CHAPTER 52
HOUSE BILL No. 2997
An Act concerning securities; amending K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 17-1252,
17-1261, 17-1262 and
17-1270a and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 1999 Supp.
17-1252 is hereby amended to read as
follows: 17-1252. When used in this act, unless the context
otherwise
requires:
(a) ``Commissioner'' means the securities
commissioner of Kansas,
appointed as provided in K.S.A. 17-1270
75-6301, and amendments
thereto.
(b) ``Agent'' means any individual other
than a broker-dealer who
represents a broker-dealer or issuer in effecting or attempting to
effect
purchases or sales of securities. ``Agent'' does not include an
individual
who represents an issuer only in transactions in securities
exempted by
K.S.A. 17-1261, and amendments thereto, other than subsection (h)
of
K.S.A. 17-1261, and amendments thereto, or who represents a
broker-
dealer in effecting transactions in this state limited to those
transactions
described in section 15(h)(2) of the securities and exchange act of
1934.
A partner, officer or director of a broker-dealer or issuer, or a
person
occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, is an
agent
only if such person otherwise comes within this definition.
(c) ``Broker-dealer'' means any person
engaged in the business of pur-
chasing, offering for sale or selling securities for the account of
others or
for such person's own account; but the term does not include an
agent,
issuer, bank, savings institution, insurance company, or a person
who ef-
fects transactions in this state exclusively with the issuer of the
securities
involved in the transactions or with any person to whom a sale is
exempt
under subsection (f) of K.S.A. 17-1262, and amendments thereto.
(d) ``Guaranteed'' means guaranteed as to
payment of principal, in-
terest or dividends.
(e) ``Issuer'' means any person who
issues or proposes to issue any
security, except that with respect to certificates of deposit,
voting-trust
certificates or collateral-trust certificates, or with respect to
certificates of
interest or shares in an unincorporated investment trust not having
a
board of directors (or persons performing similar functions) or of
the
fixed, restricted management or unit type; the term ``issuer'' also
means
the person or persons performing the acts and assuming the duties
of
depositor or manager pursuant to the provisions of the trust or
other
agreement or instrument under which the security is issued. The
issuer
of a certificate of interest in an oil and gas royalty, lease or
mineral deed
is the owner of the interest in the oil and gas royalty, lease or
mineral
deed who creates the certificate of interest for purpose of
sale.
(f) ``Nonissuer'' means not directly or
indirectly for the benefit of the
issuer.
(g) ``Person'' means an individual, a
corporation, a partnership, a lim-
ited liability company, an association, a joint-stock
company, a trust where
the interests of the beneficiaries are evidenced by a security, an
unincor-
porated organization, a government or a political subdivision of a
govern-
ment.
(h) (1) ``Sale'' or ``sell''
includes every contract of sale of, contract to
sell, or disposition of, a security or interest in a security for
value.
(2) ``Offer'' or ``offer to sell''
includes every attempt or offer to dispose
of, or solicitation of an offer to buy, a security or interest in a
security for
value.
(3) Any security given or delivered with,
or as a bonus on account of,
any purchase of securities or any other thing is considered to
constitute
part of the subject of the purchase and to have been offered and
sold for
value.
(4) Every sale or offer of a warrant or
right to purchase or subscribe
to another security of the same or another issuer, and every sale
or offer
of a security which gives the holder a present or future right or
privilege
to convert into another security of the same or another issuer, is
consid-
ered to include an offer of the other security.
(5) A purported gift of assessable stock
is considered to involve an
offer and sale of such stock.
(i) ``Securities act of 1933,''
``securities exchange act of 1934,'' ``public
utility holding company act of 1935,'' and ``investment company act
of
1940'' mean the federal statutes of those names.
