Bill > HB2243

This bill requires the secretary for children and families to establish a formal process for referring cases involving children of military personnel to specialized military support programs. Specifically, when investigating a child in need of care, if a parent or legal guardian is in the military, the secretary must now refer the case to the appropriate military organization. To facilitate this, the secretary is mandated to enter into a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, which is a formal agreement, with specific military entities including Fort Riley, McConnell Air Force Base, Fort Leavenworth, and the Kansas National Guard. This agreement will outline how to identify military families, the procedure for referrals, how the military family advocacy program will be notified if a case is escalated to legal proceedings, and ensure compliance with privacy laws. The bill also clarifies that this new referral process does not prevent the secretary from taking immediate action to protect a child's safety. A "military family advocacy program" is defined as a Department of Defense program designed to help military families dealing with child abuse and neglect. This bill amends existing law regarding the investigation of children in need of care to include checking the military status of parents or guardians and repeals the previous version of that law.

Justice

Judiciary (House)

https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2243/