Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2523

Introduced
1/22/26  

Caption

Authorizing technical colleges and community colleges to affiliate with Kansas universities or colleges, authorizing state educational institutions to affiliate with accredited independent institutions and providing procedures for such affiliations.

Impact

If enacted, HB 2523 will provide a formal framework for affiliations between community colleges and state universities, setting clear procedures for such partnerships. This could lead to expanded programs and support services for students, including transfer agreements and joint initiatives that enhance the educational experience. Furthermore, the bill may contribute to a more robust workforce development strategy by ensuring that students from technical backgrounds gain access to advanced learning and degree completion programs at four-year institutions.

Summary

House Bill 2523 aims to enhance the educational landscape by allowing technical colleges and community colleges in Kansas to affiliate with state universities or colleges. This bill is a significant step towards fostering collaboration between different educational institutions, potentially leading to an enriched educational environment for students. The intention is to create pathways for students at technical and community colleges to access additional resources, programs, and degrees offered by larger universities, thereby enhancing their educational opportunities and workforce readiness.

Contention

While the bill has garnered support for its potential to enhance educational collaboration, some concerns have been raised regarding the implications of affiliations for independent educational institutions. There is a dialogue about whether such affiliations might lead to competitive disadvantages for smaller colleges and universities that may not have the same resources to establish partnerships. Additionally, issues relating to funding and resource allocation between the various educational institutions in Kansas may come into play, making the regulation and implementation of the bill a critical topic of discussion.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

KS SB5

Authorizing counties to impose an earnings tax.

KS HB2004

Authorizing counties to propose an earnings tax for ballot question.

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB3

Clarifying the procedures and restrictions on accepting a nomination for an elected office.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

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