Appropriations committee inserts multiple provisos into Senate Bill 125, approves targeted payments and contingency funding

The Kansas House Appropriations Committee moved a package of governor’s budget amendments (GBAs), provisos and targeted transfers into Senate Bill 125 during a single session of debate and voice votes. The committee approved funding or authority for multiple items, including a community talent acquisition grant, a state payment to a school district for unpaid adult virtual credits, a contingency retention pay appropriation for Lansing Correctional Facility, a pause on Kansas Lottery contract negotiations, tuberculosis response funding, and creation of a Quindaro Ruins Archaeological Park Task Force.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt Senate Bill 125 (as amended): approved by committee voice vote. - Community Talent Acquisition Grant proviso (Representative Tarwater): created a $1,500,000 pilot in 2025 for community talent acquisition grants (initial funding $1.5M in FY2025, second half to be considered for FY2026); motion approved. - Payment to Central Plains Unified School District (proviso moved by Representative Tarwater): moved funds to pay Central Plains USD 112 $354,500 for 500 adult virtual credits identified in a legislative post audit; motion approved. - GBA 1 — Kansas Historical Sites Fund (Jennifer Light): established a Kansas Historical Sites fund within the State Historical Society to receive Department of Revenue donations; included in SB125 (no new revenue). Motion approved. - GBA 2 — Lansing Correctional Facility recruitment/retention (Nicole Rencher): added $4,100,000 SGF in FY2026, appropriated to the State Finance Council and release contingent on certification by the Secretary of Corrections that a private facility (CoreCivic) will operate as a detention center and funding is necessary; included in SB125 (motion approved). - Lottery sports-wagering negotiation proviso (Representative Wasser): proviso prohibiting the Kansas Lottery from expending funds to continue negotiations related to new sports-wagering contracts (intended to pause contract negotiations and preserve leverage for renegotiation); motion approved (language clarified to cover FY2025–FY2026 timeframe). - DCF interpreters proviso (Representative Bueller): $375,000 SGF to the Department for Children and Families (DCF) for interpreter services (proponent clarified request was reduced and included no new FTEs); motion approved. - University bonding authority and related technical items (Representative Howe): committee accepted several university bonding requests and related technical appropriation language for KU, Wichita State, K-State and others; motion approved. - Restore federal "no-limit" funds for Board of Regents items: committee approved restoration of federal fund authority for specified programs; motion approved. - Reappropriation language motion (Representative Howell): motion to broadly reappropriate multiple State General Fund items from FY2025 to FY2026 failed on a committee voice vote. - Tuberculosis response funding (Representative Ballard): $1,500,000 SGF for KDHE to support outbreak response and local health departments (committee was told Kansas had the largest TB outbreak on record for their dataset); motion approved. - Quindaro Ruins Archaeological Park Task Force (Representative Williams): established a 9-member task force and authorized up to $40,000 for FY2025–FY2026 to clarify ownership, boundaries, funding sources and plans for the archaeological site and report back by Jan. 12, 2026; committee approved a modification to include an appointee from Young Chapel at the Unified Government’s appointment slot; motion approved. - Strike duplicate Fort Hays appropriation (Representative Howell): removed a duplicated $750,000 Fort Hays appropriation that had been previously enacted; motion approved. - Authorization for State Finance Council to accept human services consensus caseload increases: committee granted the State Finance Council authority to accept up to $10,000,000 to cover human services caseload consensus changes for FY2025; motion approved.

What the committee said and why it matters

Several members described the hearing as a targeted, “keep it light” omnibus consideration of items the committee had not finished in earlier budget work. Representative Tarwater described the talent acquisition proviso as a pilot to recruit out-of-state workers to rural Kansas and said the initial funding would start at $1.5 million in 2025. Tarwater also explained the Central Plains payment followed a legislative post audit finding that transcripts were discarded by the Department of Education and Central Plains was out $354,500 for adult virtual credits; the proviso designates SGF or EDIF as the funding source depending on availability.

The committee inserted a GBA to create a Kansas Historical Sites fund at the State Historical Society so donations authorized by a prior law can be deposited and distributed. Jennifer Light (KLRD) clarified the amendment only creates the appropriation and fund; it does not create new revenue.

Nicole Rencher (KLRD) briefed the committee on the Lansing Correctional Facility recruitment and retention GBA. The $4.1 million addition would be appropriated to the State Finance Council and released to Lansing only after the Secretary of Corrections certifies the private CoreCivic facility is becoming operational as a detention center and the differential is necessary to retain Lansing correction officers. Committee members raised concerns about possible “cannibalization” of staff from state prisons if CoreCivic opens and about the duration of any pay differential; staff and members said the FY2026 appropriation would lapse if the detention center did not proceed.

Representative Wasser’s proviso sought to pause the Kansas Lottery’s contract negotiations so the Legislature can seek renegotiation of the revenue split for sports wagering. Wasser said Kansas currently receives roughly 0.5% of sports-wagering dollars under prior contract terms and described the proviso as a way to prevent further negotiated commitments before legislators can act.

Representative Ballard said KDHE requested $2.7 million for an expanding tuberculosis response but the committee funded $1.5 million. Members were told Kansas has an unusually large TB outbreak concentrated in Wyandotte and Johnson counties; KDHE and CDC partnership activity was discussed as part of the justification for funding.

The Quindaro task force amendment was advanced after members expressed concern at conflicting ownership claims and multiple prior task forces. The task force is limited to nine members and directed to provide an accounting of state, federal and private funding opportunities, recommend memoranda of understanding among stakeholders, clarify property boundaries and provide a report to the Legislature by Jan. 12, 2026.

How the committee voted and next steps

Most items were adopted by voice vote; the committee included the listed GBAs and provisos into Senate Bill 125 and then moved Senate Bill 125 forward as amended. The broad reappropriation motion to carry multiple unspent FY2025 balances into FY2026 failed on a voice vote after members raised concerns about adopting unspecified dollar amounts without a fiscal note. The committee closed its work and expected additional caseload and consensus revenue information after adjournment; members said remaining fiscal-note disputes would be addressed in the 2026 session or through supplemental processes.

Limitations and notable clarifications

- Where voice votes were used, the committee record does not provide individual roll-call tallies; the article reports outcomes as recorded by the committee. - Several appropriations are contingent: for example, the Lansing retention pay funding is contingent on State Finance Council release following certification by the Secretary of Corrections that CoreCivic will operate a detention center. - Some items were described as restorations of previously appropriated authority (federal no-limit funds) rather than new SGF spending.

Speakers and testimony referenced in this article are drawn only from the committee hearing record.