Brief ⁽¹⁾

HB 2970 would establish a Civil Rights History Project Task Force. The task force would consist of 11 members: one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one member of the House appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; one member of the House appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; two employees of the State Historical Society appointed by the Executive Director of the State Historical Society; two professors with specific interest in state civil rights history appointed by the State Board of Regents; and three members appointed by the Governor.

The task force would be required to meet at least quarterly. The members would be responsible for discussing, identifying, and developing recommendations for promoting the history of civil rights in Kansas. The task force would be required to submit a final report to the Legislature and the Governor on or before January 8, 2001.

Members of the task force who are not state employees would be entitled to compensation of $35 per meeting day, travel, and subsistence allowances. The bill would require the task force to employ an executive secretary as staff. Other staff support would be provided by existing legislative staff agencies. All direct expenses of the Task Force would be approved by the Legislative Coordinating Council and paid from appropriations made to the Legislature.

The bill would become effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Background

At a hearing on the bill before the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs, Representative Garner, the primary sponsor of the bill, spoke in support of the bill. There were no opponents.

The fiscal note prepared by the Division of the Budget indicates that the compensation, travel, and subsistence expenses for the task force would be $24,468 from the State General Fund. These costs are based on six two-day meetings prior to the report date of January 8, 2001. This amount does not include the salary for an executive secretary, nor any other costs that would be incurred as a result of work generated from the task force. The costs would be in addition to the recommendations included in the FY 2001 Governor's Budget Report. The fiscal note does not address any expenses that might be incurred between the effective date of the Act and the beginning of FY 2001. The Kansas Board of Regents and the State Historical Society both indicate that there would be no fiscal effect for either agency resulting from the passage of this bill.

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