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Session of 2026
HOUSE BILL No. 2580
By Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Requested by Representative K. Williams
1-28
AN ACT concerning economic development; relating to international
trade; establishing the Kansas international trade commission to
advance, promote and encourage business and other mutually beneficial
activities between Kansas and other countries, particularly Ireland,
Japan and Taiwan; establishing the Kansas international trade
commission fund.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. (a) There is hereby established the Kansas international
trade commission. The commission shall consist of 16 members as
follows:
(1) The chairperson of the senate standing committee on commerce
and the chairperson of the house of representatives standing committee on
commerce, labor and economic development, as appointed by the
president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives,
respectively;
(2) (A) (i) three members of the senate, two of whom shall be
appointed by the president of the senate and one of whom shall be
appointed by the minority leader of the senate; and
(ii) three members of the house of representatives, two of whom shall
be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and one of
whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of
representatives.
(B) Such appointees shall have interest in the well-being of trade
relations between Kansas and other countries, particularly Ireland, Japan
or Taiwan, and current or past involvement in businesses engaged in
international trade, preferably with such countries or organizations that
promote international trade or Kansas-Irish, Kansas-Japanese or Kansas-
Taiwanese affairs;
(3) seven members, three of whom shall be appointed by the
governor, two by the speaker of the house of representatives and two by
the president of the senate. The members appointed by the governor,
speaker of the house of representatives and president of the senate shall
each be a representative of either:
(A) A Kansas postsecondary public education institution;
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(B) the Kansas-Irish, Kansas-Japanese or Kansas-Taiwanese
community in Kansas who is interested in furthering trade between Kansas
and Ireland, Japan or Taiwan;
(C) a Kansas industry engaged in or seeking to engage in trade with
Ireland, Japan or Taiwan; or
(D) a Kansas business association, trade organization, economic
development organization or chamber of commerce engaged in or
interested in engaging in the furtherance of trade with Ireland, Japan and
Taiwan
(4) the secretary of commerce or the secretary's designee who has
responsibilities with respect to international trade.
(b) No public postsecondary educational institution, business
association, trade organization or chamber of commerce shall have more
than one representative serving as a member of the commission.
(c) (1) Legislative members shall serve for a term corresponding to
the two-year biennial legislative session in which they are appointed to the
council and remain members of the legislature to retain membership on the
council. Vacancies of legislative members shall be filled for the unexpired
portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment. The
appointing authority for a legislative member may remove a member and
substitute such member with another appointee at any time. Legislative
members may be reappointed.
(2) All nonlegislative members shall serve a term of three years.
Vacancies of nonlegislative members shall be filled for the unexpired
portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment. The
appointing authority for the nonlegislative member may remove a member
and substitute such member with another appointee at any time.
Nonlegislative members may be reappointed.
(d) A member of the commission attending meetings of such
commission or attending a subcommittee meeting thereof authorized by
such commission shall be paid compensation, subsistence allowances,
mileage and other expenses as provided in K.S.A. 75-3223, and
amendments thereto, for each day or part thereof in which such member
attended a meeting authorized by the commission, except that no state
funds shall be used for mileage or other travel expenses for travel outside
the state of Kansas for members who are not state employees. Members
who are not state employees may be reimbursed for mileage or other travel
expenses for travel outside the state of Kansas from donations, grants or
other nonpublic funds available to the commission pursuant to section 2,
and amendments thereto. A member shall be reimbursed for other
necessary and reasonable expenses actually incurred in the performance of
such member's official duties. Compensation, allowances and expenses
incurred from the attendance at meetings of the commission and any
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administrative expenses of the commission shall be paid from any account
of the state general fund of the department of commerce as designated by
the secretary of commerce. No reimbursement shall be made for remote
attendance at meetings.
(e) The commission shall hold meetings at least once each quarter.
Meetings shall be held in Topeka, Kansas, at the call of the chairperson.
Meetings may be held remotely or members may participate remotely via
video conference at the discretion of the chairperson. Upon the
chairperson's request, the secretary of commerce shall provide appropriate
meeting facilities for the commission. Meetings shall be open to the
public.
