KS
Kansas House Bill HB2344

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2344 Compare Versions

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11 Session of 2025
22 HOUSE BILL No. 2344
33 By Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
44 Requested by Representative Tarwater
55 2-7
66 AN ACT concerning economic development; relating to international
77 trade; establishing the Kansas-Ireland trade commission to advance,
88 promote and encourage business and other mutually beneficial
99 activities between Kansas and Ireland; creating the Kansas-Ireland
1010 trade commission fund.
1111 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
1212 Section 1. (a) There is hereby established the Kansas-Ireland trade
1313 commission. The commission shall consist of 13 members as follows:
1414 (1) The chairperson of the senate standing committee on commerce
1515 and the chairperson of the house of representatives standing committee on
1616 commerce, labor and economic development, as appointed by the
1717 president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives,
1818 respectively;
1919 (2) two members of the senate, one of whom shall be appointed by
2020 the president of the senate and one of whom shall be appointed by the
2121 minority leader of the senate. The appointees shall have interest in the
2222 well-being of trade relations between Kansas and Ireland and current or
2323 past involvement in businesses engaged in international trade, preferably
2424 with Ireland, or organizations that promote international trade or Irish
2525 affairs; and
2626 (3) two members of the house of representatives, one of whom shall
2727 be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one of
2828 whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of
2929 representatives. The appointees shall have interest in the well-being of
3030 trade relations between Kansas and Ireland and current or past
3131 involvement in businesses engaged in international trade, preferably with
3232 Ireland, or organizations that promote international trade or Irish affairs;
3333 (4) six members, two of whom shall be selected by the governor, two
3434 by the speaker of the house of representatives and two by the president of
3535 the senate. The two members selected by the governor, speaker of the
3636 house of representatives and president of the senate, respectively, shall
3737 each be a representative of either:
3838 (A) A Kansas postsecondary public education institution;
3939 (B) the Irish American community in Kansas who is interested in
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7575 furthering trade between Kansas and Ireland;
7676 (C) a Kansas industry engaged in or seeking to engage in trade with
7777 Ireland; or
7878 (D) a Kansas business association, trade organization, economic
7979 development organization or chamber of commerce currently engaged in
8080 or interested in engaging in the furtherance of trade with Ireland; and
8181 (5) the secretary of commerce or the secretary's designee who has
8282 responsibilities with respect to international trade.
8383 (b) No public postsecondary educational institution, industry,
8484 business association, trade organization or chamber of commerce shall
8585 have more than one representative serving as a member of the
8686 commission. Not more than two representatives of the Kansas Irish
8787 community shall serve on the commission and, if more than one such
8888 representative is appointed to serve, such representatives shall not be
8989 members of the same political party.
9090 (c) (1) Legislative members shall serve for a term corresponding to
9191 the two-year biennial legislative session in which they are appointed to the
9292 council and remain members of the legislature to retain membership on the
9393 council. Vacancies of legislative members shall be filled for the unexpired
9494 portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment. The
9595 appointing authority for a legislative member may remove a member and
9696 substitute such member with another appointee at any time. Legislative
9797 members may be reappointed.
9898 (2) All nonlegislative members shall serve a term of three years.
9999 Vacancies of nonlegislative members shall be filled for the unexpired
100100 portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment. The
101101 appointing authority for the nonlegislative member may remove a member
102102 and substitute such member with another appointee at any time.
103103 Nonlegislative members may be reappointed.
104104 (d) Members of the commission attending meetings of such
105105 commission or attending a subcommittee meeting thereof authorized by
106106 such commission shall be paid compensation, subsistence allowances,
107107 mileage and other expenses as provided in K.S.A. 75-3223, and
108108 amendments thereto, for each day or part thereof in which such member
109109 attended a meeting authorized by the commission. Members shall be
110110 reimbursed for other necessary and reasonable expenses actually incurred
111111 in the performance of the member's official duties. A members'
112112 compensation and expenses incurred from the attendance at meetings of
113113 the commission and any administrative expenses of the commission shall
114114 be paid from any account of the state general fund of the department of
115115 commerce as designated by the secretary of commerce.
