# Kansas HB 2237: Authorizing hiring, recruitment and retention bonuses in state agencies' employee award and recognition program, increasing the limitation on such award or bonus to $10,000, eliminating the secretary of administration's authority to adopt rules and regulations and requiring such secretary to submit an annual report to certain legislative committees concerning such awards and bonuses. Kansas HB 2237, Authorizing hiring, recruitment and retention bonuses in state agencies' employee award and recognition program, increasing the limitation on such award or bonus to $10,000, eliminating the secretary of administration's authority to adopt rules and regulations and requiring such secretary to submit an annual report to certain legislative committees concerning such awards and bonuses., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Committee on Appropriations; status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2237-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kansas HB 2237 - State: Kansas - Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session - Title: Authorizing hiring, recruitment and retention bonuses in state agencies' employee award and recognition program, increasing the limitation on such award or bonus to $10,000, eliminating the secretary of administration's authority to adopt rules and regulations and requiring such secretary to submit an annual report to certain legislative committees concerning such awards and bonuses. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-04 - Last action: 2026-04-06, Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026 - Sponsor: Committee on Appropriations - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: senate committee on ways and means, house committee on appropriations - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (302 yes, 24 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Bigger state employee awards need approval: mixed, high. Kansas raises the total award cap per employee from $3,500 to $10,000 each fiscal year, excluding separate cost-reduction suggestion awards. Agencies can offer hiring, recruitment, and retention bonuses through their award programs, but payments are not guaranteed. Appointed employees may now recei… - State employee award oversight changes: mixed, low. The administration secretary reviews award programs for executive agencies and appointed state councils and commissions to prevent abuse and support fair decisions. The secretary no longer has authority to issue program rules. Kansas also drops its requirement that awards meet federal discretionary… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Committee on Appropriations ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 29 Nay: 11 | pass | 29 | 11 | | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 122 Nay: 1 | pass | 122 | 1 | | | 2026-03-19 | Senate | Final Action - Passed | pass | 29 | 11 | | | 2025-03-19 | House | Emergency Final Action - Passed | pass | 122 | 1 | | ## Actions (15) - 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-26: Enrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, March 27, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-19: Final Action - Passed; Yea 29, Nay 11 (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Committee of the Whole - Be passed (Senate) - 2026-03-10: Committee Report recommending bill be passed by Senate Committee on Ways and Means (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Hearing: Thursday, March 5, 2026, 10:30 AM — Room 548-S (Senate) - 2025-03-21: Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Received and Introduced (Senate) - 2025-03-19: Committee of the Whole - Be passed (House) - 2025-03-19: Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted (House) - 2025-03-19: Emergency Final Action - Passed; Yea 122, Nay 1, Absent 2 (House) - 2025-03-13: Committee Report recommending bill be passed by House Committee on Appropriations (House) - 2025-02-27: Hearing: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 9:00 AM — Room 112-N (House) - 2025-02-04: Introduced (House) - 2025-02-04: Referred to House Committee on Appropriations (House) ## Bill text - As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2237/hb2237_00_0000.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2237/hb2237_enrolled.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes in the Kansas criminal code. (signed) - SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage and the retail sale of higher ethanol blends of fuel, discontinuing the tax cred… (signed) - SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholic liquor depending on whether the taxpayer is a qualifying Kansas investor or a… (signed) - HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes. (signed) - HB 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly, providin… (became law) - HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts received as compensation for members of the armed forces. (failed) ## Sources - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2237/hb2237_00_0000.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2237/hb2237_enrolled.pdf) ## Related - [SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and r…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB430-2025-2026) - [SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB82-2025-2026) - [SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholi…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB300-2025-2026) - [HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2029-2025-2026) - [HB 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2018-2025-2026) - [HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts rece…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2036-2025-2026) - [Kansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kansas/bills) - [Kansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2237-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-17).