Legislative budget committee restores $3.5M reappropriation, funds pay plan and IT projects and trims $500K in contracts

The Committee on Legislative Budget voted to restore $3.5 million of a previously lapsed reappropriation to the legislature’s operating budget, approve funding that completes implementation of the legislative pay plan and inserts ARPA-funded costs for the Caelus modernization project into the base budget, and adopt a $500,000 reduction to contractual services in the legislature’s FY2026 request.

Committee staff member Dylan summarized the package at the start of the meeting, saying, "It's an all funds increase of about 15% above the approved," and explaining that the increase was driven largely by budgeting previously appropriated ARPA funds for the Caelus modernization project. He told the committee those ARPA dollars "had already been appropriated for that purpose. They simply had not yet been inserted into the budget." The committee later voted to send the amended legislative budget to the Appropriations Committee.

Why it matters: the votes affect the legislature’s operating cushion for session-related costs, full-year implementation of a pay plan passed earlier, and several one-time and ongoing IT modernization projects that staff said will change how the legislature manages documents, bill tracking and constituent records.

Key budget items and committee actions

- Reappropriation and operating cushion: Dylan told the committee the legislature historically carries a sizable reappropriation to cover session-day variability and session operational costs. The staff presentation listed a reappropriation amount of $6.9 million; after discussion the committee voted to restore $3.5 million of that amount into the legislature’s FY2026 budget to provide a cushion for session-related operating costs. The motion to restore $3.5 million was made from the floor and seconded; the committee approved the motion by voice vote.

- ARPA funds and Caelus modernization: The presentation and questions clarified that approximately $6.9 million in ARPA funds previously appropriated for the Caelus modernization project will be reflected in the budget. Dylan said the ARPA money had been appropriated earlier but "we haven't actually put it in Ibarrs. And now we kind of have a better idea of when those actual spends are going, and that's why it's getting put into the budget." The committee did not remove this reprogramming; staff described the change as recording one-time ARPA expenditures in the legislature’s budget.

- Legislative pay plan: The committee packet and the staff presentation show an addition of $7.3 million SGF to fully fund the legislative pay plan on a full-year basis in FY2026. Dylan explained the FY2025 numbers reflected only a half-year implementation because salary changes began in January.

- CISO and cybersecurity staffing: The FY2026 request initially included $167,358 SGF and 1 FTE for a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to comply with the requirements of SB 291. Dylan told the committee that the Legislative Budget Committee removed that CISO enhancement in the global motion because the bill’s language was specific about the role. Dylan said other cybersecurity efforts will continue within existing staff and that K. Lewis (staff office referenced in the packet) is pursuing the work.

- IT and software items: The FY2026 package includes several IT items described by staff: $140,000 SGF to upgrade Microsoft 365 licenses to G5; $40,000 for VMware server management; roughly $1.8 million SGF for other professional fees to support legislative initiatives such as Caelus modernization, constituent relationship management software, and possible bill tracking software. Dylan described the constituent-management software as about $1 million over two years.

- Laptops and one-time expenses: The package deletes $226,000 for leased legislative laptops because the Legislative Coordinating Council chose to purchase laptops in FY2025 rather than lease them. Staff described smaller "other adjustments" totaling about $69,000.

Committee motions and votes

- Restored $3.5 million from the legislature’s $6.9 million reappropriation into the FY2026 budget — motion approved by voice vote (mover: Representative Ballard; second: Speaker Hawkins).

- Adopted a $500,000 reduction in contractual services in the legislature budget for FY2026 — motion approved by voice vote (mover: Speaker Hawkins; second: Representative Williams).

- Passed the revised legislative budget out to the Appropriations Committee as amended — motion approved by voice vote (mover: Speaker Hawkins; second: Representative Ballard).

Related agency budgets and approvals

During the meeting the committee also considered and moved the following agency budgets to Appropriations, with several targeted changes: the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) budget, the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) budget, the Office of the Revisor of Statutes budget, and the Legislative Division of Post Audit budget.

- Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC): Committee staff recommended lapsing $274,947 in reappropriations from the LCC; the committee moved the LCC budget to Appropriations by voice vote.

- Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD): The committee debated and then restored a previously deleted request for one database analyst FTE at an estimated cost that had been presented as an enhancement of about $118,308 and a base-salary assumption of $90,000. Speaker Hawkins argued for the FTE, saying, "I do think that we do have a need for that data analyst," and noted the research office’s growing responsibilities for multiple statutorily assigned data sets. KLRD Director Shirley Morrow described a separate, shorter request to use $50,000 of reappropriated funds for two short-term scanning technician positions to digitize records and free physical office space. The committee approved reinstating the 1 FTE and the $50,000 reappropriation for scanning technicians, and then passed the KLRD budget to Appropriations as amended.

- Office of the Revisor of Statutes: Gordon South, the reviser, described the agency request and said adjustments were primarily the result of lapsed reappropriations and normal salary and benefit changes. The committee passed the reviser’s budget to Appropriations.

- Legislative Division of Post Audit: Staff described a lapsed reappropriation and small FY2026 adjustments including a triannual peer review cost. The committee passed that budget to Appropriations.

What the committee did not adopt

The committee removed the CISO enhancement from the legislature’s FY2026 request during the global adjustments; staff said other cybersecurity work would continue inside existing offices but the specific CISO FTE and associated funds were deleted by the LBC global motion.

Quotes from the meeting

"It's an all funds increase of about 15% above the approved," Dylan said when summarizing the legislature package, noting ARPA funds were the primary driver.

"These monies had already been appropriated for that purpose. They simply had not yet been inserted into the budget," Dylan said about the ARPA/Caelus funds.

Speaker Hawkins urged keeping some cushion for session variability: "I do think it's probably smart for us to keep a little cushion. I think we're pretty good at staying within our means, but do not have that available. And you never do know what pops up." He later argued for the KLRD database analyst: "I do think that we do have a need for that data analyst."

Ending

The committee completed consideration of the legislature-related agency budgets and approved sending the amended legislative budget and the agency budgets to the Appropriations Committee. The meeting adjourned after the votes.