Approved: March 9, 2006
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 1:30 P.M. on March 6, 2006, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.
All members were present except Representatives Watkins, Colloton, Miller, Goico, Landwehr, and Kiegerl, all of whom were excused.
Committee staff present:
Melissa Calderwood, Kansas
Legislative Research Department
Mary Galligan, Kansas Legislative Research Department
Renae Jefferies, Revisor of Statutes=
Office
Gary Deeter, Committee Secretary
Conferees appearing before the committee:
Dr. Howard Rodenberg, Director, Division of Health, Kansas
Department of Health and Environment
Don Heiman, Legislative Chief Information Technology Officer
Patrick Tierce, Division of Information Systems and Communications (DISC)
Ben Nelson, Information Technology Chief, Kansas Department of Transportation
Dave Larson, Director, Computer Services, Legislative Administrative Services
The Chair opened the hearing on
HB 2396 (See
Attachment 1 for substitute bill)and welcomed Dr. Howard Rodenberg,
Director, Division of Health, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, who
spoke as a proponent, stating that the bill is intended to protect the health of
college students.
(Attachment 2) He explained the effects of meningitis and the dangers
inherent in college housing, commenting that statistics show a striking increase
in meningitis for incoming college freshmen living in campus housing. He noted
that, following the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control,
the Kansas Board of Regents consider the bill a positive health measure for
Kansas. Answering questions, Dr. Rodenberg said the department is reviewing the
entire range of vaccination recommendations. He replied that because the
vaccination is a synthetic product, it should not put at risk students with
allergies.
The Chair referenced the minutes for the previous hearing on the bill (3-16-05),
http://www.kslegislature.org/committeeminutes/05-06/house/hhealth/minutes/03162005HHSMinutes.pdf
and the fiscal note for the bill. (Attachment
3)
The Chairman noted that the Kansas Board of Regents would provide testimony in
support of the bill later. (Attachment
4)
The hearing was closed.
The Chair welcomed Don Heiman, Kansas Legislative Chief
Information Technology Officer, who outlined the future of legislative wireless
technology.
(Attachment 5) He said the committee’s hearing room had been established as
a prototype room to provide a model that, as the infrastructure is developed,
will ultimately be deployed in all legislative hearing rooms, enabling the
entire legislature to create a virtual committee process.
Patrick Tierce, Division of Information Systems and Communications (DISC),
reviewed the background for wireless technology and explained details such as
LANs (Local Area Network), access points (AP), security measures, and
encryption.
Ben Nelson, Information Bureau Chief, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT),
demonstrated how a registered wireless user can access any network and tunnel
through the agency firewall into his/her home agency to carry on work from a
remote site. He stated that KDOT has been a technology leader in state
government. The Chairman suggested guests to the capitol might be given a
temporary password to access the capitol’s wireless network. Mr. Nelson noted
that wireless access through DISC costs $52.50 per access node per month.
Dave Larson, Director, Computer Services, Legislative Administrative Services,
demonstrated signing on to the legislative network wirelessly, a process as
seamless as a wired network. He said the committee, as a pilot project, can
help him in testing the system so that the wireless system can be rolled out to
all legislators. He noted that the network allows a legislator to access the
secure network from any remote location.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:12 p.m. No further meeting was scheduled.