Appropriations committee approves $905,000 for Kansas Museum of History walls after debate; $42,758 elevator staffing also approved

The House Appropriations Committee on Aug. 27 approved two funding actions for the Kansas State Historical Society: a substitute motion to provide $905,000 from the State General Fund to complete interior gallery exhibit walls at the Kansas Museum of History, and an earlier committee motion to transfer staffing to the Historical Society for the State Capitol “cage” elevator funded at $42,758 SGF and 1 FTE.

Chairman Mike Howe presented the Kansas State Historical Society’s budget packet and described the agency’s five supplemental enhancement requests for FY2025, including the $905,000 request described by the agency as “interior wall infrastructure and associated costs” at the Kansas Museum of History; staffing to reopen the museum; staffing to open the Curtis House state historic site; a transfer of staffing for the Capitol cage elevator from the Department of Administration; and an IT restructuring item the agency tied to a legislative post‑audit cybersecurity recommendation.

Howe said the Special Committee on Legislative Budget had recommended deleting the supplemental requests but the Appropriations committee’s members engaged in sustained discussion about priorities and timing. Howe noted the museum has been closed since 2022 and that visitorship has been primarily digital; the museum’s reopening had been delayed and the agency cited an intended fall 2025 opening.

Representatives raised multiple procedural and oversight questions. Representative Helgerson asked whether contracts were signed, whether the state architect and Joint State Building Committee had approved the work and whether Department of Administration procedures had been followed. Chairman Howe said he understood some contract work was under way: the original pre‑bid meeting in September produced no bids; the reissued solicitation attracted five bids in November and he believed an arrangement and Department approval existed; committee testimony indicated about $350,000 of the work was already under contract.

Representative Williams asked whether the $905,000 could be paid from the State Institutions Building Fund rather than SGF; research staff reported that option was not available. Representative Rogers and other members described the renovation as prolonged and urged completion to reopen the museum, while others urged more information and concern about process and oversight after staff turnover and the death of the museum’s executive director were cited as complicating factors.

On a separate, earlier motion the committee agreed to transfer staffing for the Capitol cage elevator, adding $42,758 SGF and 1 FTE in FY2025 with the caveat that the funding be a direct wash of a corresponding deletion in the Department of Administration. Representative Hoffman moved the elevator staffing transfer and Representative Sutton seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

Later, after a motion to defer for more information was introduced and seconded, Representative Ross moved a substitute motion to approve the $905,000 for the museum walls; Representative Helgerson seconded. The substitute motion passed by voice vote.

Chairman Howe then moved the committee recommendations for the Kansas State Historical Society for FY2025 and FY2026, “as amended,” and the motion passed by voice vote. Committee members asked follow‑up work by research staff and the Department of Administration to provide underlying contracts and documentation.

Ending: The committee approved the funding at voice vote and directed staff follow‑up to clarify contractual obligations and the sequence of approvals that led to construction work already being underway.