Committee hears bill to move Kansas 9‑1‑1 funds into state treasury, remove LCPA requirement

Nick (committee staff) and Jerry Massey, executive director of the Kansas 9‑1‑1 Coordinating Council, told the committee that House Bill 2110 (a trailer bill to last year’s 9‑1‑1 reforms) changes when and how 9‑1‑1 fee revenue moves into the state treasury and removes a mandatory contract requirement with a local collection point administrator (LCPA).

"Last year, the legislature…amended the Kansas 9‑1‑1 act," Nick told the committee, summarizing the earlier changes and the new bill’s purpose. He said the bill reschedules the creation and transfer dates for three state treasury funds, removes the statutory LCPA contracting requirement and authorizes limited, discretionary transfers from the operations fund to a grant fund.

The bill would establish the treasury funds on July 1, 2025, rather than Jan. 1, 2026, and it would delay the transfer of monies held outside the treasury until July 2, 2026. The bill also immediately transfers $1,000,000 from the existing operations fund (outside the treasury) into the new operations fund in the state treasury to allow payroll and start‑up spending for the newly created state 9‑1‑1 board.

Under current law one penny of the 9‑1‑1 fee is deposited into a state grant fund only when that grant fund’s balance is below $2,000,000; HB 2110 removes that $2,000,000 threshold so the 1¢ is routed to the grant fund regardless of balance. The bill also sunsets the statutory LCPA requirement on Jan. 1, 2026; the state board would retain authority to contract for collection or administrative services if it chooses.

Jerry Massey explained administrative motivations: the $2,000,000 cap produces frequent accounting swings that increase administrative burden, and placing the funds in the state treasury with an initial $1,000,000 available will let the nascent board pay payroll and interagency invoices without relying on a memorandum‑of‑agreement workaround.

Massey said the council intends the grant fund to be used for PSAP (public safety answering point) grants, not as a cash reserve for accounting complexity. Committee members had no substantive opposition on the record; the hearing closed with no vote. Massey and staff said written testimony contains greater detail and will be available to members.

What the bill does not do: it does not change which phone subscriptions are assessed the fee (wireline, wireless, prepaid) and it does not specify grant award criteria beyond existing statutory direction. The committee scheduled further action on other telecommunications bills at a later meeting.