Under the Dome - Kansas Senate Passes the CARE Act

On February 23, the Kansas Senate voted 38-1 in favor of the Kansas Lay Caregivers Act (SB 68 as amended), otherwise known as the CARE Act.  The CARE Act would require Kansas hospitals to give each patient the opportunity to designate a caregiver when they enter the hospital so the caregiver's name can be recorded, the caregiver is informed when the patient is transferred or about to be discharged, and the caregiver is given instruction on how to take care of the patient when he or she returns home. Some patients return home needing complex medical and nursing tasks as they recuperate. The CARE Act helps ensure that the caregiver knows what to do and how to do it giving the patient a better chance of getting well and not being readmitted to the hospital.

AARP Kansas thanks all our volunteers and partners for contacting legislators and urging them to vote yes on Senate Bill 68 as amended. We also thank all of the Kansas Senators who voted yes on the CARE Act and encourage Kansans to thank them. Those voting yes as recorded in the Senate Journal were:

Larry Alley, R-52, Molly Baumgardner, R-37th, Edward Berger, R-34th, Richard Billinger, R-40th, Barbara

Bollier, R-7th, Elaine Bowers, R-36th, Jim Denning, R-8th, John Doll, R-39th, Bud Estes, R-38th, Oletha

Faust-Goudeau, D-29th, Steve Fitzgerald, R-5th, Marci Francisco, D-2, Bruce Givens, R-14th, Dan

Goddard, R-15th, David Haley, D-4th, Randall Hardy, R-24th, Tom Hawk, D-22nd, Anthony Hensley,

D-19th, Tom Holland, D-3, Laura Kelly, D-18th, Dan Kerschen, R-26th, Jacob LaTurner, R-13th, Jeff

Longbine, R-17th, Julia Lynn, R-9th, Carolyn McGinn, R-31, Rob Olson, R-23, Mike Petersen, R-28, Pat

Pettey, D-6, Mary Pilcher-Cook, R-10, Dennis Pyle, R-1st, Lynn Rogers, D-25th, Vicki Schmidt, R-20th,

John Skubal, R-11th, Dinah Sykes, R-21, Mary Jo Taylor, R-33, Caryn Tyson, R-12, Susan Wagle, R-30, and

Rick Wilborn, R-35.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives. AARP encourages Kansans to contact their state representatives and urge them to vote yes on Senate Bill 68 as amended, the CARE Act.