Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

TOPEKA — The House Committee on Aging and Long-term Care is scheduled to vote next week on a bill that would put the Kansas Attorney General’s Office in charge of investigating reports of abuse and neglect that involve frail elders and people with disabilities.

Currently, the investigations are handled by the Adult Protective Services unit within the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

The committee had been scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday.

“We ran out of time,” said Rep. Bob Bethell, an Alden Republican and chair of the committee. “We’ll do it Tuesday. We still have time.”

In the House, most committees have until Monday or Tuesday to vote on bills that have been heard thus far in the session.

Advocates for the elderly and the disabled have been critical of SRS’ handling of the investigations, accusing the agency of being slow and ineffective.

Earlier this week, SRS officials promised to overhaul the system.