(j) ``Security'' means any note; stock;
treasury stock; bond; debenture;
evidence of indebtedness; certificate of interest or participation
in any
profit-sharing agreement; collateral-trust certificate;
preorganization cer-
tificate or subscription; transferable share; investment contract;
voting-
trust certificates; thrift certificates or investment certificates,
or thrift
notes issued by investment companies; certificate of deposit for a
security;
certificate of interest in oil and gas royalties, leases or mineral
deeds; or,
in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a
``security,''
or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or
interim
certificate for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to
or pur-
chase, any of the foregoing. ``Security'' does not include any
insurance or
endowment policy or annuity contract under which an insurance
company
promises to pay money either in a lump sum or periodically for life
or
some other specified period.
(k) ``State'' means any state, territory,
or possession of the United
States, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
(l) ``Investment adviser'' means any
person who, for compensation,
engages in the business of advising others, either directly or
through
publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to
the advisa-
bility of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who,
for com-
pensation and as a part of a regular business, issues or
promulgates anal-
yses or reports concerning securities. The term does not
include:
(1) An investment adviser
representative;
(2) a bank, savings institution, or trust
company;
(3) a lawyer, accountant, engineer or
teacher whose performance of
these services is solely incidental to the practice of the
individual's pro-
fession;
(4) a broker-dealer or its agent whose
performance of these services
is solely incidental to the conduct of its business as a
broker-dealer and
who receives no special compensation for them;
(5) a publisher of any bona fide
newspaper, news column, news mag-
azine, newsletter, or business or financial publication or service,
whether
communicated in hard copy form or by electronic means, or
otherwise
that does not consist of the rendering of advice on the basis of
the specific
investment situation of each client;
(6) any person that is a federal covered
adviser; or
(7) such other persons not within the
intent of this definition as the
commissioner designates by order or by rules and regulations.
(m) (1) ``Investment adviser
representative'' means any partner, of-
ficer, director of or a person occupying a similar status or
performing
similar functions or other individual except clerical or
ministerial person-
nel, who is employed by or associated with:
(A) An investment adviser that is
registered or required to be regis-
tered under this act and who does any of the following:
(i) Makes any recommendations or
otherwise renders advice regard-
ing securities;
(ii) manages accounts or portfolios of
clients;
(iii) determines which recommendation or
advice regarding securities
should be given;
(iv) solicits, offers or negotiates for
the sale of or sells investment
advisory services; or
(v) supervises employees who perform any
of the foregoing; or
(B) a federal covered adviser, subject to
the limitations of section
203A of the investment advisers act of 1940, as the commissioner
may
designate by rule or order.
(2) ``Investment adviser representative''
does not include such other
persons employed by or associated with either an investment adviser
or
federal covered adviser not within the intent of this subsection as
the
commissioner may designate by rule or order.
(n) ``Federal covered security'' means
any security that is a covered
security under section 18(b) of the securities act of 1933 or rules
or reg-
ulations promulgated thereunder.
(o) ``Federal covered adviser'' means a
person who is registered under
section 203 of the investment advisers act of 1940 or excluded from
the
definition of ``investment adviser'' under section 202(a)(11) of
the invest-
ment advisers act of 1940.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 17-1261
is hereby amended to read as
follows: 17-1261. The following securities shall be exempt from the
reg-
istration requirements of K.S.A. 17-1255 through 17-1260, and
amend-
ments thereto:
(a) Any security issued or guaranteed by
the United States or by any
state, territory or insular possession thereof, or by any political
subdivision
of any such state, territory or insular possession, or by the
District of
Columbia, or by any public agency or instrumentality of one or more
of
any of the foregoing.
(b) Any security issued or guaranteed by
Canada, any Canadian prov-
ince, any political subdivision of any such province, any agency or
cor-
porate or other instrumentality of one or more of the foregoing or
any
other foreign government or governmental combination or entity
with
which the United States maintains diplomatic relations, if the
security is
recognized as a valid obligation by the issuer, insurer or
guarantor.
(c) Any security issued by and
representing an interest in or a debt
of, or guaranteed by, any bank organized under the laws of the
United
States, or any bank, savings institution, credit union or trust
company
organized and supervised under the laws of this state except that
the
issuer of such security is subject to the supervision of the
banking de-
partment, savings and loan department or credit
union administrator of
this state.
