[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6327145,"mediaKeyId","2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a","parentId",2323011,"title","Committee advances IT and AI bills; House votes remove HB 2271 sunset, move HB 2270 and ban certain foreign-controlled AI on state devices","audioSeconds",2247,"startMs",1258855,"endMs",3506535,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a&start=1258&end=3506","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a/thumbnail_1258855.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6327145/Kansas/Committee-advances-IT-and-AI-bills-House-votes-remove-HB-2271-sunset-move-HB-2270-and-ban-certain-foreign-controlled-AI-on-state-devices","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6327145-0d836504184503ec645de96bdd2eff41/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067113&Signature=cZ9Iu4PwDQGO30piMNZ6-YWFNXyN-rJ4VPRFi7RVKmHev~IuPLsoYE~wz2ZUJHwO0EZhmDvSf5V1ZhgE7C1JSWPe2jH-7t5sdxwdLTWqmacU5AmhxTm-bltcHOrt3GRgiiroX4kVGK3ehoO-cuRmrrrR34~vhTCLQddwiUDjPeg8iNEbIZulGHw8k3tq9nV2JFEPoDhoegtzpG~7mYWNz7Egkc5ozZmWa-xfO0MICBx6cKbE50ltt6DiLjqviDHeNjwZQoQmgnpRrlo5hDgJs84nXmyHMM2UPr0DmhQ4mWxrYbq2PkQT4MoJLeUwOY~P2a1n0VL2jjhzNdB-Zi~VIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kansas Legislature","date","2025-02-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Committee on Legislative Modernization on Feb. 10 heard several IT- and cybersecurity-related bills, took proponent and neutral testimony, debated statutory carve-outs for the Judicial Branch and legislative IT, and forwarded multiple bills for further action.

At the hearing the committee considered technical briefings, proponent testimony and neutral comments before taking votes on four bills that directly affect state IT governance, cybersecurity responsibilities and the use of certain foreign-controlled artificial intelligence platforms on government devices.

Nut graf: Committee members voted to work and to pass several measures affecting how the state manages cybersecurity and acquires cloud and telecommunication services; the most contested item was House Bill 23-13, which would bar access on state-owned devices to AI models “controlled directly or indirectly” by a listed set of foreign countries.

Key outcomes and motions

Votes at a glance:

- House Bill 2,271 — Remove sunset on SB 291 provisions and make centralization permanent: Committee voted to work and then moved the bill favorably for passage. Recorded “no” votes were entered for Representatives Simmons, O'Rourke Paeser, Carr and Weigel (no tally provided in the transcript).

- House Bill 2,313 (listed in session materials as 23-13) — Prohibits use of artificial intelligence platforms of concern on state-owned devices/networks: Committee heard proponent testimony from outside experts and State Armour representatives, received written opposition from NetChoice, debated exceptions for law enforcement and cybersecurity work, and ultimately moved the bill favorably for passage. Representatives Simmons and Carr asked to have their “no” votes recorded. The committee did not adopt suggested amendments from opponents during the session.

- House Bill 2,270 — Authorizes the Chief Information Security Officer to receive audit reports and updates statutes about services the Executive Branch Chief Information Technology Officer provides: The reviser summarized changes to KSA sections (including amendments to KSA 46-11-35; KSA 75-47-04; KSA 75-47-05; KSA 75-47-09; KSA 75-47-10; and KSA 75-72-05). The Judicial Branch requested explicit carve-outs for sections 3 and 4 to preserve judicial autonomy for cloud and telecommunications procurement; the committee voted on, and rejected, an amendment to exempt the Judicial Branch, then moved HB 2,270 favorably for passage.

- House Bill 2,060 — Committee substituted updated language (nomenclature changes such as renaming “Office of Judicial Agency” to “Office of Judicial Administration”), approved the substitute and moved the bill as amended; the committee approved the substitute and then moved the bill forward.

Discussion and points of contention

Testimony and questions emphasized modernizing statutory language (several statutes still reference mainframe-era terms), definitions for cloud computing, and how the Executive Branch CTO and CISO roles should interact with agency procurement. The Judicial Branch requested clarifying language so that sections on cloud procurement and telecommunication services would not be read to apply to courts and regent universities. Committee members opposing immediate floor action repeatedly asked for more time to review materials that some said were not yet posted to the committee S drive.

