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Conferees agree to sunset kids' matching grant program in three years; Senate had passed bill 40‑0
Summary
Conference conferees agreed to language in Senate Bill 281 to sunset the state's kids matching grant program over three years, add interim audit and withdrawal‑audit provisions, and transition benefits toward a 529 plan structure.
Conferees in the Committee on Education agreed to the substance of Senate Bill 281, which would sunset the state’s kids matching grant program over three years and add audit provisions for withdrawals during the phase‑out. The Senate previously passed the bill 40‑0, a point noted during the committee exchange.
Tamara, Reviser's Office, summarized that parties involved in administering the program and the treasurer’s office had agreed that the program is administratively labor intensive and that sunsetting in three years and phasing benefits into a 529 plan‑style structure would be acceptable. Jason, committee advisor, added that the bill includes provisions for audits of withdrawals during the phase‑out and authority for the secretary to determine nonqualified withdrawals; the draft would take effect upon publication in the Kansas Register as currently written.
Representative Estes said the House offered to accept Senate Bill 281 “as is” and add its contents to Senate Bill 50 (the uniform interest rate bill) to connect the provisions to postsecondary finance. The committee discussed points of nexus and procedural connections to other education and finance bills; staff said the programs in SB 281 could be used for postsecondary educational expenses, which formed the basis for the offered connection.
Conferees indicated agreement to the Senate position and to moving the contents as discussed; no formal roll call appears in the transcript for this committee action.
