Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB46 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Session of 2025
2	2	SENATE BILL No. 46
3	3	By Senator Ware
4	4	1-21
5	5	AN ACT concerning disability services; relating to telecommunications
6	6	and information access services; establishing the blind information
7	7	access act; requiring the state librarian to contract with an organization
8	8	to provide on-demand information access services to persons who are
9	9	blind, visually impaired, deafblind or print disabled; establishing the
10	10	blind information access fund; requiring the transfer of moneys from
11	11	the Kansas universal service fund to provide for such services;
12	12	amending K.S.A. 66-2010 and repealing the existing section.
13	13	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14	14	New Section 1. (a) This act shall be known and may be cited as the
15	15	blind information access act.
16	16	(b) The state librarian shall estimate the cost of entering into a
17	17	contract with an organization that delivers on-demand information access
18	18	services to persons who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or print
19	19	disabled. Such services shall provide access to digital content through
20	20	audio, electronic text and braille-reading technologies and other related
21	21	services, including, but not limited to, Kansas specific publications,
22	22	national publications, international publications, breaking news sources
23	23	and localized emergency weather alerts. Such on-demand information
24	24	access services shall be provided using telecommunications or internet
25	25	services.
26	26	(c) On or before November 1 of each year, the state librarian shall
27	27	submit a report to the legislature and the state corporation commission that
28	28	specifies the estimate of the cost to enter into a contract to provide such
29	29	on-demand information access services and shall certify such cost to the
30	30	director of accounts and reports and the administrator of the Kansas
31	31	universal service fund. Upon receipt of such certification, the total amount
32	32	certified shall be transferred by the administrator of the Kansas universal
33	33	service fund from the Kansas universal service fund to the state treasurer
34	34	in the following calendar year by 12 equal monthly installment payments.
35	35	Upon receipt of each such payment, the state treasurer shall deposit such
36	36	amount in the state treasury and credit such amount to the blind
37	37	information access fund.
38	38	(d) Upon receipt of the amount certified pursuant to subsection (c),
39	39	the state librarian shall enter into or renew the contract required pursuant
40	40	1
41	41	2
42	42	3
43	43	4
44	44	5
45	45	6
46	46	7
47	47	8
48	48	9
49	49	10
50	50	11
51	51	12
52	52	13
53	53	14
54	54	15
55	55	16
56	56	17
57	57	18
58	58	19
59	59	20
60	60	21
61	61	22
62	62	23
63	63	24
64	64	25
65	65	26
66	66	27
67	67	28
68	68	29
69	69	30
70	70	31
71	71	32
72	72	33
73	73	34
74	74	35
75	75	36 SB 46 2
76	76	to this section.
77	77	(e) There is hereby created in the state treasury the blind information
78	78	access fund. All moneys credited to the blind information access fund shall
79	79	be used by the state librarian to implement the provisions of this section.
80	80	All expenditures from the blind information access fund shall be made in
81	81	accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of
82	82	accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the state
83	83	librarian or the state librarian's designee.
84	84	(f) The state librarian shall promote the information access services to
85	85	persons who may be eligible for such services.
86	86	Sec. 2. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby amended to read as follows: 66-
87	87	2010. (a) The commission shall utilize a competitive bidding process to
88	88	select a neutral, competent and bonded third party to administer the KUSF.
89	89	(b) The administrator shall be responsible for: (1) Collecting and
90	90	auditing all relevant information from all qualifying telecommunications
91	91	public utilities, telecommunications carriers or wireless
92	92	telecommunications service providers receiving funds from or providing
93	93	funds to the KUSF; (2) verifying, based on the calculations of each
94	94	qualifying telecommunications carrier, telecommunications public utility
95	95	or wireless telecommunications service provider, the obligation of each
96	96	such qualifying carrier, utility or provider to generate the funds required by
97	97	the KUSF; (3) collecting all moneys due to the KUSF from all
98	98	telecommunications public utilities, telecommunications carriers and
99	99	wireless telecommunications service providers in the state; and (4)
100	100	distributing amounts on a monthly basis due to qualifying
101	101	telecommunications public utilities, wireless telecommunications service
102	102	providers and telecommunications carriers receiving KUSF funding.
103	103	(c) Any information made available or received by the administrator
104	104	from carriers, utilities or providers receiving funds from or providing
105	105	funds to the KUSF shall not be subject to any provisions of the Kansas
106	106	open records act and shall be considered confidential and proprietary.
107	107	(d) The administrator shall be authorized to maintain an action to
108	108	collect any funds owed by any telecommunications carrier, public utility or
109	109	wireless telecommunications provider in the district court in the county of
110	110	the registered office of such carrier, utility or provider or, if such carrier,
111	111	utility or provider does not have a registered office in the state, such an
112	112	action may be maintained in the county where such carrier's, utility's or
113	113	provider's principal office is located. If such carrier, utility or provider has
114	114	no principal office in the state, such an action may be maintained in the
115	115	district court of any county in which such carrier, utility or provider
116	116	provides service.
117	117	(e) (1) The KUSF administrator shall be responsible to ensure for
118	118	ensuring that funds do not fall below the level necessary to pay all
119	119	1
120	120	2
121	121	3
122	122	4
123	123	5
124	124	6
125	125	7
126	126	8
127	127	9
128	128	10
129	129	11
130	130	12
131	131	13
132	132	14
133	133	15
134	134	16
135	135	17
136	136	18
137	137	19
138	138	20
139	139	21
140	140	22
141	141	23
142	142	24
143	143	25
144	144	26
145	145	27
146	146	28
147	147	29
148	148	30
149	149	31
150	150	32
151	151	33
152	152	34
153	153	35
154	154	36
155	155	37
156	156	38
157	157	39
158	158	40
159	159	41
160	160	42
161	161	43 SB 46 3
162	162	amounts collectively owed to all qualifying telecommunications public
163	163	utilities, wireless telecommunications service providers and,
164	164	telecommunications carriers and the information access services
165	165	contracted for pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto. The
166	166	administrator shall have the authority to retain and invest in a prudent and
167	167	reasonable manner any excess funds collected in any period to help ensure
168	168	that adequate funds are available to cover amounts payable in other
169	169	periods.
170	170	(2) Subject to the provisions of appropriations acts, for fiscal year
171	171	2013, the KUSF administrator may transfer moneys from the KUSF to the
172	172	state treasurer. Upon the receipt of any payment, the state treasurer shall
173	173	deposit the entire amount in the state treasury and credit it to the KAN-ED
174	174	fund. Any such payments shall be made after all payments required by
175	175	K.S.A. 66-2008, and amendments thereto, for the month are made from
176	176	the KUSF.
177	177	(2) Upon receipt of the certification from the state librarian issued
178	178	pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto, the KUSF administrator
179	179	shall transfer the total amount of moneys certified by the state librarian
180	180	from the KUSF to the state treasurer in the following calendar year by 12
181	181	equal monthly installment payments. Upon receipt of each such payment,
182	182	the state treasurer shall deposit such amount in the state treasury and
183	183	credit such amount to the blind information access fund.
184	184	Sec. 3. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby repealed.
185	185	Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
186	186	publication in the statute book.
187	187	1
188	188	2
189	189	3
190	190	4
191	191	5
192	192	6
193	193	7
194	194	8
195	195	9
196	196	10
197	197	11
198	198	12
199	199	13
200	200	14
201	201	15
202	202	16
203	203	17
204	204	18
205	205	19
206	206	20
207	207	21
208	208	22
209	209	23
210	210	24
211	211	25