(d) Any security issued by and
representing an interest in or a debt
of, or guaranteed by, any federal savings and loan association, or
any
savings and loan association organized under the laws of this state
and
authorized to do business in this state.
(e) Any security issued by and
representing an interest in or a debt
of, or guaranteed by, any insurance company organized under the
laws
of any state and authorized to do business in this state when such
secu-
rities are sold by the issuer.
(f) Any security issued or guaranteed by
any railroad, or public utility
which is:
(1) a registered holding company under
the public utility holding
company act of 1935 or a subsidiary of such a company within the
mean-
ing of that act; or
(2) regulated by a governmental authority
of the United States or any
state in respect to the issuance or guarantee of the security.
(g) Any security as to which the
commissioner by rule and regulation
finds that registration is not necessary or appropriate for the
protection
of investors.
(h) Any security issued by any person
organized and operated not for
private profit but exclusively for religious, educational,
benevolent, char-
itable, fraternal, social, athletic, fire protection, fire fighting
or reforma-
tory purposes, or as a chamber of commerce or trade or
professional
association if no part of the net earnings of such person inures to
the
benefit of any private stockholder and provided that the
issuer has filed
with the commissioner at least 10 days prior to any sale a
notice setting
forth the material terms of the proposed sale, copies of
any sales and
advertising literature to be used, and such other
information required by
the commissioner, and the commissioner does not by order
disallow the
exemption within 10 days after filing. The
commissioner may require the
filing of a notice and specify conditions for this exemption
pursuant to
rules and regulations adopted by the commissioner.
(i) Any commercial paper which arises out
of a current transaction or
the proceeds of which have been or are to be used for current
transac-
tions, and which evidences an obligation to pay cash within nine
months
of the date of issuance, exclusive of days of grace, or any renewal
of such
paper which is likewise limited, or any guarantee of such paper or
of any
such renewal.
(j) Any securities issued in connection
with an employee's stock pur-
chase, savings, pension, profit-sharing or similar benefit plan, or
a self-
employed person's retirement plan.
(k) Any security evidencing membership
in, or issued as a patronage
dividend by, a cooperative association organized under the laws of
this
state exclusively for the purpose of conducting an agricultural,
dairy, live-
stock or produce business, or selling, processing, storing,
marketing or
otherwise handling any agricultural, dairy, livestock or produce,
and any
activities incidental to these purposes.
(l) Any security issued by and
representing an interest in or debt of,
or evidencing membership in, or issued as a patronage dividend to
resi-
dents or landowners of not to exceed five contiguous counties in
Kansas
by a cooperative association organized under the laws of this state
exclu-
sively for the purpose of conducting an agricultural, dairy,
livestock or
produce business, or selling, processing, storing, marketing,
retailing, or
otherwise handling any agricultural, dairy, livestock or produce,
or farm
supplies, and any activities incidental to these purposes.
(m) Securities constituting part of an
issue, which, in whole or in part
has been lawfully sold and distributed to the public in this or any
other
state, when offered for resale in good faith and not directly or
indirectly
for the benefit of the issuer or for the direct or indirect purpose
of pro-
moting any scheme or enterprise having the effect of violating or
evading
any provisions of this act, except that this exemption shall not
apply (1)
where the authority to sell such securities has been prohibited or
denied
under the provisions of this act, or (2) where the sale of such
securities
in this state has been enjoined as provided in this act or (3)
until there
shall have been filed with the securities commissioner of Kansas by
any
registered broker-dealer a prospectus in such form as may be
prescribed
by the commissioner containing: (A) Latest available financial
statement
of the issuer; (B) management personnel; and (C) such other
available
information as the commissioner may require. The filing of the
prospectus
and its approval by the commissioner shall constitute the
exemption
herein provided. Any prospectus may be disapproved at any time, if
after
a reasonable notice and a hearing, the commissioner shall find that
the
further exemption of the securities would be fraudulent or tend to
work
imposition or fraud upon the purchaser thereof.
