SESSION OF 2021
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE
BILL NO. 2089
As Amended by Senate Committee on Federal
and State Affairs

Brief*
Sub. for HB 2089, as amended, would create law related
to firearm safety education programs conducted in public
school districts. The bill would establish these provisions as
the “Roy’Ale Act.”
The bill would allow a local school board (local board) to
provide firearm safety education programs. The State Board
of Education (State Board) would be directed to establish
curriculum guidelines for a standardized firearm safety
education program, which would be required to include
accident prevention.
The bill would provide that specific programs would be
used based on the grade level of students, as follows:
● Kindergarten through grade five guidelines would
be based on the Eddie Eagle Gunsafe program
(Eddie Eagle program) offered by the National Rifle
Association (NRA) or any successor program;
● Grades six through eight guidelines would be
based on the Eddie Eagle program, the Hunter
Education in Our Schools program (Hunter
Education) offered by the Kansas Department of
Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), or, at the
discretion of the board of education of the school
____________________
*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.kslegislature.org
 district, any other firearm safety education program
offered by KDWPT; and
● Grades nine through twelve guidelines would be
based on Hunter Education or, at the discretion of
the board of education of the school district, any
other firearm safety education program offered by
KDWPT.
The bill would provide that if a local board elects to
provide firearm safety education, such instruction must be in
accordance with the guidelines established by the State
Board. Further, if a local board elects to provide firearm safety
education courses, such instruction would have to be offered
so as to ensure all students are provided the opportunity to
take the course.

Background
The House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
replaced the contents of HB 2089 as introduced and
recommended a substitute bill be passed incorporating
provisions pertaining to firearm safety education in K-12
schools.
[Note: The firearm safety education provisions are
similar to those of 2018 HB 2460 as amended by the House
Committee on Federal and State Affairs.]
HB 2089, as introduced, would have authorized the
Attorney General to issue an alternative license to carry a
concealed handgun to qualified applicants during a declared
state of disaster emergency. [Note: The contents of HB 2089,
as introduced, were added to HB 2058 and were not retained
in the substitute bill.]


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Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs
In the Senate Committee hearing, Representative Penn
and a representative of the Kansas State Rifle Association
provided proponent testimony, indicating the Eddie Eagle
program began in 1988 as a gun accident prevention
program to teach children what to do if they encounter a gun.
The conferees further indicated Roy’ Ale Spencer was a nine-
year-old child in Wichita who died from an accidental shooting
at a sleepover, and his mother started the Roy’Ale
Foundation to advocate in honor of her son’s memory. The
State Director of the Kansas Chapter of the National Rifle
Association provided written-only proponent testimony,
indicating the bill would give school boards the choice to
provide gun safety education under the stated standards.
The Secretary of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism provided
written-only neutral testimony, suggesting the bill be amended
to allow schools to substitute other KDWPT firearm safety
programs for Hunter Education at the discretion of the school
board.
Three private citizens provided written-only opponent
testimony, indicating the Eddie Eagle program is not effective
at teaching kids to perform gun safety skills and expressing
concern that the bill would not address gun storage
requirements and would take away local control from school
boards in determining gun safety curriculum.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to allow school
districts to substitute other KDWPT firearm safety programs
for Hunter Education at the discretion of the district’s board of
education.
Fiscal Information
Fiscal information for the substitute bill was not available
when the Senate Committee took action.
Firearm safety education; hunter education; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks
and Tourism; State Board of Education; Roy'Ale Act

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Statutes affected:
As introduced: 75-7c03, 75-7c05