By Sarah Green
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, April 18
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill today that requires all drivers and passengers ages 17 and younger to use seat belts at all times.
Originally Senate Bill 211, but passed as SB 8, the bill extends the state”s primary seat belt law to age 17. Currently, drivers can be stopped and ticketed if officers see children ages 14 or under without seat belts. The offense is a so-called “primary” violation, which means a motorist can be stopped and ticketed for it.
“There”s no question that wearing a seat belt could save your life, and we want drivers to get in the habit of buckling up every time they get in the car,” Sebelius said.
The fine for the primary violation will be $60, once the new law becomes effective Jan. 1. Drivers 18 or older who are stopped for another reason, such as speeding, but who are not wearing a seat belt will face a $30 fine for the violation under the state”s “secondary” law. Seat belt violations, regardless of age, currently carry a maximum fine of $10.
Advocates, including The Driving Force, a citizen task force, had hoped for a primary seat belt law for all drivers, citing national statistics that show almost instant reductions in traffic injuries and fatalities where such laws have been enacted. In 2006, more than 450 people died on Kansas roads; studies have shown that about half of all teenagers refuse to buckle up.
The primary seat belt bill was introduced in the Senate but was not heard by the Senate Transportation Committee because of a lack of support, Sen. Les Donovan, R-Wichita, the committee”s chairman said in March.
Other health-related bills signed into law this week include:
* House Bill 2010 enacts the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (RUAGA), replacing the Kansas Uniform Anatomical Gift Act of 1968.
Key elements within the new act include provisions to comply with federal law, new definitions to clarify and expand the opportunities for anatomical gifts and the inclusion of anatomical gifts on donor registries.
* SB 271 enacts the Kansas Long-Term Care Insurance Prompt Payment Act, which requires that within 30 days after receipt of any claim the insurance company that issues a long-term care insurance policy must pay or send notice acknowledging receipt and status of the claim.
* HB 2112 allows any insurance company to merge or consolidate with another, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs).
* SB 284 allows the Board of Healing Arts to waive examination and education requirements for licensure if the applicant is certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board or another recognized national voluntary credentialing body whose examinations are at least as stringent as those established by the board.
* HB 2214 authorizes the Kansas Dental Board to issue a sedation permit to a licensed dentist who meets board qualifications.
Additionally, the board may deny, revoke, suspend or limit a sedation permit, or assess a fine not exceeding $10,000 in lieu of, or in addition to, any other action against the permit holder.
The bill also extends the circumstances in which certain dental hygienists qualified for an extended care permit may practice without being under the direct or general supervision of a licensed dentist.
* HB 2526 requires the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to establish a statewide network to measure mercury deposition in the state.
The network will consist of at least six sites where samples and related data can be collected weekly. At least two of the sites will measure the deposition of mercury from prevailing winds.
* HB 2535 directs funds collected from license fees from the operation of adult care homes into a newly created State Licensure Fee Fund instead of into the State General Fund. The fund will be administered by the Kansas Department on Aging.
-Sarah Green is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. She can be reached at
sgreen@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 118.