Brief (1)
HB 2929 would amend the law to change the composition of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). The bill would allow the Governor to appoint "senior administrators" from the state's universities to the KTEC Board. These administrators would be required to have extensive experience in managing basic or applied scientific and technological research although such experience would not necessarily have to be gained at a Kansas university. Under existing law, the Governor appoints four directors from the Kansas universities. These appointments are limited to scientists or engineers. The bill would no longer require scientists and engineers to be employees of Kansas universities. Moreover, the bill would require the Board to include a director who is a senior administrator at a Kansas community college and a director who is a senior administrator at a Kansas technical college.
Background
The House Economic Development Committee held a hearing on HB 2929, at which time a representative of KTEC testified in support of the bill.
The Senate Commerce Committee amended the bill to allow senior administrators to be appointed to the Board even if they did not gain their experience in managing scientific or technological research at a Kansas university. The Committee further amended the bill to delete, as a precondition for appointment of scientists and engineers, employment at a Kansas university.
The Senate Committee of the Whole amended the bill to require that Board membership include a senior administrator at a Kansas community college and a senior administrator at a Kansas technical college.
The Budget Division reports that passage of HB 2929 would have no fiscal impact.
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