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Committee approves Commerce budget as amended, restores reappropriations and funds FY27 enhancements
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Summary
The committee voted to restore several FY26 reappropriations, approved a substitute to reappropriate travel-and-tourism EDIF funding, adopted multiple FY27 enhancements (arts, public broadcasting, towns grant, LevelUp), added lapse language for vacant EDIF FTEs and accepted the amended Commerce budget.
A legislative committee approved a set of FY26 reappropriations, added deadline and lapse language for EDIF-funded positions, and adopted several FY27 enhancements to the Department of Commerce budget after testimony from Kansas Legislative Research Department staff and agency representatives.
Jacob Crespi, fiscal analyst with the Kansas Legislative Research Department, opened the Commerce portion of the hearing and summarized the agency’s budget materials, noting the agency itself had not requested enhancements but the governor’s recommendation included several items. "The agency, in the budget summary in front of you has not requested any enhancements or supplemental requests," Crespi said, describing the document the committee had before it.
The committee approved three FY26 reappropriations in an initial motion: $50,000 for Advantage Kansas, $34,000,000 for the MRO reappropriation, and $500,000 for a childcare providers pilot; the chair called the motion "carried." Representative White subsequently moved a broader lapse that would have lapsed all remaining FY26 items except travel and tourism; after discussion Ranking Carlin proposed a substitute motion to reappropriate only the travel and tourism EDIF operating item. The committee carried the substitute to return $145,744 to travel and tourism operating.
On FY27 enhancements, Vice Chair Long moved a package that funded $750,000 to the Kansas Arts Commission, $750,000 to public broadcasting (increase to support rural stations), $1,000,000 to the community development towns grant program, and $1,000,000 in SGF for LevelUp Kansas. After discussion the motion carried by voice vote.
The committee also added language to lapse funding for any EDIF-funded full-time equivalent position vacant for part or all of FY2027 (historically 180 days) and added a deadline clause that FY26 reappropriations must be expended by 06/30/2026 or revert to the state. Both language additions were moved and carried.
Chair and members approved several base-budget restorations and additions: $1.8 million for Build Up Kansas, $100,000 to WFS reemployment, $250,000 for Office of Rural Prosperity emergency assistance, and $250,000 for rural remote workplaces (established entities only); those items were moved, seconded and carried. Agency representatives provided program data: the Older Kansans Employment Program served nearly 2,000 people in the prior year and placed more than 600 with a reported ROI of $1.27 returned per $1 spent.
Vice Chair Long moved to accept the Department of Commerce budget for FY26 and FY27 as amended; the committee voted and the motion carried. Several members used the closing portion of the meeting to thank staff and speakers and to preview future informational hearings.
Votes and formal actions recorded in the transcript: the committee carried multiple voice votes on reappropriations, a substitute motion to restore travel and tourism EDIF funds ($145,744), FY27 enhancement package (arts $750,000; public broadcasting $750,000; towns grant $1,000,000; LevelUp $1,000,000 SGF), adoption of lapse language for EDIF-funded FTEs, and final acceptance of the Commerce budget as amended.
What's next: language additions create spending deadlines and vacancy-based lapsing rules the agency must follow; the committee will consider other informational briefings tied to agency budgets in upcoming meetings.