(n) Any annuity, gift annuity, charitable
remainder unitrust, charita-
ble remainder annuity trust, endowment contract, life income
contract,
or investment contract issued by the governing body of any
four-year
liberal arts college situated in the state of Kansas, and the
provisions of
K.S.A. 17-1254, and amendments thereto, shall not apply to any
person
in the issuance of such securities governed by this subsection.
(o) Any annuity, gift annuity, charitable
remainder unitrust, charita-
ble remainder annuity trust, endowment contract, life income
contract or
investment contract issued by the governing body of any nonprofit
cor-
poration or foundation organized under the laws of this state, for
religious,
charitable or educational purposes, or for the treatment and
rehabilitation
of children and adolescents, and which corporation or foundation is
li-
censed by the secretary of social and rehabilitation services or
secretary
of health and environment, if such corporation or foundation has
been in
existence for more than five years and has fund balances in its
endowment
fund and unrestricted funds totaling together $1,000,000 or more,
and
the provisions of K.S.A. 17-1254, and amendments thereto, shall not
apply
to any person in the issuance of securities governed by this
subsection.
(p) Any security issued by a bank holding
company wholly or partially
in exchange for the capital stock of a bank that is, or will become
upon
consummation of such exchange, a subsidiary of such bank holding
com-
pany; or any security issued by a savings and loan holding company
wholly
or partially in exchange for the capital stock of an insured
institution that
is, or will become upon consummation of such exchange, a subsidiary
of
such savings and loan holding company. As used in this
subsection,
``bank,'' ``bank holding company'' and ``subsidiary'' shall have
the same
meanings as are set forth in the federal bank holding company act
of
1956, as amended and ``savings and loan holding company'' and
``insured
institution'' shall have the same meanings as are set forth in
section 408
of the national housing act, as amended.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 17-1262
is hereby amended to read as
follows: 17-1262. Except as expressly provided in this section, the
follow-
ing transactions shall be exempt from the registration requirements
of
K.S.A. 17-1254, 17-1255, 17-1257, 17-1258, 17-1259 and 17-1260,
and
amendments thereto:
(a) Any isolated transaction, whether
effected through a broker-
dealer or not.
(b) Any nonissuer distribution by or
through a registered broker-
dealer of outstanding securities at a price reasonably related to
the current
market price of such securities, if Moody's manual,
Standard & Poor's
manual, or any recognized securities manual
approved by the commis-
sioner, pursuant to rules and regulations or orders
contains:
(1) The names of the issuer's
officers and directors,; and (2)
audited
financial statements, including a balance sheet of the
issuer as of a date
within 18 months, and a profit
and an income or loss statement for either
the full fiscal year preceding that date or the most recent
full year of
operations. If the commissioner finds that the sale of certain
securities in
this state under this exemption would work or tend to work a fraud
on
purchasers thereof, the commissioner may revoke the exemption
pro-
vided by this subsection with respect to such securities by issuing
an order
to that effect and sending copies providing
notice of such order to all
registered broker-dealers.
(c) Any nonissuer transaction by a
registered broker-dealer pursuant
to an unsolicited order or offer to buy. The commissioner may
require,
by rules and regulations, that: (1) The customer acknowledge upon
a
specified form that the sale was unsolicited; and (2) a signed copy
of each
such form be preserved by the broker-dealer for a specified
period.
(d) Any transactions in a bond or other
evidence of indebtedness
secured by a real or chattel mortgage or deed of trust, or by an
agreement
for the sale of real estate or chattels, if the entire mortgage,
deed of trust
or agreement, together with all the bonds or other evidences of
indebt-
edness secured thereby, is offered and sold as a unit.
