SESSION OF 2025
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2054
As Further Amended by House Committee on
Elections
Brief*
HB 2054, as amended, would amend provisions in the
Campaign Finance Act (Act) to increase limits on certain
campaign contributions and eliminate limits on contributions
to party committees.
The bill would be in effect upon publication in the
Kansas Register.
Contributions to Party Committees
The bill would remove annual aggregate limits on
contributions to party committees by persons and national
party committees.
[Note: The Act defines “person” as any individual,
committee, corporation, partnership, trust, organization, or
association.]
Contributions to Campaigns
The bill would increase aggregate limits for each of the
following campaigns for each primary and general election:
●For the pair of offices of Governor and Lieutenant
Governor or other statewide offices, from $2,000 to
$4,000;
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
https://klrd.gov/ ●For the office of member of the House of
Representatives, district judge, district attorney, or
a candidate for local office, from $500 to $1,000;
and
●For the office of state senator or member of the
State Board of Education, from $1,000 to $2,000.
The bill would increase the amount any person may
contribute to any candidate or candidate committee in cash
for any primary or general election from $100 to $200.
The bill would state, for the purposes of this section,
only payment or transfer of moneys by a party committee
directly to a candidate or their committee constitutes a
contribution. The bill would clarify no other expenditures
made by a party committee in support of a candidate, with or
without a candidate’s cooperation or consent, are
contributions for the purposes of the above-described
contribution limits.
Applicability
The bill would apply the contribution limits to any person
except the candidate or the candidate’s spouse.
Receipt of Contributions
The bill would allow a candidate or their committee to
accept a contribution for both the primary and general
election prior to the date of the primary election if the
candidate or their committee uses an acceptable accounting
method to distinguish between which contributions are
received for the primary election and which are for the
general election.
2- 2054 The bill would provide examples of acceptable
accounting methods, including the designation of separate
accounts for each election or the establishment of separate
books and records for each election. The bill would require
the authorized records of a candidate or their committee
show the cash on hand prior to the primary election was, at
all times, equal to or greater than the amount of contributions
received and designated for the general election minus any
disbursements made for the general election.
Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Elections at the request of Representative Waggoner.
House Committee on Elections
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was presented by representatives of the Institute for Free
Speech, Kriegshauser Law Group, and RFJ Consulting, LLC,
and a professor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
The proponents generally stated the current limits on
candidate campaign contributions are low enough to risk
constitutional challenges, and that there are no limits to the
contributions a person can make to political action
committees (PACs) and 501(c)(4) organizations, so removing
limits to contributions a person can make to a party
committee will strengthen the party committee’s voice in
general elections.
A professor from Washburn University School of Law
presented neutral testimony, stating narrowly drawn limits on
contributions to candidates are important tools for the
prevention of quid pro quo corruption.
Written-only opponent testimony was submitted by a
representative of Campaign Legal Center and five private
citizens.
3- 2054 No other testimony was provided.
House Committee of the Whole
On February 19, 2025, the House Committee of the
Whole amended the bill to limit party contributions to
candidates in all primary elections and general elections. The
Committee of the Whole then reconsidered the bill. The bill,
as amended by the Committee of the Whole, was withdrawn
from the calendar and referred to the House Committee on
Calendar and Printing.
On February 20, 2025, the bill was withdrawn from the
Committee on Calendar and Printing and rereferred to the
House Committee on Elections.
House Committee on Elections
On February 25, 2025, the House Committee amended
the bill to:
●Apply campaign contribution limits to all persons;
●Add a provision clarifying only payment or transfer
of moneys by a party committee is a contribution;
●Add a provision clarifying no expenditures made by
a party committee in support of a candidate are
considered contributions for the purpose of
contribution limits; and
●Add a provision allowing candidates to receive
contributions for primary and general elections
before the primary election date and provide for
acceptable accounting methods to do so.
4- 2054 Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
Budget on the bill, as introduced, the Secretary of State
indicates enactment of the bill would have minimal fiscal
effect on the agency, and the agency would use existing
resources to update training materials for local election
offices and update education and promotional materials to the
voting public. The Governmental Ethics Commission
indicates enactment of the bill would not have a fiscal effect
on the agency and any expenditures that would result from
printing new materials to reflect the change in contribution
limits could be absorbed within existing resources.
Any fiscal effect associated with enactment of the bill is
not reflected in The FY 2026 Governor’s Budget Report.
Campaign Finance Act; campaign contributions; party committees
5- 2054