Session of 2025
HOUSE BILL No. 2372
By Committee on Federal and State Affairs
Requested by Representative Kessler
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AN ACT concerning state memorials; relating to the fallen firefighters
memorial; designating the existing fallen firefighters memorial within
the Kansas firefighters museum in Wichita as the official fallen
firefighters memorial of the state of Kansas; creating the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial council; abolishing the existing Kansas
firefighters memorial advisory committee and transferring such
committee's powers, duties, functions, records and other property to the
newly created council; requiring expenditures from the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial fund for the purposes of constructing, updating
and repairing the memorial and allowing expenditures to be made for
other purposes related to memorializing and honoring Kansas
firefighters; amending K.S.A. 75-36,102 and repealing the existing
section; also repealing K.S.A. 75-36,103.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
New Section 1. The Kansas firefighters memorial advisory committee
is hereby abolished, and all powers, duties, functions, records and other
property of the Kansas firefighters memorial advisory committee are
hereby transferred to the Kansas fallen firefighters memorial council
created by section 2, and amendments thereto.
New Sec. 2. (a) There is hereby established the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial council, which shall be composed of nine members
as follows:
(1) A representative of the Kansas state firefighters association
appointed by the governor;
(2) a representative of the Kansas state association of fire chiefs
appointed by the governor;
(3) a representative of the Kansas professional fire chiefs association
appointed by the governor;
(4) a representative of the Kansas council of firefighters appointed by
the governor;
(5) a representative of the fire education association of Kansas
appointed by the governor;
(6) a representative of the Kansas chapter of the international
association of arson investigators appointed by the governor;
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(7) a representative of the fire marshal's association of Kansas
appointed by the governor;
(8) the state fire marshal or the marshal's designee; and
(9) the executive director of the Kansas state historical society or the
executive director's designee.
(b) The council shall make recommendations to the governor and the
legislature regarding appropriate activities memorializing or
commemorating the services of firefighters in Kansas, including, but not
limited to, recommendations concerning the updating and repairing of the
fallen firefighters memorial pursuant to K.S.A. 75-36,102, and
amendments thereto. The council may solicit grants, gifts, contributions
and bequests for the memorial and shall remit all moneys so received for
deposit in the state treasury to the credit of the Kansas firefighters
memorial fund in accordance with K.S.A. 75-36,102, and amendments
thereto.
(c) The members of the council shall organize annually by electing a
chairperson and vice chairperson. The council shall meet at least once each
year upon the call of the chairperson. The secretary of administration, or
the secretary's designee, shall serve as secretary for the council. Members
of the council appointed by the governor under this section shall serve at
the pleasure of the governor.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 75-36,102 is hereby amended to read as follows: 75-
36,102. (a) There shall be placed on state property within the state capitol
plaza area a memorial to Kansas firefighters who have lost their lives in
the line of duty in the service of the state. Such memorial shall be located
at a site to be selected by the director. Such memorial shall be constructed
in accordance with the design and architectural drawings approved by the
director. The memorial shall be of such a design that the names of the
firefighters to be honored, both past and future, may be inscribed thereon.
The fallen firefighters memorial located at the Kansas firefighters museum
at 1300 S. Broadway Wichita, KS 67211, is hereby designated as the
official fallen firefighters memorial within the state of Kansas. Annually,
the director shall cause annually the name or names of any firefighters
who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the service of the state to be
inscribed upon the memorial. The memorial for Kansas firefighters is
subject to the provisions, procedures and approvals required under K.S.A.
75-36,102 through 75-36,106, and amendments thereto, except that such
memorial for Kansas firefighters is hereby authorized by the legislature for
purposes of subsection (b) of K.S.A. 75-36,106, and amendments thereto.
(b) It shall be the duty of the state fire marshal on or before the 15
th
day of March of each year to notify the secretary of administration of the
name or names of any firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of
duty during the preceding calendar year. The state fire marshal shall
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assemble gather the necessary information regarding any such firefighter
and report the same such information to the director.
(c) The secretary of administration Kansas fallen firefighters
memorial council is hereby authorized to receive any grants, gifts,
contributions or bequests made for the purpose of financing the
construction of such memorial or for its upkeep and the addition of names
thereto and to expend the same for the purpose for which received
expenditures authorized pursuant to subsection (d).
(d) There is hereby established in the state treasury the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial fund. Expenditures from the fund may shall be made
for the purposes of constructing, updating and repairing such the fallen
firefighters memorial, and may be made for other purposes related to
memorializing and honoring Kansas firefighters and for such purposes as
may be specified with regard to any grant, gift, contribution or bequest. All
such expenditures shall be authorized by the Kansas fallen firefighters
memorial advisory committee council and made upon warrants of the
director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by
the secretary of administration or the secretary's designee.
(e) On or before the 10
th
of each month, the director of accounts and
reports shall transfer from the state general fund to the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial fund interest earnings based on:
(1) The average daily balance of moneys in the Kansas fallen
firefighters memorial fund for the preceding month; and
(2) the net earnings rate for the pooled money investment portfolio
for the preceding month.
Sec. 4. K.S.A. 75-36,102 and 75-36,103 are hereby repealed.
Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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