(e) Any transaction by an executor,
administrator, sheriff, marshal,
receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, guardian or conservator; any
transaction
executed by a bona fide pledgee without any purpose of evading this
act
or any transaction incident to a judicially approved reorganization
in
which a security is issued in exchange for one or more outstanding
se-
curities, claims or property interests.
(f) Any offer or sale to a bank, savings
institution, trust company,
insurance company, investment company as defined in the
investment
company act of 1940, pension or profit-sharing trust or other
financial
institution or institutional buyer or to a broker-dealer or
underwriter.
(g) Any offer or sale of a
preorganization certificate or subscription
if: (1) No commission or other remuneration is paid or given
directly or
indirectly for soliciting any prospective subscriber and no
advertising has
been published in connection with any such sale; (2) no payment is
made
by any subscriber; and (3) such certificate or subscription is
expressly
voidable by the subscriber until such subscriber has been notified
of final
acceptance or completion of the organization and until the
securities sub-
scribed for have been registered. The commissioner may require, by
rules
and regulations or by order, reports of sales under this
exemption.
(h) Any transaction pursuant to an offer
to existing security holders
of the issuer, including persons who at the time of the transaction
are
holders of convertible securities, nontransferable warrants or
transferable
warrants exercisable within 90 days of their issuance, if: (1) No
commis-
sion or other remuneration (other than a standby commission) is
paid or
given directly or indirectly for soliciting any security holder in
this state;
or (2) the issuer first files a notice specifying the terms of the
offer and
the commissioner does not by order disallow the exemption within
the
next five full business days.
(i) Any offer (but not a sale) of a
security if: (1) Registration state-
ments for such security have been filed under both this act and the
se-
curities act of 1933 if no stop order or refusal order is in effect
and no
public proceeding or examination looking toward such an order is
pending
under either act; or (2) a registration statement for such security
has been
filed under K.S.A. 17-1256 or 17-1258, and
amendments thereto, no stop
order or emergency order issued pursuant to K.S.A. 17-1260, and
amend-
ments thereto, is in effect and the offer is made on behalf of the
issuer
by a registered broker-dealer.
(j) The issuance of any stock dividend,
whether the corporation dis-
tributing the dividend is the issuer of the stock or not, if
nothing of value
is given by stockholders for the distribution other than the
surrender of
a right to a cash dividend where the stockholder can elect to take
a div-
idend in cash or stock.
(k) A transaction involving the
distribution of the securities of an is-
suer to the security holders of another person in connection with
a
merger, consolidation, exchange of securities, sale of assets or
other re-
organizations to which the issuer, or its parent or subsidiary, and
the other
person, or its parent or subsidiary, are parties, if:
(1) The securities to be distributed are
registered under the securities
act of 1933 before the consummation of the transaction; or
(2) the securities to be distributed are
not required to be registered
under the securities act of 1933, written notice of the transaction
and a
copy of the materials, if any, by which approval of the transaction
will be
solicited is given to the commissioner at least 10 days before the
consum-
mation of the transaction and the commissioner does not disallow,
by
order, the exemption within the next 10 days.
(l) The offer or sale of securities by an
issuer that is a corporation,
limited partnership or limited liability company formed under the
laws
of the state of Kansas, if: (1) The aggregate number of sales by
the issuer
in the twelve-month period ending on the date of the sale does not
exceed
20 sales; (2) the seller believes that the purchaser is purchasing
for in-
vestment; (3) no commission nor other remuneration is paid or
given,
directly or indirectly, for soliciting the purchaser; and (4)
neither the
issuer nor any person acting on its behalf shall offer or sell the
securities
by any form of general solicitation or general advertising,
including, but
not limited to, the following: (A) Any advertisement, article,
notice or
other communication published in any newspaper, magazine or
similar
media or broadcast over television or radio or (B) any seminar or
meeting
whose attendees have been invited by any general solicitation or
general
advertising.
In calculating the number of sales in a
twelve-month period, sales made
in violation of K.S.A. 17-1255, and amendments thereto, and sales
exempt
from registration under subsection (a) or (l) shall be taken into
account.
