Governor Kelly signed two bills this week; The Gail Finney Memorial Foster Care Bill of Rights, and a bill increasing penalties for assaulting health care workers.
Senate Bill 174, which increases the criminal penalties for workplace assaults against healthcare workers, passed both the Kansas House and Senate on April 27th.
“The number of stories we’ve heard over the last few years of health care workers being harassed and abused while doing their jobs is appalling and unacceptable,” Kelly said. “This bill is a win for our state, showing that both sides of the aisle can come together to save lives and protect health care workers.”
Additionally, the Governor signed House Bill 2024, a child welfare bill that outlines the rights of foster youth, foster parents, and family caregivers. The bill is named in honor of Representative Gail Finney, who represented the 84th state house district from 2009 until her death in August 2022.
As of February 2023, there are more than 6,000 children in the foster care system across Kansas. Under HB 2024, the Department of Children and Families is required to give written and verbal notification of rights outlined in the bill of rights to foster youth, foster parents, and kinship caregivers.
HB 2024 also strengthens and sustains the Child Abuse Referral Evaluation (CARE) network, an existing program that ensures every case of child maltreatment is thoroughly investigated. The bill also allows for the use of infant safety devices in authorized facilities.
