Hearing on Senate Bill 166 would limit postsecondary degree requirements for many state jobs

A legislative committee on Feb. 6, 2025 heard testimony on Senate Bill 166, the Fostering Competitive Career Opportunities Act, which would generally prohibit state employers from listing postsecondary degree requirements in job postings unless the employer demonstrates the degree is necessary for the position.

The bill, described by Revisor Charles Reimer during the committee hearing, would apply primarily to the executive branch and requires state employers to set baseline job requirements that “are not to include a post secondary degree requirement except as provided” in a written exception. Under subsection C, an employer may require a degree only after demonstrating that the degree is necessary based on specific skills required and must state the justification in the job posting.

The bill also establishes experience-to-degree equivalencies for applicants who lack formal degrees: two years of relevant experience for an associate degree, four years for a bachelor’s degree and six years for a master’s degree, with additional experience required to substitute for professional or doctoral degrees. Reimer told the committee that section 4 would bar requests for proposals and solicitations from imposing minimum experience or educational attainment requirements on contractors unless the solicitation explains why those requirements are essential.

Stacy Goober, a visiting fellow with the nonprofit Cicero Action, testified as the sole proponent. “Removing college degree requirements for specific roles will help open public sector employment to millions of qualified workers,” Goober said, arguing that degree requirements often fail to reflect the skills needed for many jobs and citing federal actions encouraging competency-based hiring.

Committee members questioned the bill’s scope and language. Representative Osman asked whether the definition of “state employer” excludes the legislative and judicial branches; Reimer said the language was broad and intended to encompass those branches’ offices as listed in the definition, and that the bill’s primary application would be to the executive branch. Members also raised whether licensed professions such as attorneys would be affected; Reimer and other members pointed to subsection C as the mechanism through which agencies could justify professional degree requirements.

The bill originally included a Section 5 that would have allowed appeals to the State Civil Service Board by applicants who believed they were rejected for lacking a degree; Reimer said the Senate committee removed that appeal provision. The hearing closed with no committee vote on SB 166.

Supporters said the measure would expand the applicant pool for public-sector positions and mirror federal and private-sector efforts to emphasize skills over degrees. Opponents or neutrals did not appear at the hearing; several committee members asked for Kansas-specific examples and clarifications about interactions with existing hiring rules.

The committee took no final action on SB 166 at this meeting; the bill received a public hearing and questions from multiple representatives.