Proponents of the AI ban (HB 2,313) cited data-privacy and national-security concerns tied to foreign-adversary-controlled platforms and past state and federal action on TikTok as precedent. Opponents, in written testimony, urged caution about sweeping platform bans and asked for narrower language and additional study.

Ending: The committee completed final action on the bills it had heard that day and forwarded them for further consideration on the House floor; members who objected to the pace asked for greater time to consult constituents and staff before final floor votes.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee on Legislative Modernization 02/17/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Committee on Legislative Modernization on Feb. 10 heard several IT- and cybersecurity-related bills, took proponent and neutral testimony, debated statutory carve-outs for the Judicial Branch and legislative IT, and forwarded multiple bills for further action.","taxTitle","Committee on Legislative Modernization, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Kansas","taxId",18804,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6327150,"Legislative IT office outlines NIST-aligned cybersecurity upgrades, data storage in U.S., and row-based access controls",644,571569,1215825,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a&start=571&end=1215","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a/thumbnail_571569.jpg","/articles/6327150/Kansas/Legislative-IT-office-outlines-NIST-aligned-cybersecurity-upgrades-data-storage-in-US-and-row-based-access-controls","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6327150-f6ce1a93626bc455ca4588907434d29f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067113&Signature=cHXSxFGNrnqngWxAp~aZWmAAJpkBUDxj7rhmci~itrLLnYbubEYCuPAUaAyiSGla~E9Y8~7mdKPWHqfyFbxLluawkPyY35aNPAXnCbv2NCOat2I93JI8kIz3z63dKFkC3njPBK4Z6D41MIalV9Lnj1z2SHJJef3YhUanvyxEFPyvNI77v8kYjX-Werglh3j4OnWPS51Ac0A-5P-A9YRMnmJsWxOTjJwNBqUsYsnYHhGOCV8ZQ-ZdRhgWdq8EgtDu~Qwo~W1Os9wqKydxkoZbTtgamm1JoKYoSJrWlTUUmUsgykwlZ9hJlzcqJTUV0CZmFJnI0MQj-Kz1gm-IlDbicg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bob Murphy of the Legislative Office of Information Technology Services briefed the Committee on Legislative Modernization on the office’s cybersecurity program and how it aligns with last year’s SB 291 requirements.

Murphy said the legislature’s data center is “located in the Capitol basement” with backups in a Kansas City, Missouri LightEdge facility and that all Microsoft 365 data “is all located within The United States.” He emphasized that only screened U.S. citizens work at the data centers and said the legislative environment is logically separated from commercial customers.

The nut graf: The Legislative Office described a mix of technical controls, monitoring and governance—inventory and asset tracking, endpoint encryption, data-loss prevention, an incident response capability and NIST-aligned policy mapping—intended to reduce risk and meet statutory cybersecurity expectations.

Murphy outlined asset and software-tracking work (including scannable barcodes for hardware), endpoint encryption in transit and at rest, Bitwarden password management and information barriers to segregate departmental data. He said role-based and time-limited access has been implemented so contractors and staff activate roles for limited periods and must log reasons for access.

On detection and response, Murphy said the legislature maintains a 24/7 security operations center and endpoint detection-and-response tools. He described automated containment capabilities—“it takes about 10 seconds for us to activate and get through”—and an auto-purge feature that can remove malicious files across the environment.

Murphy said the office is mapping policies to NIST subcategories, using SCAP and CIS tools to assess endpoints, and plans tabletop exercises and collaborative assessments with CISA. He said the office is working on zero-trust and SASE (secure access service edge) technologies to replace legacy VPN approaches and reduce technical debt.

Representative Howerton asked about quarantined constituent emails and Murphy replied that the new constituent relationship management (CRM) system approved by the Legislative Coordinating Council is expected to address delays, with a target completion date he gave as February 28 (year not specified). “That will be addressed with the new constituent relationship management software… the time frame for that is February 28 to be complete,” Murphy said.

