Brief (1)
SB 642 establishes term limits (two consecutive terms) for persons appointed to serve on the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. A commissioner appointed to serve an unexpired term of more than two years may be appointed only to one additional consecutive four-year term. The term limits would apply to current appointments. The bill would become effective upon enactment of comparable Missouri law.
Background
The bill was supported by the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and the attorney for the Authority. Proponents said that the bill was part of the first step toward revamping the governance of the authority to address concerns expressed by some regarding the lengthy tenures of persons serving on the Board.
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and District is created by KSA 12-2524 et seq. This entity includes three Kansas counties: Wyandotte, Johnson, and Leavenworth. It also includes four counties in Missouri: Clay, Cass, Jackson, and Platte. The authority consists of ten commissioners, five of whom are resident voters of the State of Missouri and five are resident voters of the State of Kansas. All commissioners must reside within the district, the Missouri members are chosen by the State of Missouri and the Kansas members by the State of Kansas, in the manner and for the terms fixed by the Legislature of each state.
The House Committee on Governmental Organization and Elections amended the bill to apply term limits to current appointments and make the bill effective on enactment of Missouri law.
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