Brief⁽¹⁾

S.B. 338, as amended, would authorize the Secretary of Administration to exempt capital improvement projects at Cedar Crest, the Statehouse, and the Dillon House from the laws limiting fees paid for the services of architects, engineers, and other technical services; notice of negotiating for such services; and competitive bid procedures.

In addition, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Administration to accept donations to benefit Cedar Crest, the Statehouse, and the Dillon House.

The bill also provides that any public hearings conducted by the state historic preservation officer on projects which will impact on historic property shall be conducted within 60 days of the time the historic preservation officer receives notice of the project.

Background

The bill was introduced at the request of the Department of Administration. The Secretary of Administration testified that the historic nature of the buildings makes it difficult to obtain the level of expertise required for proper implementation of repairs and improvements within statutory limits; and requiring new competitive bids on each project prohibits the continuity required for long- term renovation projects. Linda Graves, the First Lady, submitted written testimony in support of the bill.

As introduced, the bill would also have exempted projects at Cedar Crest, the Statehouse, and the Dillon House from review by the state historic preservation officer. Representatives of Historic Topeka, Inc. and the Kansas Preservation Alliance testified in opposition to that provision. The amendatory language added by the Senate Ways and Means Committee removed the historic preservation review exemption and added the 60-day limit on public hearings as compromise language.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html