TOPEKA—Chief Justice Marla Luckert appointed five members to the Specialty Court Funding Advisory Committee created by the Kansas Legislature in 2022 Senate Substitute for House Bill No. 2361 to explore funding options for specialty courts in Kansas.

Of the five members appointed by Luckert, one is a prosecutor and one is a criminal defense attorney. The remaining three are judges and court staff with experience managing specialty courts.

Members appointed to serve two-year terms ending July 31, 2024, are:  

• Chief Judge Nicholas St. Peter, 19th Judicial District, which is Cowley County
   

• Michael Kagay, Topeka, district attorney 
   

St. Peter will also chair the committee.

Members appointed to serve three-year terms ending July 31, 2025, are:  

• District Judge Timothy McCarthy, 10th Judicial District, which is Johnson County 
   

• Teresa Greenwood, court services officer, 23rd Judicial District, composed of Ellis, Gove, Rooks, and Trego counties
   

• Jennifer Passiglia, Winfield, defense attorney  
   

Other members of the committee are: 

• Rep. Stephen Owens, a designee of Rep. Fred Patton, chair of the House Judiciary Committee 
   

• Sen. Kellie Warren, who is chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary  
   

• Sen. Rick Billinger, who is chair of the Legislative Budget Committee 
   

• Rep. Victor Miller, appointed by Sen. Dinah Sykes, Senate minority leader, and Rep. Tom Sawyer, House minority leader. 
   

• Jessica Dultmeier, appointed by Jeff Zmuda, secretary of the Kansas Department of Corrections 
   

• Libertee Thompson, a drug and alcohol addiction treatment provider, appointed by Scott Schultz, director of Kansas Sentencing Commission 
   

• Andy Brown, appointed by Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services 
   

The Office of Judicial Administration will provide technical assistance to the committee.

The Legislature established the committee to:  

• evaluate resources available to assess and treat people assigned to specialty courts or for operating specialty courts;   
   

• secure grants, funds, and other property and services to operate specialty courts;
   

• recommend to the judicial administrator resource allocation among specialty courts; and
   

• recommend legislation and rules to aid developing specialty courts.