Kansas Governor Parkinson signs Omnibus Crime Bill

May 21, 2009 -- To increase public safety and aid law enforcement, Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson today signed the Omnibus Crime Bill.

“Safe communities are one of the reasons that businesses and families move to our state,” Parkinson said. “I appreciate the work the Legislature and the Attorney General did this session to keep Kansans safe and secure.”

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“To better protect our families, we must give law enforcement the tools they need to fight crime and bring predators to justice,” Attorney General Steve Six said. “This legislation contains a number of provisions that will help law enforcement keep our communities safe. I was pleased to be the main proponent of the provision which closed the loophole for criminals that would flee & elude law enforcement officers.”

HB 2060 creates a special rule in sentencing for a violation of battery on a law enforcement officer where bodily injury occurs; strengthens the sentence on drug manufacturing, drug trafficking, and some drug possession crimes if the offender carries or discharges a firearm during the commission or furtherance of the drug crime; and amends the crime of fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer among many other provisions. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

The governor signed an additional seven bills today.

State Board of Pharmacy; Statewide Electronic Logging System for Sale of Meth Precursors; Fingerprinting

SB 33 establishes the Statewide Electronic Logging System for Sale of Methamphetamine Precursor Act; repeals duplicative statutory language concerning the sale of durable medical equipment; provides the Board of Pharmacy with new authority to require fingerprinting; amends existing law concerning regulation of pharmacy technicians; and amends the Board of Pharmacy membership. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

Promoting Financial Literacy and Disability Awareness in Kansas Schools

SB 41 requires the State Board of Education to develop state curriculum standards for personal financial literacy for all grade levels within the existing mathematics or other appropriate subject matter curriculum. This legislation also requires the State Board to encourage school districts, when selecting textbooks for mathematics, economics, family and consumer science, accounting, or other appropriate courses, to select textbooks containing substantive provisions on personal finance. Additionally, this legislation requires the State Board of Education to include questions relating to personal financial literacy in the statewide assessments for mathematics or social studies when the statewide assessments for mathematics or social studies are reviewed or rewritten.

Additionally, this legislation requires the State Board of Education to designate a period of time each school year as a time for disability history and awareness to encourage better treatment of individuals with disabilities. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

Creating the Medical Record Maintenance Trust Fund

HB 2010 provides funding for the Board of Healing Arts for the storage, maintenance and transfer of abandoned medical records. This legislation also clarifies that a person licensed by the State Board of Healing Arts to practice medicine and surgery or chiropractic medicine is allowed to delegate acts which constitute the practice of the healing arts to other persons the licensee knows or believes can competently perform such acts. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

Kansas Police and Firemen's Retirement System; KPERS

S Sub HB 2072 makes amendments to retirement statutes for the Kansas Police and Firemen’s (KP&F) Retirement System and the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS). This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Register.

Kansas Highway Patrol Member Service on Governing Bodies; Corrupt Political Advertising; E-filing of Campaign Finance Reports; Election of Sherman County Board of County Commissions

HB 2158 addresses the elections and ethics issues of Kansas Highway Patrol members’ service on governing bodies of municipalities, corrupt political advertising, electronic filing of certain campaign finance reports, election method for the Sherman County Board of County Commissioners, and substantial interests statements of certain faculty members. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Register.

Concerning the behavioral sciences, marriage and family therapists and psychologists

HB 2162 permits marriage and family therapists who have not completed the 500 hour practicum while in graduate school to complete additional hours prior to being licensed. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Register.

Controlled Insurance Programs Act
HB 2214 enacts the Controlled Insurance Programs Act, which creates requirements for programs of liability insurance coverage that are established by an owner or contractor who hires contractors or subcontractors for construction work. This legislation also expands mental health parity to include treatment for alcohol and substance abuse. This legislation goes into effect after its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

Source: Kansas Governor