For purposes of the exemption in this subsection, a husband and
wife
shall be considered as one purchaser. A corporation, partnership,
asso-
ciation, joint-stock company, trust or other unincorporated
organization
shall be considered as one purchaser unless it was organized for
the pur-
pose of acquiring the purchased securities. In such case each
beneficial
owner of equity interest or equity securities in the entity shall
be consid-
ered a separate purchaser. The commissioner may withdraw this
exemp-
tion or impose conditions upon its use.
(m) Any transaction pursuant to rules and
regulations adopted by the
commissioner for limited offerings which was adopted for the
purpose of
furthering the objectives of compatibility with federal exemptions
and
uniformity among the states.
(n) Any transaction pursuant to rules and
regulations adopted by the
commissioner concerning the offer or sale of an oil, gas or mining
lease,
fee or title if the commissioner finds that registration is not
necessary or
appropriate for the protection of investors.
(o) Any offer or sale by an investment
company, as defined by K.S.A.
16-630, and amendments thereto, of its investment certificates.
(p) The offer or sale of a security,
issued by Kansas Venture Capital,
Inc., or its successors.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 17-1270a
is hereby amended to read as
follows: 17-1270a. (a) The commissioner, by rules and regulations
or or-
der, may require the payment of a filing fee and the filing of
documents
with respect to a covered security under section 18(b)(2) of the
securities
act of 1933, as follows:
(1) Prior to the initial offer of such
federal covered security in this
state, all documents that are part of a federal registration
statement filed
with the United States securities and exchange commission under
the
securities act of 1933, together with a consent to service of
process, and
a fee not to exceed $2,500;
(2) after the initial offer of such
federal covered security in this state,
all documents that are a part of an amendment to a federal
registration
statement filed with the United States securities and exchange
commis-
sion under the securities act of 1933, which shall be filed
concurrently
with the commissioner, together with a fee not to exceed $100;
(3) an annual or periodic report of sales
of such federal covered se-
curities in this state;
(4) each notice filing under this
subsection (a) shall be effective for
one year from its original filing date, or such other date required
by the
commissioner by rules and regulations or order, and shall be
renewed
annually, so long as the covered security continues to be offered
in this
state, by payment of an annual renewal fee not to exceed
$2,500.
(b) With respect to a covered security
under section 18(b)(4)(D) of
the securities act of 1933, the commissioner, by rules and
regulations or
order, may require the issuer to file a notice on form D together
with a
fee not to exceed the amount authorized by paragraph (3) of
subsection
(b) of K.S.A. 17-1259, and amendments thereto.
(c) The commissioner, by rules and
regulations or otherwise, may
require the filing of any document filed with the United States
securities
and exchange commission with respect to a covered security under
section
18(b)(3) and (4) of the securities act of 1933, together with a fee
not to
exceed the amount authorized by paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of
K.S.A.
17-1259, and amendments thereto.
(d) The commissioner may issue a stop
order suspending the offer
and sale of a federal covered security, except a covered security
under
section 18(b)(1) of the securities act of 1933, if it finds
that:
(1) The order is in the public interest;
and
(2) there is a failure to comply with any
condition established under
this section.
(e) The commissioner, by rules and
regulations or order, may waive
any or all of the provisions of this section.
(f) Notwithstanding the
provisions of this section, until October 10,
1999, the commissioner may require the registration of any
federal cov-
ered security for which the fees required by this section
have not been
paid promptly following written notification from the
commissioner to
the issuer of the nonpayment or underpayment of such fees.
An issuer
shall be considered to have promptly paid such fees if they
are remitted
to the commissioner within 15 days following such person's
receipt of
written notification from the commissioner.
(g) (f) This
section shall be part of and supplemental to the Kansas
securities act.
Sec. 5. K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 17-1252, 17-1261,
17-1262 and 17-1270a
are hereby repealed.
Sec. 6. This act shall take effect and be in force
from and after its
publication in the statute book.
Approved March 31, 2000.
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