Committee hears wide-ranging debate on Kansas UI modernization bill; KDOL raises implementation concerns

The Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development opened a joint hearing on House Bill 2764, the Kansas UI Modernization and Conformity Act of 2026, with Philip Hayes presenting a technical overview and multiple stakeholders offering support and opposition. Hayes said the bill is structural and administrative, does not expand eligibility or benefit duration, and does not create new employer surcharges or tax groups. He described four core objectives: protect federal conformity, establish statutory guardrails, provide a lawful framework for employer-funded supplemental unemployment benefit plans (sub plans), and modernize more than 50 statutory sections for clarity and electronic administration.

Proponents argued the bill restores statutory clarity after a 2025 budget proviso that Hayes said had applied temporary unemployment…