Bill
HB 2054
The act raises campaign contribution limits and clarifies how party committee spending interacts with candidate limits.
Status
- Enacted by the 2025 Legislature and approved by the Governor (approved April 8, 2025; enrolled law effective in April 2025 upon publication).
Purpose
- To raise certain statutory limits on campaign contributions under the Kansas Campaign Finance Act, clarify treatment of party committee spending, and modernize related procedural rules for handling contributions.
Key provisions and changes
- Increased per-election aggregate limits (applies to persons other than the candidate or the candidate’s spouse, and to political committees):
- Governor & Lieutenant Governor (and other statewide offices): $2,000 → $4,000 (per primary and per general).
- Member of the House, district judge/magistrate, district attorney, or local office in jurisdictions <50,000 population: $500 → $1,000.
- State senator, State Board of Education, or local office in jurisdictions ≥50,000: $1,000 → $2,000.
- Cash (U.S. currency) contributions:
- Aggregate limit raised from $100 → $200 per person for any one primary or general election; candidate/committee may not accept amounts above $200 in cash from a single person.
- Party committees and contributions:
- The bill revises the statutory treatment of party committees. It clarifies that only direct payments/transfers of money by a party committee to a candidate (i.e., funds given to the candidate or candidate committee) count as a “contribution” for candidate limits.
- It also specifies that expenditures by a party committee in support of a candidate (with or without the candidate’s cooperation or consent) do not constitute a contribution for purposes of the candidate contribution limits.
- The bill adjusts annual aggregate limits applicable to contributions to party committees (various calendar-year limits for state, congressional-district, and county party committees are changed in committee amendments).
- Receipt/accounting of pre-primary contributions:
- Candidates/candidate committees may accept contributions designated for both the primary and the general election before the primary if they maintain acceptable accounting practices (e.g., separate bank accounts or separate books/records) and show the cash-on-hand requirements in their records.
- Definition:
- “Jurisdiction” is defined for local offices (city/county/school district at-large vs. electoral district for member districts).
- Effective date:
- The act is effective upon publication in the Kansas Register (as provided in the enrolled bill, became operative in April 2025).
Who is affected
- Candidates and candidate committees (state and local offices).
- Donors (individuals, political committees, national party committees).
- Party committees (state, congressional district, recognized political committees, county parties): both as recipients and as contributors to candidates.
- Governmental Ethics Commission and Secretary of State (administration/compliance) — minimal fiscal and administrative impacts expected.
Fiscal and administrative impact
- Division of the Budget / fiscal note: minimal fiscal effect. Secretary of State and Governmental Ethics Commission can absorb any printing or materials updates within existing resources.
Legislative context and testimony
- Supporters argued contribution limits had not been materially updated since 1990 and risk becoming constitutionally vulnerable if too low; opponents and some neutral witnesses raised concerns that raising limits can weaken tools to prevent quid‑pro‑quo corruption. The enacted bill reflects compromises reached in committee and on the Senate floor.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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