116116 (e) The commission shall hold meetings at least once each quarter.
117117 Meetings shall be held in Topeka, Kansas, and at the call of the
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161161 chairperson.
162162 (f) A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a
163163 quorum for the transaction of the business of the commission.
164164 (g) The chairperson of the house of representatives standing
165165 committee on commerce, labor and economic development shall serve as
166166 the chairperson of the council when first organized and for the ensuing two
167167 years. The chairperson of the senate standing committee on commerce
168168 shall serve as the chairperson of the council for the next succeeding two
169169 years, and thereafter, the office of chairperson shall continue to alternate
170170 between the chambers.
171171 (h) The chairperson may appoint from among the commission
172172 members subcommittees and subcommittee chairpersons.
173173 (i) The commission shall keep records of all proceedings, which shall
174174 be public and open to inspection.
175175 (j) The staff of the office of revisor of statutes, the legislative research
176176 department and the division of legislative administrative services shall
177177 provide such assistance as may be requested by the chairperson.
178178 Sec. 2. (a) The purpose of the Kansas-Ireland trade commission shall
179179 be to advance, promote and encourage business and other mutually
180180 beneficial activities between Kansas and Ireland, including:
181181 (1) Bilateral trade and investment;
182182 (2) joint action on policy issues of mutual interest;
183183 (3) business and academic exchanges;
184184 (4) mutual economic support;
185185 (5) mutual investment in respective infrastructure; and
186186 (6) other opportunities for mutual benefit and economic growth as
187187 identified by the commission.
188188 (b) The commission shall report findings, activities, results and
189189 recommendations concerning subsection (a) to the governor and the
190190 legislature within one year of the commission's initial meeting and by
191191 February 1 of each succeeding year for the activities of the preceding
192192 calendar year. The report shall be in writing and may include
193193 recommendations or proposed legislation as deemed appropriate by the
194194 commission to effectuate the commission's purpose.
195195 (c) The Kansas-Ireland trade commission shall be authorized to raise
196196 funds to carry out the purposes of the commission. Such funds may be
197197 raised through direct solicitation or other fundraising events, either alone
198198 or with other groups, and accept gifts, grants and bequests from
199199 individuals, corporations, foundations, governmental agencies and public
200200 and private organizations and institutions. All such funds, gifts, grants or
201201 bequests received pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Kansas-
202202 Ireland trade commission fund established in section 4, and amendments
203203 thereto, and all expenditures from such fund shall be for the purposes of
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247247 the commission and upon the majority vote of the commission.
248248 Sec. 3. (a) There is hereby established in the state treasury the
249249 Kansas-Ireland trade commission fund which shall be administered by the
250250 chairperson of the Kansas-Ireland trade commission or the chairperson's
251251 designee. At the request of the chairperson, the secretary of commerce or
252252 the secretary's designee shall serve as the designee of the chairperson with
253253 respect to administration of the fund. All moneys received from any
254254 private donation, gift, grant or bequest made to the commission for the
255255 purposes of this act shall be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance
256256 with the provisions of K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon
257257 receipt of each such remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire
258258 amount in the state treasury to the credit of the Kansas-Ireland trade
259259 commission fund. All expenditures from the Kansas-Ireland trade
260260 commission fund shall be for furthering the purposes of the Kansas-Ireland
261261 trade commission upon a majority vote of the commission and in
262262 accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of
263263 accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the
264264 chairperson of the Kansas-Ireland trade commission or the chairperson's
265265 designee.
266266 (b) On or before the 10
267267 th
268268 of each month, the director of accounts and
269269 reports shall transfer from the state general fund to the Kansas-Ireland
270270 trade commission fund interest earnings based on:
271271 (1) The average daily balance of moneys in the Kansas-Ireland trade
272272 commission fund for the preceding month; and
273273 (2) the net earnings rate for the pooled money investment portfolio
274274 for the preceding month.
275275 Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
276276 publication in the statute book.
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