Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Division of the Budget
Landon State Office Building                                                                         Phone: (785) 296-2436
900 SW Jackson Street, Room 504                                                                     adam.c.proffitt@ks.gov
Topeka, KS 66612                                Division of the Budget                             http://budget.kansas.gov
Adam Proffitt, Director                                                                           Laura Kelly, Governor


                                                  February 1, 2023


         The Honorable Will Carpenter, Chairperson
         House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
         300 SW 10th Avenue, Room 346-S
         Topeka, Kansas 66612
         Dear Representative Carpenter:
                   SUBJECT:       Fiscal Note for HB 2043 by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
                 In accordance with KSA 75-3715a, the following fiscal note concerning HB 2043 is
         respectfully submitted to your committee.
                 HB 2043 would direct the Kansas Secretary of State to develop a voter registration program
         to offer voter registration services through the Kansas Department for Children and Families, the
         Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, and the Department of Labor. This program
         would offer applicants for services the opportunity to register to vote. The Secretary of State
         would also be required to work with the Kansas State Department of Education to develop a voter
         registration program to offer voter registration services at each accredited high school in Kansas.
                HB 2043 would also require the Kansas Department of Corrections to offer inmates the
         opportunity to register to vote at the time of discharge. The bill would amend existing law
         concerning voting without being qualified to specify that a person who is ineligible to vote and
         who becomes registered to vote under the provisions of this bill, in the absence of willful
         misrepresentation, would be presumed to be not at fault and would not be subject to criminal
         prosecution.
                  The Secretary of State indicates that the fiscal effect of HB 2043 would depend on whether
         the voter registration program would be paper-based or electronic. If the program was paper based,
         the bill would be implemented within the agency’s existing resources. However, if the program is
         electronic, the agency estimates it could expend at least an additional $300,000 from agency fee
         funds in FY 2024 for the vendor to update the statewide voter registration database.
                 The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services indicates that HB 2043 would
         require additional work to be performed by its providers and contractors of non-Medicaid services
The Honorable Will Carpenter, Chairperson
Page 2—HB 2043

which could increase administrative costs. The agency’s operational costs would increase as a
result of amending its contracts for the increased administrative costs of the providers and
contractors; however, it is unable to estimate a fiscal effect.
        According to the Kansas Department of Labor, enactment of HB 2043 would result in the
need for programming of the current Interactive Voice Response system and its website to
incorporate a question as to whether the individual would like to register to vote at the end of the
benefit application process. However, the agency anticipates that any expense incurred could be
absorbed within existing resources.
         The Kansas Department for Children and Families indicates HB 2043 would not have a
fiscal effect. The Kansas State Board of Education indicates that any fiscal effect to the school
districts would be negligible. The Department of Corrections indicates that it would include a
flyer or other similar information in the final discharge papers of a parolee or person on conditional
release on how to register to vote. The agency would depend on the Secretary of State to provide
the flyer or other similar information to include. Therefore, HB 2043 would not have a fiscal effect
on the Department of Corrections. Any fiscal effect associated with HB 2043 is not reflected in
The FY 2024 Governor’s Budget Report.
        The Kansas Association of Counties indicates HB 2043 would not have a fiscal effect on
local governments.


                                                      Sincerely,

                                                      Adam Proffitt
                                                      Director of the Budget

cc: Sandy Tompkins, Office of the Secretary of State
    Kim Holter, Department for Children & Families
    Dawn Palmberg, Department of Labor
    Leigh Keck, Department for Aging & Disability Services
    Craig Neuenswander, Department of Education
    Jay Hall, Kansas Association of Counties
    Randy Bowman, Department of Corrections
    Amy Penrod, Department of Health & Environment
Statutes affected: 
As introduced: 22-3722, 25-2416