Sign Up
HB 2798 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Substitute for HB 2798 by Committee on Higher Education Budget - Granting authority to state educational institutions regarding transactions involving contracts, easements and the procurement of goods and services, exempting the state educational institutions from statutes governing such transactions and authorizing legislators to request copies of certain documents.

This bill grants Kansas state educational institutions greater flexibility in managing contracts, easements, and procurement of goods and services by exempting them from certain state statutes. It allows institutions to execute contracts for facility operations, procure construction and development services with competitive bidding requirements, and grant easements for public utilities across state-owned land. The legislation also permits legislators to request copies of institutional policies and signed contracts within five business days, while maintaining oversight through state board of regents approval.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill grants state educational institutions greater fiscal flexibility in managing contracts and procurement, promoting efficient use of state resources and operational autonomy.75% confidence
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 11, 2026 Last action Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to broaden its scope from exclusively 'research universities' to all 'state educational institutions,' thereby extending new procurement and easement powers to a wider range of schools. The amendment also updated the bill's title and the list of amended statutes to reflect this expanded applicability.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from applying only to research universities to applying to all state educational institutions as defined by state law.
SCOPE

The specific institutions covered by the bill were changed from 'research universities' (Kansas State, KU, WSU) to 'state educational institutions' to include all public schools.

DEFINITION

The definition of the covered entities was updated to reference the general definition in K.S.A. 76-711 rather than listing specific universities.

REQUIREMENT

A new provision was added authorizing legislators to request and receive copies of institutional policies and signed contracts within five business days.

The requirements for granting easements were updated to apply to all state educational institutions and the state board of regents.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and the list of amended statutes were updated to remove references to repealed sections and reflect the new scope.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
12
Key actions
6
Committee
5
Mar 20, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Education
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Introduced
Received and Introduced
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Emergency Final Action - Substitute passed as amended; Yea 111, Nay 12, Absent 2
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Susan Estes was adopted
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Susan Estes
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Kristey Williams was adopted
lower
Mar 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Kristey Williams
lower
Mar 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by House Committee on Higher Education Budget
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Higher Education Budget
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.