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HB 2185

Relating to enrollment in virtual public charter schools; declaring an emergency.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Daniel Bonham and 1 co-sponsor

The act expands Kansas National Guard education benefits to cover dependents using unused state tuition aid and broadens EMERGE to include master’s, professional, and doctoral degr

In committee upon adjournment.
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Bill Summary · HB 2185

Summary — HB 2185 (Kansas) — Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Act & EMERGE Program

Status: Approved by Governor March 26, 2025; law effective July 1, 2025.
Introduced: January 28, 2025. Requested by Lt. Col. Keith Marshall on behalf of the Adjutant General’s Office. Passed legislative action in March 2025.

Purpose

Update the Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Act to (1) allow eligible Kansas National Guard (KSNG) members to sponsor a dependent to use unused state tuition benefits, and (2) expand the Kansas National Guard Educational Master’s for Enhanced Readiness and Global Excellence (EMERGE) Program to cover additional advanced degrees (professional and doctoral programs) with attendant eligibility, service and academic requirements.

Key provisions

  1. Addition of dependents to KNG educational assistance (Sections 1–5)

    • “Dependent” is defined as an individual registered as an eligible dependent in DEERS.
    • Eligible guard members may either use benefits themselves or sponsor one dependent during the member’s service (one dependent per member).
    • Eligibility (member or dependent): high school diploma or equivalent; enrollment at a Kansas educational institution; not already holding a baccalaureate or higher degree. Dependents must submit the Kansas student aid application to the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR).
    • Benefit limits: up to tuition and required fees for no more than 15 credit hours per semester; aggregate assistance capped at 150% of credit hours required for the program; state will not pay for repeated courses or courses in excess of degree requirements.
    • Dependent assistance is subordinate to funding for participating eligible guard members — dependents receive aid only after members’ benefits are fully funded.
    • Assistance amounts offset by federal financial aid available to the individual.

  2. EMERGE Program expansion (Sections 6–9)

    • “Advanced degree” expanded to include master’s, professional degrees, and doctorates; statutory definitions provided for each.
    • Eligible guard member definition broadened to include non‑concurrent members accepted into eligible professional degree programs if qualified to join KSNG.
    • Service obligation on program completion: 48 months for master’s degrees; 72 months for doctorates or professional degrees.
    • GPA requirements: minimum 2.75 for master’s; minimum 3.0 for doctorate or professional degree.
    • EMERGE will not cover repeated courses or courses beyond degree requirements.

  3. Administration and technical changes

    • KBOR authority to promulgate rules changed from mandatory (“shall”) to discretionary (“may”).
    • Technical and conforming amendments across cited statutes.

Who is affected

  • Kansas National Guard members (current and certain non‑concurrent members), their DEERS‑registered dependents, Kansas Board of Regents (administration), Kansas educational institutions, and the Adjutant General’s Office.

Fiscal impact

  • Adjutant General’s Office: no fiscal effect on agency operations (per fiscal note).
  • KBOR: modest increase in staff time to implement provisions; expected to be absorbed within existing resources. Any programmatic fiscal impacts (additional tuition payments) are subject to annual appropriations and not reflected in the FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.

Effective date and procedural timeline

  • Introduced Jan 28, 2025; committee actions and amendments in February–March 2025; final legislative passage in March 2025; enrolled Mar 24, 2025; approved by Governor Mar 26, 2025; law effective July 1, 2025.

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

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