Budget panel approves Department of Commerce adjustments, restores arts funding and trims Love Kansas

A legislative budget subcommittee voted on multiple changes to the Department of Commerce budgets for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, approving a $3,000,000 reappropriation for FY2025 and accepting a set of department-proposed adjustments for FY2026 after a series of additions and deletions.

The committee said the changes balance priorities identified by Commerce with the committee’s bottom line. The adopted package restored the Kansas Arts Commission (CAIC) to $1,500,000, reduced the Sunflower Summer program to $1,000,000 per the agency’s proposal, deleted the Love Kansas marketing EDIF line ($1,500,000), and approved a number of new allocations including a $2,500,000 SGF increase for Level Up Kansas and targeted grants and contingent appropriations.

Why it matters: These votes adjust how Commerce will distribute economic development and tourism dollars in the coming fiscal year, restore a long-sought state arts appropriation that state lawmakers said helps draw federal funds, and move several targeted investments forward — some only if outside grants are awarded.

Key actions and amounts

- Reappropriation for FY2025: The committee voted to reappropriate $3,000,000 EDIF to the Department of Commerce for expenditures tied to FY2025 reappropriations that the agency said were already spent or committed in the current year. The motion was moved by the chair and seconded by Representative Roth; the motion carried.

- Kansas Arts Commission: Representative Curtis moved and the committee approved restoring CAIC funding to $1,500,000. Curtis said increasing CAIC to $1.5 million allows the state to draw…