Kansas Senate approves new child welfare oversight office amid advocate concerns
Kansas moved a step closer Wednesday to becoming one of the last states in the country to establish an office to handle child welfare complaints and oversee the foster system.
On a 31-4 vote, the Kansas Senate approved creation of an Office of the Child Advocate. The measure now heads to the House for consideration next week.
Advocates said the office will provide needed oversight for children who are being failed by the system.
“Most often there are adults who were fully aware of the dire circumstances of a child but chose to do nothing or their message was ignored,” said Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican. “Now is the time for the Kansas legislature to form that office of the child advocate.”
Other longtime advocates said the bill is not the milestone it could have been. They said it lacks the independence needed for success.
Rep. Jarrod Ousley, a Merriam Democrat, first introduced the idea of a child advocate to the legislature four years ago. His bill, which was sponsored by 11 Republicans and 7 Democrats, died in the House last month when leadership did not give it a hearing.
The Senate bill, introduced earlier this month, placed the office of the advocate in the hands of the Attorney General, rather than the Legislature, and expanded the scope of the advocate’s power.
Ousley testified against the bill while some advocates, including Kansas Appleseed, offered neutral testimony, asking for changes to the measure. The groups said too much power was given to the advocate and that the Attorney General could leverage the office for political needs.
Rep. Susan Concannon, a Beloit Republican, said last week she did not support the Senate version but was happy the conversation continued so that the terms of the office could be negotiated between the House and Senate in conference committee.
In debate Wednesday night Sen. Pat Pettey, a Kansas City Democrat, said she was concerned that the Senate had “hijacked” a House bill.
“There had been so much work that had gone into the original bill,” Petty said. “I hope that these kinds of changes don’t lead to more of a partisan approach towards this and the whole issue of wanting to have the best for our children in need of care.”
Baumgardner, however, said the Senate committee that worked on the bill addressed many of the concerns of advocates and better protected the independence of the office by placing it under the Attorney General and establishing an appointment process that includes the legislature.
“I shared with Rep. Ousley that this is the year that we had to make OCA happen,” Baumgardner said. “Quite frankly I wasn’t paying attention to what the House was working on. I was focused on what would be the best product for the Senate’s position.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 7:51 PM.
