Committee hears bill to create statutory technical college operating grant fund; proponents request $1.5M per college

House Bill 2195, which would create the Kansas Technical College Operating Grant Fund in the state treasury and assign administration to the State Board of Regents, received proponent testimony Wednesday before the House Higher Education Budget Committee.

Jill Walters, a staff member who provided the bill brief, said HB 2195 ‘‘would establish in the state treasury the Kansas Technical College Operating Grant Fund’’ and authorize the Board of Regents to use fund expenditures for instruction and operations that meet objectives set by the postsecondary technical education authority for each technical college region and the state.

Jim Jannett, president of the Kansas Technical College Association, told the committee the seven technical colleges do not have local taxing authority and that the operating grant provides a reliable investment tool for maintaining and improving facilities, equipment and program responsiveness to employers. ‘‘For the current fiscal year and the previous fiscal year it’s been funded…we called it an operating grant,’’ Jannett said. He testified the colleges used the money for equipment upgrades, professional development, facility renovations, and to support programs that feed local workforces such as health care, automotive and HVAC training.

When asked about an appropriate funding level, Jannett said the colleges had agreed on $1,500,000 per technical college and that amount ‘‘gives us a lot of flexibility to make that impact.’’ Committee members clarified that HB 2195 creates the statutory fund but does not itself appropriate money; funding would still be provided through the appropriations process. Jill Walters confirmed the bill ‘‘does not move any money into it by the provisions of the bill’’ and that placing the fund in statute is intended to give the colleges a stable statutory vehicle for future appropriations.

Witnesses described the operating grant as complementary to modest capital outlay and course-enrollment funding; proponents said the grant has helped colleges adopt new technologies such as virtual reality and AI-related training and address facility needs that capital outlay levels did not fully cover. Committee members asked about deferred maintenance, funding structure and whether the grants are scaled; Jannett said the $1.5 million figure is per institution and that the total for seven colleges would be $10.5 million.

No opponents testified and no committee vote was recorded at the hearing. The committee closed the HB 2195 hearing and moved on in its agenda.