Ending: Murphy requested follow-up questions be taken offline and said the office is scheduling continued NIST-aligned assessments and CISA collaboration after session activity subsides.","The Legislative Office of Information Technology Services described steps including U.S.-based Microsoft 365 storage, automated asset inventory, 24/7 SOC monitoring, data loss prevention, role-based/time-limited access and plans for zero-trust VPN replacement.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6327153,"Judicial Branch reports IT security upgrades, .gov migration and CISA audit ahead of SB 291 deadlines",377,160,377290,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a&start=0&end=377","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323011-10f8492d7e9fc4c531fd7ad62fdb897a/thumbnail_160.jpg","/articles/6327153/Kansas/Judicial-Branch-reports-IT-security-upgrades-gov-migration-and-CISA-audit-ahead-of-SB-291-deadlines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6327153-27eadcc7e23956e4e8356c72bb9bac89/orig.mp4?Expires=1771067113&Signature=TNM1t3xuI6kgmDOM-7Jlw8V3XzuMkqI1AGtUVFBpgxOGI-PLTwW7UPANH9PlUKizSkFnt-YJKiaLDD~Hp6rrKy0fCLlkjyegC1CUy0PKkq6BDmE5tYSqmYtMYZEpTvebxJi6mYEfOrYnJdiky-dH2ggIIIjS-bgr~jheqPS32OB0uYSg6HiIHdOv964zuwACNLiFu2dkqQV9kVXxUcXGjb7oQcsJMg4TqMSRQmRuJxcET2Z90iguSe0OLT9g6UvUtkP9iPIruiO1hepA18ZyUvdQW8Q4IVtleHMlJ0-S-tfYAwYL9vVpSpTCn-gCwQetNsE1ysGE3tfK0EK1J4wDPQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alex Wong, the Judicial Branch SITO, briefed the Committee on Legislative Modernization on cybersecurity and IT modernization steps the branch completed and those still in progress.

Wong said the branch has “installed the…endpoint detection and response services” using CrowdStrike and created a disaster recovery site in Johnson County. He told the committee that the branch migrated public websites and email addresses from kscourt.org to kscourt.gov, calling the .gov transition “part of SB 291 compliance.”

The nut graf: The Judicial Branch described technical and organizational work intended to reduce security risk and meet requirements from last year’s Senate Bill 291, including endpoint detection, network segmentation, multifactor authentication and a formal CISA assessment scheduled for the week of the hearing.

Wong summarized completed work: 24/7 endpoint monitoring with CrowdStrike on servers and workstations; an off-site disaster-recovery location to complement the Topeka Judicial Center; an upgrade to the electronic filing system; and the recent .gov migration for public websites and email accounts. “We also change all our email addresses from .kscourt.org into kscourt.gov,” Wong said.

He described in-process projects that affect public access and case management: a digital evidence management system, a new jury management system, and upgrades or vendor selection for the public access portal. Wong said internal-facing upgrades include a refreshed judicial public website and a budget dashboard intended to improve OJA staff access to enterprise data.

On security controls, Wong said the branch has implemented network segmentation to limit the scope of incidents, a formal change-control process, training measures, multifactor authentication, and foundational programs for vulnerability management, asset intelligence and real-time network scanning. He added the branch is creating an air-gapped secondary backup system.

Stephanie Smith, Judicial Administrator for the Judicial Branch, later asked the committee to clarify two points in proposed legislation (House Bill 2,270). Smith said the Judicial Branch has historically controlled its own cloud computing choices and telecommunication procurement and requested explicit exemptions for the branch in sections 3 and 4 of the bill. “As a separate branch of government, the judicial branch controls its own cloud computing and makes those decisions based on our current funding structure,” Smith said.

Wong and Smith emphasized that some decisions are constrained by appropriations and by the branch’s separate status; their requested clarifications would preserve judicial autonomy over cloud and telecom procurement while the branch continues implementing SB 291 requirements.

The presentation closed when Wong invited questions and committee members followed with procedural and technical queries about continuity-of-operations and the scope of the scheduled CISA review.

Ending: The branch said it had already scheduled the CISA audit for mid-week and stood ready to answer follow-up questions; Smith said the Judicial Branch would provide proposed statutory language to clarify its carve-outs for cloud and telecom procurement.","Judicial Branch IT leaders told the Committee on Legislative Modernization they installed endpoint detection, established a disaster recovery site in Johnson County, migrated public websites and email to kscourt.gov, and scheduled a CISA assessment as part of Senate Bill 291 compliance.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances IT and AI bills; House votes remove HB 2271 sunset, move HB 2270 and ban certain foreign-controlled AI on state devices

Legislative IT office outlines NIST-aligned cybersecurity upgrades, data storage in U.S., and row-based access controls

Judicial Branch reports IT security upgrades, .gov migration and CISA audit ahead of SB 291 deadlines