This bill provides a third layer of liability protection for teachers. Teachers can obtain liability insurance through unions, and there is a school district coverage, but this would not be of any cost to them and would take away the stress of worrying about being vulnerable. Teachers should have a safety net that they can trust. The bill covers all full time, part time and student teachers. There is no cost to Kansas teachers. Other states that have enacted similar legislation have found it to be cost effective and an important part of the support system for teachers. He urged the Committee to vote approval on HB2038. (Attachment 2)
Written Opposition Testimony:
Marjorie Blaufuss, Kansas National Education Association (Attachment 3)
There was a brief discussion about how much this would cost the state, how much claims in other states have been, how much the teachers in Kansas have had to pay on these types of lawsuits and what was available through other sources.
Chairperson Huebert took the chair back and closed the hearing on HB2038.
