Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 333, as amended by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, would require future dental students who are admitted to dental school under the provisions of agreements between the State Board of Regents and dental schools in other states to return to Kansas to practice upon completion of their education, or to make cash repayments. Repayment would be equal to the difference between the cost of tuition and fees at the school of dentistry attended and the average cost of tuition and fees at a Regents institution, plus 15.0 percent interest from the time the tuition is paid. The provisions of the bill would apply to students entering dental school for the first time in the fall of 2002.

Background

Under current law, the State Board of Regents is authorized to enter into agreements with other states to provide for the guaranteed admission of qualified Kansas residents to schools in other states to pursue an education in a field of study not offered by a Regents institution. One such agreement allows for a total of 80 Kansas residents to be enrolled in the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry in their dental, dental specialty, and dental hygiene programs. There is currently no requirement that any of these students practice in Kansas after completion of their training.

Conferees appearing in support of the bill include representatives of the Kansas Dental Association and the Kansas Dental Board. The representative of the Kansas Dental Association testified to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means that normally 52-55 Kansas residents are enrolled in UMKC's Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and dental specialty training programs. The conferee reported that of the 69 Kansas residents who have graduated from UMKC's dental school with DDS degrees in the last five years, 48 (70 percent) returned to establish a practice in Kansas, with 15 (22 percent) establishing a practice outside of Johnson, Wyandotte, Sedgwick, Shawnee, or Douglas counties.

A representative of the State Board of Regents provided the Senate Committee on Ways and Means with information on other programs operated by the Board which have a service obligation requirement (the Osteopathic, Optometry, Teachers, and Nursing programs). Aside from the Osteopathic program, which has a historical service completion rate of 47 percent, the programs have had historical service completion rates ranging from 78 to 89 percent.

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means amended the bill to clarify that the provisions would only apply to future students, as opposed to those currently enrolled or accepted into the program. At the suggestion of the Kansas Dental Association the Committee also amended the bill to delete a provision providing service forgiveness to persons who fail to obtain or are denied a license and added a provision providing a service deferral for graduates who go on for specialty training after graduation.

The fiscal note from the Division of the Budget on the bill as introduced estimated the cost to the State Board of Regents for program administration to be between $1,000 and $2,000.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext.cgi