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Board of Technical Professions requests modest budget increases, seeks $30,000 for social-media outreach
Summary
The Kansas Board of Technical Professions presented its FY2025–FY2027 budget analysis to the Legislative Budget Committee, seeking a $890,000 spending request for FY2026 that includes $30,000 for a social‑media consultant and staffing adjustments as the agency transitions leadership.
Jacob Crespi, a legislative fellow with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, presented the Board of Technical Professions’ budget analysis to the Legislative Budget Committee on the board’s FY2025–FY2027 requests.
Crespi said the legislature approved $853,000 for FY2025 and the agency’s requested spending for that year matched that amount. He reported the agency requested $890,000 for FY2026 — "a 4.3% increase in spending" — and $906,000 for FY2027. Crespi summarized line‑item adjustments, saying the FY2026 request included $30,000 for a social‑media consultant, $14,000 for licensing services and $5,000 for office equipment for an incoming director.
Larry Karnes, executive director of the Board of Technical Professions, told the committee the agency is in a leadership transition. "I have my 70 birthday in May, and I'm gonna retire at the June," Karnes said, and added he is training the board's chosen replacement, Brad Parker. Karnes said the agency has five authorized full‑time equivalent positions and is hiring to restore a previously vacant fifth position; he noted the agency will temporarily show six employees during the transition while he remains on payroll.
Karnes described the proposed social‑media consultant as part of outreach aimed at encouraging STEM education and careers regulated by the board. "And frankly, the way to reach those people is social media," he said, and added the consultant would assist with website reconstruction and online expansion. When Representative Carr asked whether the $30,000 would cover ongoing social‑media operation or only consulting, Karnes said the intent is to "give us ideas as to how to set this up" and that the board hopes maintenance can be handled with current staff; "It's not anticipated. No," he said regarding adding a new FTE for maintenance.
Crespi also noted supporting materials in the packet: a 10‑year expenditure history and an overview of the agency fee fund and current agency fees and their statutory limits. The presentation did not include requests for state general fund reappropriation or supplemental funding for the board.
No formal committee action on the board's budget request is recorded in the transcript excerpt; the session moved on to other agencies' budget recommendations after the presentation.