(f) A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business.
(g) The chairperson of the house of representatives standing
committee on commerce, labor and economic development shall serve as
the chairperson of the council when first organized and for the ensuing two
years. The chairperson of the senate standing committee on commerce
shall serve as the chairperson of the council for the next succeeding two
years, and thereafter, the office of chairperson shall continue to alternate
between the chambers.
(h) The chairperson may appoint subcommittees and subcommittee
chairpersons from among the commission members. Expenses of members
for attendance at subcommittee meetings shall not be reimbursable unless
such meetings are approved by the legislative coordinating council. Any
such reimbursement shall be made as provided by subsection (d).
(i) The commission shall keep records of all proceedings. Such
records shall be public and open to inspection.
(j) The staff of the office of revisor of statutes, the legislative research
department and the division of legislative administrative services shall
provide such assistance as may be requested by the chairperson.
Sec. 2. (a) The purposes of the Kansas international trade commission
shall be to advance, promote and encourage business and other mutually
beneficial activities between Kansas and other countries, particularly
Ireland, Japan and Taiwan, including:
(1) Bilateral trade and investment between Kansas and other
countries, particularly Ireland, Japan or Taiwan;
(2) mutual action on policy issues of mutual interest;
(3) business and academic exchanges;
(4) mutual economic support;
(5) mutual investment in respective infrastructure; and
(6) other opportunities for mutual benefit and economic growth as
identified by the commission.
(b) The secretary of commerce or the secretary's designee who has
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responsibilities with respect to international trade shall prepare and present
to the commission at the commission's first meeting a report on Kansas
international business and trade activity, expenditures and opportunities for
expansion, in general and specifically with Ireland, Japan and Taiwan.
Such report shall be updated by the secretary or secretary's designee
quarterly and include any other nonconfidential international business or
trade information as may be requested by the commission.
(c) The commission shall report findings, activities, results and
recommendations to the governor and the legislature within one year of the
commission's initial meeting and by February 1 of each succeeding year
for the activities of the preceding calendar year. The report shall be in
writing and may include recommendations or proposed legislation as
deemed appropriate by the commission to effectuate the commission's
purposes.
(d) (1) The commission shall be authorized to raise funds to carry out
the purposes of the commission and accept gifts, grants and bequests from
individuals, corporations, foundations, governmental agencies and public
and private organizations and institutions. All such funds, gifts, grants or
bequests received shall be deposited in the Kansas international trade
commission fund established in section 3, and amendments thereto, and all
expenditures from such fund shall be for the purposes of the commission
and authorized upon the majority vote of the commission.
(2) The commission shall prepare an annual written accounting and
report of all gifts, grants, bequests or other funds received by the
commission pursuant to paragraph (1). Such report shall be provided on or
before February 1 of each year to the legislative coordinating council, the
house committee on commerce, labor and economic development and the
senate committee on commerce.
Sec. 3. (a) There is hereby established in the state treasury the Kansas
international trade commission fund, which shall be administered by the
chairperson of the Kansas international trade commission or the
chairperson's designee. At the request of the chairperson or the vote of the
commission, the secretary of commerce or the secretary's designee shall
serve as the designee of the chairperson with respect to the administration
of the fund. All moneys received from any private donation, gift, grant or
bequest made to such trade commission for the purposes of this act shall
be remitted to the state treasurer in accordance with the provisions of
K.S.A. 75-4215, and amendments thereto. Upon receipt of each such
remittance, the state treasurer shall deposit the entire amount in the state
treasury to the credit of the Kansas international trade commission fund.
All expenditures from such fund shall be for the purposes of the Kansas
international trade commission, authorized upon a majority vote of the
commission and made in accordance with appropriation acts upon
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warrants of the director of accounts and reports issued pursuant to
vouchers approved by the chairperson of the Kansas international trade
commission or the chairperson's designee.
(b) 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
international trade commission fund interest earnings based on:
(1) The average daily balance of moneys in such fund for the
preceding month; and
(2) the net earnings rate for the pooled money investment portfolio
for the preceding month.
Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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