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HB 2764

Prohibiting amendments, suspensions or repeals of employment security law provisions through budget provisos, appropriations bills or temporary fiscal measures without following specified review procedures, authorizing the secretary of labor to recognize and approve employer-sponsored supplemental unemployment benefit plans if such plans meet specific criteria, reorganizing sections for improved readability and compliance, enhancing federal conformity by incorporating references to federal laws and guidelines and updating the criteria for determining suitable work and disqualification conditions for unemployment benefits.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas HB 2764 would allow recognizing employer-sponsored SUB plans and tighten rules on unemployment policy changes, aligning with federal standards and updating eligibility rules

Died in Committee
#laborandemployment
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Bill Summary · HB 2764

Bill overview

HB 2764 (Kansas, 2025-2026) seeks to reform how unemployment security provisions are amended and administered, enhance alignment with federal standards, and reorganize related statutory provisions for clarity. The measure also authorizes the Kansas Secretary of Labor to recognize and approve employer-sponsored Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) plans if certain criteria are met, and it updates work eligibility and disqualification criteria for unemployment benefits.

Main purpose and intent

  • Prevents unilateral policy changes through budget-related instruments.
  • Improves readability and compliance by reorganizing unemployment-related statutes.
  • Strengthens conformity with federal requirements and guidelines.
  • Establishes a framework for employer-sponsored SUB plans to be recognized and approved.
  • Updates definitions and tests used to determine suitable work and disqualification conditions for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.

Key provisions and changes

  • Prohibition on certain amendments via budget tools:
    • Disallows amendments, suspensions, or repeals of employment security law provisions through budget provisos, appropriations bills, or temporary fiscal measures unless specific review procedures are followed.
  • Employer-sponsored SUB plans:
    • Empowers the Secretary of Labor to recognize and approve SUB plans offered by employers if those plans meet defined criteria (details of criteria not provided in summary, but would govern eligibility and benefits alignment with UI rules).
  • Reorganization for readability and compliance:
    • Reorganizes sections related to employment security to improve structure, interpretation, and administrative compliance.
  • Federal conformity and guideline references:
    • Updates and expands references to federal laws, regulations, and guidelines to ensure Kansas statutes align with federal unemployment programs and requirements.
  • Work and disqualification criteria:
    • Updates the criteria used to determine what constitutes suitable work.
    • Updates disqualification conditions and related thresholds or triggers for UI benefits.

Affected parties and impacts

  • Employers:
    • Potentially affected by SUB plan recognition criteria and the formalization of employer-sponsored unemployment benefits as part of state law.
    • Benefit from heightened protections against ad hoc policy changes via budget instruments that could impact unemployment provisions.
  • Claimants / workers:
    • UI eligibility standards may shift due to updated “suitable work” criteria and disqualification rules; SUB plans could alter the benefits landscape for workers whose unemployment is mitigated through employer programs.
  • State administration:
    • Kansas Department of Labor and Secretary of Labor gain authority to approve SUB plans and to implement reorganized statutory provisions with federal conformity elements.
  • Taxpayers and the public:
    • Indirectly affected through changes to how unemployment security provisions are administered and funded, and through alignment with federal eligibility criteria.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Introduction and referral:
    • Introduced and referred to the House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development on February 6, 2026.
  • Committee action:
    • The bill proceeded to a committee where it would be debated, amended, and reported out for floor consideration.
  • Status as of final action:
    • Died in Committee on April 10, 2026, meaning it did not advance to the full chamber for a vote and did not become law in this session.

Potential considerations for stakeholders

  • Practical administration:
    • How the review procedures for budget-based changes would be implemented in practice.
    • The clarity and enforceability of the SUB plan recognition criteria.
  • Policy alignment:
    • The extent of federal conformity updates and any resulting changes to UI benefit computations or eligibility.
  • Economic impact:
    • Effects on employer costs and on unemployment insurance trust fund sustainability if SUB plans become a more common feature.

If you’d like, I can extract the specific statutory sections affected or compare § changes to current Kansas law for a more granular analysis.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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