WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

HB 2172

Senate Substitute for HB 2172 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources - Establishing the water program task force to evaluate the state's water program and funding for such program and requiring the task force to establish a water planning work group and submit a report the legislature and the governor.

2025-2026 Regular Session

Creates a temporary Water Program Task Force and Water Planning Work Group to assess Kansas water needs, funding, and modernize the State Water Resources Planning Act, with sunset.

Law effective April 24, 2025
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 2172

Summary — HB 2172 (Senate Substitute) — Water Program Task Force (Kansas)

Status: Enrolled and approved by the Governor (approved April 7, 2025); becomes effective upon publication in the Kansas Register (per enrolled act).
Law includes sunset; see Timeline below.

Purpose

Create a temporary, legislatively‑directed Water Program Task Force and a Water Planning Work Group to evaluate Kansas’ water programs and funding, study the State Water Resources Planning Act, and recommend structural, policy, and funding changes to ensure long‑term water supply and infrastructure needs are met.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a Water Program Task Force (Task Force):
    • 13 voting members (legislative chairs/ranking members, one House member, one Senate member, and jointly‑appointed Kansas residents) and 3 non‑voting ex officio members (bureau/office chiefs).
    • Non‑legislative voting members must represent specified stakeholder categories (e.g., water utilities, agricultural producers, municipalities, rural water districts, tribes, economic development, Kansas Water Authority, grain/livestock industry, etc.).
    • Membership rules: all members must be Kansas residents, at least one member from each of the five conservation regions, and no more than two non‑legislative members may represent the same stakeholder category (apportionment responsibilities delegated to legislative leaders).
  • Requires Task Force staffing and support from the Office of Revisor of Statutes, Legislative Research Department, and Division of Legislative Administrative Services.
  • Authorizes meetings statewide at the call of either co‑chair; quorum = majority of voting members.
  • Members may receive expenses/mileage/subsistence if approved by the Legislative Coordinating Council.
  • Charges Task Force to:
    • Evaluate risks to water quantity/quality and impacts on economic growth/population stability.
    • Identify steps to define and achieve a future water supply for Kansans.
    • Evaluate current water funding and whether resources are adequate to implement the State Water Plan and meet infrastructure needs.
  • Requires creation of a Water Planning Work Group:
    • Five members appointed jointly by the Task Force co‑chairs by June 30, 2025; appointees should be attorneys, engineers, hydrologists, natural resource planners, or similarly qualified.
    • Work Group studies the State Water Resources Planning Act (K.S.A. 82a‑901 et seq.) and develops draft modernization legislation; works under Task Force direction.
  • Reporting:
    • Task Force must submit a preliminary report by January 31, 2026, and a final report by January 31, 2027, to the specified legislative committees and the Governor. Reports must include recommendations on program structure, investment criteria/evaluation, geographic distribution, and funding options (new dedicated moneys, fee changes, other tools).
  • Sunset: the Task Force/Work Group provisions expire on July 1, 2027.

Timeline & procedural deadlines

  • Task Force member appointments due by April 30, 2025.
  • Work Group appointments due by June 30, 2025.
  • Preliminary Task Force report: January 31, 2026.
  • Final Task Force report: January 31, 2027.
  • Section expires: July 1, 2027.

Fiscal impact (estimate)

  • Legislative Administrative Services estimated increased expenditures: ~$15,111 (FY2025, one meeting), ~$90,667 (FY2026, six meetings), and ~$93,387 (FY2027, ~3% above FY2026). Non‑voting ex officio members’ travel costs absorbed by their agencies. Other agencies noted minimal or unquantified costs for supporting meetings and providing information.

Who is affected / potential impacts

  • State agencies involved in water management (Kansas Water Office, KDHE Bureau of Water, DWR, Kansas Geological Survey, etc.) — required to provide information and participate.
  • Municipalities, water utilities, rural water districts, agricultural producers, businesses relying on surface/groundwater, conservation districts, tribal nations, and other stakeholders — represented on Task Force and likely to be affected by any recommended funding/structural changes.
  • Legislature and Governor — will receive preliminary and final recommendations and may act on proposed statutory changes or funding allocations (including possible changes to the State Water Plan Fund).

Expected outcomes

The bill is intended to produce a stakeholder‑informed assessment of risks, governance, and funding for Kansas’ water program and draft legislative modernization of the State Water Resources Planning Act, enabling the Legislature to consider targeted structural or funding reforms aimed at multi‑generational water security.

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

Sign in to ask a question.