Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 248, as amended by the House Committee of the Whole, exempts from certain competitive bid and purchasing statutes capital improvement projects for Regents institutions when the project is funded entirely by private moneys, or if the project is constructed by a research foundation, and the project cost is less than $1,000,000. Any such projects must still be approved by the Board of Regents and the Secretary of Administration and be reviewed by the Joint Committee on State Building Construction.

Background

The University of Kansas Medical Center first received the exemption from certain competitive bid and purchasing statutes on capital improvement projects in 1993. This authority is currently scheduled to sunset June 30, 2001.

Representatives of the University of Kansas Medical Center testified in support of the bill and explained the provision was most commonly used on relatively small remodeling projects. No opponents testified on the bill.

As introduced, the bill would have removed the sunset date, the $500,000 project limit, and the definition of private moneys.

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means amended the bill to restore the definition of private moneys as being moneys from nongovernmental sources.

The House Committee on Appropriations amended the bill to restore the $500,000 project limit.

The House Committee of the Whole amended the bill to increase the exemption to all Regents institutions and to projects constructed by research foundations.

The fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget on the bill as introduced stated the bill would have no impact on state revenues or expenditures.

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