Kansas House Bill HB2779

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/13/26
• Refer: 2/13/26

Caption

Requiring at least one member of the Kansas state fair board to be a resident of Reno county.

Summary

HB 2779 amends the statute governing the Kansas State Fair Board to require that one of the two at-large gubernatorial appointees be a resident of Reno County. The bill leaves the board’s overall structure intact, including its ex officio members, appointed public members, and the existing requirement that the other at-large member represent the state at large. It also retains the current regional representation framework tied to the five extension areas and the nomination process for board appointments. In addition to the membership change, the bill expressly authorizes the Kansas State Fair Board to create a nonprofit corporation organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. That nonprofit would be used to receive gifts, donations, grants, and other funds and to conduct fundraising for the benefit of the Kansas State Fair. The bill repeals the existing version of K.S.A. 74-520a and reenacts it with these revisions, with the act taking effect upon publication in the statute book.

Impact

HB 2779 would directly amend K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 74-520a, changing the qualifications for one at-large Kansas State Fair Board member by adding a Reno County residency requirement. It would also codify the board’s authority to establish a charitable nonprofit fundraising entity, potentially affecting how the fair raises private and grant funding. The bill primarily impacts the Kansas State Fair Board, the governor’s appointment authority, and the fair’s fundraising and governance structure.

Sentiment

Based on the bill’s narrow focus and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a relatively low-conflict administrative change. The caption suggests the main policy interest is ensuring Reno County representation on the board, likely reflecting the fair’s location and local stakeholder interests. No formal opposition or support is documented in the available context, so the overall sentiment cannot be characterized beyond a procedural, localized governance adjustment.

Contention

The most notable point of contention is the residency requirement itself: the bill singles out Reno County for one at-large seat, which may be viewed as ensuring local representation for the county that hosts the Kansas State Fair. That could raise questions about whether the board should include a host-county representative or whether the requirement is an unnecessary limitation on gubernatorial appointments. A second, less prominent issue is the new nonprofit authority, which may prompt interest in oversight, fundraising governance, and how private funds would be managed for the fair.