Kansas House Bill HB2301

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/5/25

Caption

Enacting the returning to nonaccountability of the executive branch agencies that report to the governor act and eliminating the budget process requirements of a performance-based budgeting system.

Summary

HB 2301 would repeal Kansas’s statutory requirement that the Secretary of Administration, working with the Division of the Budget and legislative staff, implement a performance-based budgeting system for state agencies. The bill removes the existing mandate for a budget process that includes a program service inventory, an integrated budget fiscal process, and performance measures tied to outcomes and cross-boundary comparisons. In effect, it eliminates the current statutory framework that directs executive branch budgeting toward measurable program performance and standardized fiscal reporting. The bill amends K.S.A. 75-3718b by deleting the performance-based budgeting requirements and then repeals the section entirely. It leaves intact the exception for certain postsecondary educational institutions that operate under a separate performance agreement, but because the underlying section is repealed, the practical effect is to remove the statewide budgeting mandate for most executive branch agencies that report to the governor. The bill would take effect upon publication in the statute book.

Impact

HB 2301 would change Kansas budget law by eliminating a statutory directive that has required executive branch agencies to use performance-based budgeting tools and related inventory and accounting processes. State agencies would no longer be legally required under this section to maintain the specified program inventory, integrated fiscal process, or outcome-based performance measures. The bill would therefore reduce formal budget-process obligations for agencies under the governor’s control, while leaving separate higher-education performance agreement provisions outside the repealed framework.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was framed in strongly critical terms by its sponsor or supporters, as reflected in the caption language describing it as ending the "performance-based budgeting system" and restoring "nonaccountability" for executive agencies. No committee testimony or recorded votes were provided, so there is no documented bipartisan debate or formal vote history to gauge broader legislative sentiment. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears ideologically driven and likely intended to roll back administrative accountability requirements rather than make a technical budget adjustment.

Contention

The main point of contention is the elimination of performance-based budgeting, which supporters may view as reducing bureaucratic burden and restoring executive flexibility, while opponents would likely see it as weakening transparency, accountability, and data-driven oversight of state spending. Another likely issue is the removal of standardized reporting and program evaluation tools that help lawmakers compare agency effectiveness and funding consequences. Because no hearing transcript or vote record is available, the specific legislators or stakeholder groups raising these concerns are not identified in the provided materials.