Merit Institute Merit

The Kansas Merit-Based Credentialing Act (KS-ACSA)

Kansas state companion to ACSA. Extends Kansas Uniform Licensing Act framework, Kansas Board of Regents / Kansas Community and Technical Colleges, and K.S.A. Ch. 79 Art. 32 income-tax credits.

THE KANSAS MERIT-BASED CREDENTIALING ACT (KS-ACSA)

Vehicle: State passage. Kansas Legislature, regular session. Primary referral to House / Senate Commerce / Tax / Education.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “Kansas Merit-Based Credentialing Act (KS-ACSA).”

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT

The Legislature finds that Kansas enacted licensure recognition provisions for military spouses and established reciprocity frameworks under K.S.A. 48-3406 and related professional-license statutes, and that the Legislature enacted occupational-license reform in K.S.A. Ch. 74 Art. 146 to establish clear standards for licensure recognition; that the Kansas Board of Regents operates under K.S.A. Ch. 74 Art. 32; that the Kansas Community and Technical Colleges operate under K.S.A. Ch. 71; that the Kansas Department of Commerce operates under K.S.A. Ch. 74 Art. 50; and that K.S.A. Ch. 79 Art. 32 provides income-tax credits. This Act extends these frameworks.

TITLE I — DEFINITIONS & COORDINATION WITH KANSAS LAW

Sec. 101. Definitions

  1. (a) “Kansas Recognized Merit Credential” or “KSRMC” means a competency-based credential designated by the President of the Kansas Board of Regents in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce under Sec. 201.
  2. (b) “Federal FRAC” means a Federally Recognized Alternative Credential under Section 202 of the federal ACSA.
  3. (c) “Covered State licensing authority” means an agency issuing an occupational license under K.S.A. Ch. 74.

Sec. 102. Coordination with Existing Kansas Law

  1. (a) Consistent with:
  • K.S.A. Ch. 74 (occupational licensing).
  • K.S.A. Ch. 74 Art. 32 (Kansas Board of Regents).
  • K.S.A. Ch. 71 (community and technical colleges).
  • K.S.A. Ch. 74 Art. 50 (Department of Commerce).
  • K.S.A. Ch. 79 Art. 32 (income tax).

TITLE II — KANSAS RECOGNIZED MERIT CREDENTIALS

Sec. 201. Designation Authority

  1. (a) The President of the Kansas Board of Regents, in coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, shall maintain a Kansas Recognized Merit Credentials registry (“KSRMC Registry”) in machine-readable form, updated at least annually, crosswalked to Federal FRAC.

Sec. 202. Degree-Optional State Employment

  1. (a) K.S.A. Ch. 75 Art. 29 (Kansas Civil Service Act) shall be applied so that a KSRMC-holder satisfies any position qualification stated in terms of a college degree, unless expressly required by Kansas statute.

TITLE III — TAX INCENTIVE FOR SKILLS-BASED HIRING

Sec. 301. Kansas Skills-Based Hiring Income-Tax Credit

  1. (a) A new credit is added to K.S.A. Ch. 79 Art. 32 equal to a percentage of qualified first-year wages paid to a Kansas-resident employee whose qualifying pathway is a KSRMC or Federal FRAC.
  2. (b) Coordinated with federal IRC Sec. 45AA; aggregate cap.
  3. (c) Kansas Department of Revenue administers.

TITLE IV — OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE PORTABILITY

Sec. 401. Licensure by Demonstrated Competency

  1. (a) Demonstrated-competency pathway accepting KSRMC, Federal FRAC, or examination-plus-supervised-experience.

Sec. 402. Interstate Recognition for Federal-Fund Recipients

  1. (a) Recognition by federally-funded authorities, consistent with Section 401 of the federal ACSA.

TITLE V — IMPLEMENTATION & GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 501. Severability

If any provision is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the remainder.

Sec. 502. Effective Date

This Act shall take effect July 1 of the year following enactment, except that Sec. 301 shall apply to tax years beginning on or after January 1 of the year following enactment.

Canonical federal version: ACSA. Other Kansas bills: KS-MEWRA, KS-GT&P, KS-AI-Workforce.