TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas House committee endorsed a proposal to freeze admissions to the Kansas Neurological Institute for one year.
The home for the disabled in Topeka has been the center of controversy since 2010, when a commission recommended it be closed. That recommendation was rejected but Gov. Sam Brownback and some legislators continue to look for ways to cut costs at the institute.
Rep. Dave Crum, a Republican from Augusta, says care of disabled people is moving away from central institutions like KNI to community-based care. He says Kansans who need residential care could still live at Parsons State Hospital.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Rep. Sydney Carlin, a Manhattan Democrat, criticized those who voted for the amendment Monday, saying the state is obligated to care for its disabled citizens.
