LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas lawmaker says a program focused on getting more children out of juvenile detention centers and into foster care is falling behind schedule.

Republican Rep. Russ Jennings tells the Lawrence Journal World that the Juvenile Justice Reform Act missed the first implementation deadline due to technical and outlier issues. Jennings, who chairs the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, says more delays are possible because state officials are continuing to realize some key systems are still not in place.

Jennings says the Legislature will continue to discuss the state Department for Children and Families’ concerns regarding funding and staff shortages, but he is confident JJRA will eventually find better places for children to receive rehabilitation.

The bill is expected to go into effect by 2019.