Session of 2021
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5010
By Representatives Fairchild, Helmer and Murphy
2-9

1 A PROPOSITION to amend the constitution of the state of Kansas by
2 adding a new article thereto, prescribing certain limits upon
3 expenditures by the state.
4
5 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the State of Kansas, two-thirds of the
6 members elected (or appointed) and qualified to the House of
7 Representatives and two-thirds of the members elected (or appointed)
8 and qualified to the Senate concurring therein:
9 Section 1. The following proposition to amend the constitution of
10 the state of Kansas shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the state
11 for their approval or rejection: The constitution of the state of Kansas is
12 amended by adding a new article 16 to read as follows:
13 "Article 16.–EXPENDITURE LIMITATION
14 "§ 1. Definitions. As used within this article:
15 (a) "State" means the state government, including all
16 branches, state offices, authorities, agencies, boards,
17 commissions, institutions, instrumentalities and any divisions or
18 units of state government that are directly supported with tax
19 funds;
20 (b) "fiscal year" means the twelve-month fiscal period
21 prescribed by law for the state;
22 (c) "fiscal year spending" means all expenditures and
23 reserve increases by the state except, as to both:
24 (1) Expenditures for refunds of any kind; and
25 (2) expenditures of moneys received from the federal
26 government, moneys received as grants, gifts or donations that
27 are to be expended for purposes specified by the donor, moneys
28 that are collections for another government, moneys received
29 for pension contributions by employees and pension fund
30 earnings; and
31 (d) "inflation" means the change in the consumer price
32 index for all urban consumers as published by the United States
33 department of labor for the preceding calendar year, which shall
34 not be less than zero.
35 "§ 2. Spending limits. (a) For any fiscal year that
36 commences on or after July 1, 2023, fiscal year spending by the
 HCR 5010 2

1 state shall not increase above the fiscal year spending for the
2 preceding fiscal year by more than the rate of inflation.
3 (b) The legislature may enact laws to carry out the
4 purposes of this section."
5 Sec. 2. The following statement shall be printed on the ballot with
6 the amendment as a whole:
7 "Explanatory statement. Beginning July 1, 2023, this
8 amendment would impose spending limits on the state from
9 fiscal year to fiscal year based on increases in the rate of
10 inflation.
11 "A vote for this proposition would limit state legislative
12 authority and would limit state spending increases from
13 fiscal year to fiscal year to the rate of inflation.
14 "A vote against this proposition would continue the present
15 constitutional and statutory authority for state government
16 spending by the legislature in the exercise of the legislative
17 power of this state."
18 Sec. 3. This resolution, if approved by two-thirds of the members
19 elected (or appointed) and qualified to the House of Representatives, and
20 two-thirds of the members elected (or appointed) and qualified to the
21 Senate shall be entered on the journals, together with the yeas and nays.
22 The secretary of state shall cause this resolution to be published as
23 provided by law and shall cause the proposed amendment to be submitted
24 to the electors of the state at the general election in November in the year
25 2022, unless a special election is called at a sooner date by concurrent
26 resolution of the legislature, in which case it shall be submitted to the
27 electors of the state at the special election.