31 March 2006
Governor signs bill promoting retirement savings
Sebelius signs nine bills into law
Kansas employers will have the option of offering automatic enrollment retirement plans under a new law signed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius today.
HB 2669 allows employers to withhold, deduct or divert wages for contributions to automatic enrollment retirement plans. Employees covered by such a retirement plan retain the right to opt-out, and employers are still able to offer opt-in retirement plans. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Governor Sebelius also signed eight other bills into law. To date, the Governor has signed 72 bills and vetoed two during the 2006 Legislative Session.
Making grants available to students at Kansas institutions accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education
HB 2695 authorizes Kansas Comprehensive Grant Program awards for Kansas residents enrolled at Kansas institutions accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education if students at those institutions received the award in FY 2006 and if the institutions are actively pursuing accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association by FY 2007. The bill’s supplemental note indicates Barclay College in Haviland is the only college in Kansas currently in this category. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Setting residency requirements for Kansas Training Information Program leadership
HB 2572 amends the statute regarding the Kansas Training Information Program to require that all members of the program’s advisory committee work or reside in Kansas. It also changes terminology to make statute consistent with the Kansas Private and Out-of-State Postsecondary Educational Institution Act, which became law in 2004. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Clarifying the Kansas Challenge to Secondary School Pupils Act
HB 2575 amends the statute that defines a number of terms used in the Kansas Challenge to Secondary School Pupils Act by including gifted children enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in the definition of “concurrent enrollment pupil.” It also includes technical colleges among the postsecondary educational institutions in which secondary students may enroll under the Act. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Allowing the state to request a preliminary examination in some felony cases
HB 2616 allows the state to request a preliminary examination before a magistrate when a felony is charged, unless the charge was issued as a result of a grand jury indictment. Current law gives the right to a preliminary examination to an individual, but not the state. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Eliminating waiting requirement for pre-arranged funeral agreement accounts
HB 2824 amends existing requirements for pre-arranged funeral agreements by eliminating the waiting requirement. Previously, there was a five-day waiting period after the death of an individual before the balance remaining in the individual’s account was paid. This bill allows funeral directors to receive payment from pre-paid funeral accounts more quickly. It will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Changing definition of “service contract”
HB 2858 amends the term “service contract” in current law to remove the phrase “handling of property damaged by power surges” and to expand the definition to allow for the accidental damage caused from the handling of any consumer good or other property. This allows services, which include accidental damage by handling, to be exempt from regulation as insurance products. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Notifying applicants for a water diversion of results of examination of the diversion work
HB 2875 requires the Chief Engineer of the Division of Water Resources in the Department of Agriculture to notify an applicant for a right to divert water for sand and gravel operations of the results of an examination of any diversion work within 90 days of the examination. If the Chief Engineer fails to examine a diversion works within two years of the notice of completion by the water right applicant, the applicant would not be required to forfeit a priority date as a result of failure to construct the diversion work at the authorized location or any deficiency in meeting the conditions of the permit. This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
Correcting the Kansas Uniform Consumer Credit Code
HB 2806 makes a technical correction to the Kansas Uniform Consumer Credit Code by replacing the word “recession” with “rescission.” This bill will take effect after publication in the statute book.
