Board of Barbering asks for travel, vehicle and staffing funds as exam volume rises

The Kansas Board of Barbering told the House Committee on General Government Budget on multiple requests to cover rising travel and examination costs, a small vehicle/maintenance allowance and a 0.1 FTE increase to make its executive director full time.

Committee members heard the agency is fee funded and relies entirely on the Board of Barbering Fee Fund to pay operations. "The Board of Barbering's mission is to protect the health and welfare of the consuming public," said Julia Kofoid, legislative fellow, Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD), in the committee presentation. She said the agency requested just over $249,000 for fiscal year 2025, a 9.7% increase over the approved amount, and $269,000 for fiscal year 2026.

The request reflected several supplemental and enhancement items that KLRD said were removed under a global Legislative Budget Committee recommendation. The supplemental items presented to the committee included: $5,200 to cover additional practical exams, roughly $15,000 for travel tied to practical examinations (hotels and mileage for board members who must attend by statute), $500 for increased national-conference costs, $500 for increased payroll/printing/other services costs, and $1,000 to replace tires on a 2023 (stated elsewhere as 2024 in committee discussion) Chevrolet Equinox that the agency uses for field work.

Executive Director Cassiopeia Capps told the committee practical-exam volume has risen and travel cost indices have increased. "In fiscal year 24, we spent $20,228.15 on travel for inspections, out of state travel for our national annual and mid year conferences, and our in state travel for our practical examinations," Capps said. She said practical exams occurred on multiple weekends and at Fort Leavenworth, and that the board had canceled at least one planned examination in 2024 because of budget restraints. Capps added the board requested $1,000 for tires and minor repairs and said the agency tries to keep the vehicle in service unless it is wrecked or unusable.

Kofoid and Capps explained a fee proviso that temporarily allowed written-exam fees to be set at $150 will end; beginning July 1 the written exam fee reverts to $100. Capps said the statutory process requires 10% of that fee be remitted to the State Journal Fund, leaving $90; she said $88 of the $90 goes to the testing company and the board keeps roughly $2 per written exam to apply toward practical-exam costs.

Committee members expressed concern about vehicle replacement and maintenance planning for single-vehicle agencies and flagged coding errors in how the agency's purchases had been entered by the state's smart service center. Representative Bridal asked whether the agency had a multi-year vehicle replacement plan; Capps said the board budgets conservatively, reuses equipment and relies on best estimations of revenue and exam volume. Representative Turk and others requested follow-up conversations to examine fees, balances and budgeting assumptions.

KLRD's analysis noted the Board requested a small 0.1 FTE increase to move the executive director from 35 to 40 hours per week. The agency's ending fee-fund balances are shown in the summary as $133,723 for FY2025 and $146,464 for FY2026; the board said those figures may change when the proviso expires and written-exam fees fall.

The committee did not take a formal funding vote on the Board of Barbering during the transcripted segment; members asked for follow-up information about fines, coding of travel expenses, and the long-term fee structure.

The board presentation and committee questions primarily covered the rise in practical examination volume, travel and vehicle costs, the 0.1 FTE change to make the executive director full time, and the effect of the expiring proviso on written-exam revenue.