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KansasHB 22062025–2026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Renaming the Kansas governmental ethics commission to the Kansas public disclosure commission, defining terms in the campaign finance act, requiring the filing of statements of independent expenditures, prohibiting agreements requiring contributions in the name of another and requiring the termination of unused campaign finance accounts.

Sponsored By: Committee on Elections

Signed by Governor

senate committee on federal and state affairshouse committee on elections

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

8 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 3 mixed.

Kansas updates campaign filing and ethics oversight

Beginning July 1, 2025, the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission replaces the Governmental Ethics Commission. The law names the new commission as the responsible ethics agency and extends its stated coverage and rulemaking authority. Campaign-finance filers can submit required information electronically to the secretary of state using an approved method. This filing option covers information required throughout the campaign finance act, without removing filing duties.

Amendment campaigns must report donors and spending

People accepting donated money to support or oppose a proposed Kansas constitutional amendment must report to the secretary of state. A preliminary report is due 15 days before each election on the amendment and includes donor and spending details above $50. A supplemental report is due within 15 days after the election if donated money was received and spent. Coverage begins when both legislative chambers pass the amendment resolution in final form. Money already in the campaign treasury at that point must also be reported.

Campaign accounts face new closure rules

Elected Kansas officials who skip their next election or lose a primary or general election must close that office's campaign account. The deadline is 90 days after the second subsequent general election for that office in which they are not elected. The treasurer must handle leftover money as the law allows and file a termination report. More dissolving political committees must also file reports, not just those focused on supporting or opposing state or local candidates. Those reports go to the secretary of state or county election officer, as applicable.

Governors cannot personally use inauguration money

Money received by an inaugural treasurer can pay only legitimate inauguration costs. It cannot pay the governor-elect's or governor's personal expenses, including normal living costs. Expenses benefiting the governor without a direct link to the inauguration also count as personal use.

New limits on Kansas political committees

Groups qualify as political committees when annual contributions or spending exceed $3,000 and they meet a campaign-purpose test. They qualify through a stated purpose of electing state or local candidates, or campaign spending totaling at least 50% of program spending. The spending test covers the group's existence, or the prior five years for older groups. Candidate and party committees are separate, and a group of individuals must include two people not married to each other. Kansas legislators and legislative candidates cannot establish political committees; their existing committees are abolished.

Campaign coordination rules include vendor exceptions

Spending that directly urges a candidate's election or defeat counts as coordinated when a candidate or committee requests or recommends it. Coordination also includes agreeing to a payer's spending recommendation. The law excludes specified communications, public information, endorsements, contribution requests, and some spending involving vendors or former employees. Vendors and former employees who provided no political services in the prior 120 days fall outside the stated coordination rule. For the exception involving services within 120 days, the payer must create and use a barrier that blocks information sharing.

Donor privacy expands; pass-through deals banned

Campaign donors can give up to $50 without making their name and address known to the recipient, up from $10. Contributions above $50 require that information. A committee cannot accept money under a condition or agreement to pass some or all of it to another candidate or committee. Such agreements have no legal effect. Candidates can still contribute to their own candidate committees.

Higher threshold for independent spending reports

For spenders outside candidate, party, and political committees, the annual independent-spending reporting threshold rises from $100 to $1,000. Reports must identify each payee receiving more than $500, including name, address, date, amount, purpose, candidate, office, and support or opposition. Reports are due by the next regular filing date or, if later, 11:59 p.m. on the second day after the last expenditure triggering reporting. Each additional $1,000 spent that calendar year requires another report. State-office reports go to the secretary of state; local-office reports go to the relevant county election officer.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Committee on Elections

    Affiliation unavailable

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 368 • No: 194

House vote • 4/23/2026

Yea: 74 Nay: 45

Yes: 74 • No: 45

House vote • 4/23/2026

Yea: 78 Nay: 44

Yes: 78 • No: 44

House vote • 4/23/2026

Yea: 32 Nay: 8

Yes: 32 • No: 8

House vote • 3/24/2025

Concurred with amendments

Yes: 78 • No: 44

Senate vote • 3/20/2025

Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended

Yes: 32 • No: 8

House vote • 2/14/2025

Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended

Yes: 74 • No: 45

Actions Timeline

  1. Reengrossed on Thursday, March 27, 2025

    4/10/2025House

  2. Enrolled and presented to Governor on Monday, March 31, 2025

    4/10/2025House

  3. Approved by Governor on Monday, April 7, 2025

    4/7/2025House

  4. Concurred with amendments; Yea 78, Nay 44, Absent 3

    3/24/2025House

  5. Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Sen. Tim Shallenburger

    3/20/2025Senate

  6. Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Sen. Tim Shallenburger was adopted

    3/20/2025Senate

  7. Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended

    3/20/2025Senate

  8. Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 32, Nay 8

    3/20/2025Senate

  9. Committee Report recommending bill be passed by Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs

    3/18/2025Senate

  10. Hearing: Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 10:30 AM — Room 144-S

    3/12/2025Senate

  11. Hearing: Friday, March 7, 2025, 10:30 AM — Room 144-S — CANCELED

    3/7/2025Senate

  12. Referred to Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs

    2/18/2025Senate

  13. Engrossed on Monday, February 17, 2025

    2/17/2025House

  14. Received and Introduced

    2/17/2025Senate

  15. Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted

    2/14/2025House

  16. Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended

    2/14/2025House

  17. Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted

    2/14/2025House

  18. Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 74, Nay 45, Absent 6

    2/14/2025House

  19. Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Elections

    2/13/2025House

  20. Hearing: Thursday, February 6, 2025, 3:30 PM — Room 218-N

    2/6/2025House

  21. Introduced

    2/3/2025House

  22. Referred to House Committee on Elections

    2/3/2025House

Bill Text

  • As Amended by House Committee on Elections

    PDF

  • As Introduced

    PDF

  • Enrolled

    PDF

  • {As Amended by Senate Committee of the Whole}

    PDF

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