Session of 2025
HOUSE BILL No. 2180
By Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications
Requested by Representative McDonald on behalf of Representative Ohaebosim
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AN ACT concerning disability services; relating to telecommunications
and information access services; establishing the blind information
access act; requiring the state librarian to contract with an organization
to provide on-demand information access services to persons who are
blind, visually impaired, deafblind or print disabled; establishing the
blind information access fund; requiring the transfer of moneys from
the Kansas universal service fund to provide for such services;
amending K.S.A. 66-2010 and repealing the existing section.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
New Section 1. (a) This act shall be known and may be cited as the
blind information access act.
(b) The state librarian shall estimate the cost of entering into a
contract with an organization that delivers on-demand information access
services to persons who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or print
disabled. Such services shall provide access to digital content through
audio, electronic text and braille-reading technologies and other related
services, including, but not limited to, Kansas specific publications,
national publications, international publications, breaking news sources
and localized emergency weather alerts. Such on-demand information
access services shall be provided using telecommunications or internet
services.
(c) On or before November 1 of each year, the state librarian shall
submit a report to the legislature and the state corporation commission that
specifies the estimate of the cost to enter into a contract to provide such
on-demand information access services and shall certify such cost to the
director of accounts and reports and the administrator of the Kansas
universal service fund. Upon receipt of such certification, the total amount
certified shall be transferred by the administrator of the Kansas universal
service fund from the Kansas universal service fund to the state treasurer
in the following calendar year by 12 equal monthly installment payments.
Upon receipt of each such payment, the state treasurer shall deposit such
amount in the state treasury and credit such amount to the blind
information access fund.
(d) Upon receipt of the amount certified pursuant to subsection (c),
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the state librarian shall enter into or renew the contract required pursuant
to this section.
(e) There is hereby created in the state treasury the blind information
access fund. All moneys credited to the blind information access fund shall
be used by the state librarian to implement the provisions of this section.
All expenditures from the blind information access fund shall be made in
accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of
accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the state
librarian or the state librarian's designee.
(f) The state librarian shall promote the information access services to
persons who may be eligible for such services.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby amended to read as follows: 66-
2010. (a) The commission shall utilize a competitive bidding process to
select a neutral, competent and bonded third party to administer the KUSF.
(b) The administrator shall be responsible for: (1) Collecting and
auditing all relevant information from all qualifying telecommunications
public utilities, telecommunications carriers or wireless
telecommunications service providers receiving funds from or providing
funds to the KUSF; (2) verifying, based on the calculations of each
qualifying telecommunications carrier, telecommunications public utility
or wireless telecommunications service provider, the obligation of each
such qualifying carrier, utility or provider to generate the funds required by
the KUSF; (3) collecting all moneys due to the KUSF from all
telecommunications public utilities, telecommunications carriers and
wireless telecommunications service providers in the state; and (4)
distributing amounts on a monthly basis due to qualifying
telecommunications public utilities, wireless telecommunications service
providers and telecommunications carriers receiving KUSF funding.
(c) Any information made available or received by the administrator
from carriers, utilities or providers receiving funds from or providing
funds to the KUSF shall not be subject to any provisions of the Kansas
open records act and shall be considered confidential and proprietary.
(d) The administrator shall be authorized to maintain an action to
collect any funds owed by any telecommunications carrier, public utility or
wireless telecommunications provider in the district court in the county of
the registered office of such carrier, utility or provider or, if such carrier,
utility or provider does not have a registered office in the state, such an
action may be maintained in the county where such carrier's, utility's or
provider's principal office is located. If such carrier, utility or provider has
no principal office in the state, such an action may be maintained in the
district court of any county in which such carrier, utility or provider
provides service.
(e) (1) The KUSF administrator shall be responsible to ensure for
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ensuring that funds do not fall below the level necessary to pay all
amounts collectively owed to all qualifying telecommunications public
utilities, wireless telecommunications service providers and,
telecommunications carriers and the information access services
contracted for pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto. The
administrator shall have the authority to retain and invest in a prudent and
reasonable manner any excess funds collected in any period to help ensure
that adequate funds are available to cover amounts payable in other
periods.
(2) Subject to the provisions of appropriations acts, for fiscal year
2013, the KUSF administrator may transfer moneys from the KUSF to the
state treasurer. Upon the receipt of any payment, the state treasurer shall
deposit the entire amount in the state treasury and credit it to the KAN-ED
fund. Any such payments shall be made after all payments required by
K.S.A. 66-2008, and amendments thereto, for the month are made from
the KUSF.
(2) Upon receipt of the certification from the state librarian issued
pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto, the KUSF administrator
shall transfer the total amount of moneys certified by the state librarian
from the KUSF to the state treasurer in the following calendar year by 12
equal monthly installment payments. Upon receipt of each such payment,
the state treasurer shall deposit such amount in the state treasury and
credit such amount to the blind information access fund.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby repealed.
Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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