Division of the Budget
Docking State Office Building
Phone: (785) 296-2436
915 SW Harrison Street, Suite 310
Topeka, KS 66612
http://budget.kansas.gov
Adam C. Proffitt, Director
Laura Kelly, Governor
Division of the Budget
March 4, 2026
The Honorable Kellie Warren, Chairperson
Senate Committee on Judiciary
300 SW 10th Avenue, Room 346-S
Topeka, Kansas 66612
Dear Senator Warren:
SUBJECT:
Fiscal Note for SB 454 by Senator Bowser
In accordance with KSA 75-3715a, the following fiscal note concerning SB 454 is
respectfully submitted to your committee.
SB 454 would enact the Crush Transnational Repression in Kansas Act. The bill would
define transnational repression as actions by agents of foreign principals that are intended to harass,
intimidate, censor, or otherwise extend a foreign government
’
s ability to influence or control
individuals outside that government
’
s jurisdiction. The bill would designate the following as
foreign adversaries: People
’
s Republic of China, including the Hong Kong special administrative
region, Republic of Cuba, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People
’
s Republic of Korea,
Russian Federation, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and any organization designated as a
foreign terrorist organization as of July 1, 2026, by the federal government. Foreign adversary
would not include the Republic of China (Taiwan).
A person commits a crime with the intent to commit transnational repression if such crime
is undertaken by an agent of a foreign principal or foreign terrorist organization who acts
knowingly at the direction of or on behalf of such entity with the intent to coerce another person
to act on behalf of the foreign principal; coerce or cause another person to leave the United States;
cause a person to refrain from exercising conduct protected by the First Amendment of the
Constitution of the United States; or retaliate against a person for engaging in such protected
conduct. In addition, the criminal conduct must not be protected by the First Amendment.
The Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) would be required to develop or
adopt training in transnational repression recognition and response by July 1, 2027. The bill details
elements that would be included in the training. The Director would also be required to develop
The Honorable Kellie Warren, Chairperson
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SB 454
public awareness information that would be displayed on KBI
’
s website, develop reporting
mechanisms that would be available in multiple languages, and prepare annual reporting on the
number of complaints received and the outcomes. The University of Kansas and Kansas State
University would be required to include information on transnational repression in their campus
disciplinary policies and provide for direct complaints of transnational repression to be made to a
university liaison.
The bill would amend the Kansas sentencing guidelines for certain felony offenses, such
as kidnapping, human trafficking, certain sex offenses, or any attempt or conspiracy with the intent
to commit transnational repression. For offenses classified at severity levels 2 through 10, the
sentence would be increased by one severity level above the appropriate level for such offense.
For severity level 1 offenses, the sentence would be life imprisonment with no eligibility for
probation, suspension, modification, or reduction of sentence. In addition, the offender would
serve at least 25 years before parole eligibility, with no reduction for good time credits. An
exception would apply when the offender
’
s criminal history results in a sentencing range
exceeding 300 months, in which case the mandatory minimum term would equal the established
sentencing range. The sentencing imposed under the bill would not be considered a departure from
current sentencing guidelines and would not be subject to appeal.
The Sentencing Commission estimates that enactment of SB 454 would negligibly increase
prison admissions and bed space, but that this effect cannot be determined at this time. The current
estimated available bed capacity is 9,924 for males and 968 for females. Based upon the
Commission
’
s most recent ten-year projection contained in its
FY 2026 Adult Inmate Prison
Population Projections
report, it is estimated that the year-end population will total 9,176 male
and 924 female inmates in FY 2026 and 9,485 male and 953 female inmates in FY 2027. The
Department of Corrections indicates that enactment of the bill would have a negligible fiscal effect
that could be absorbed within existing resources.
The Office of Judicial Administration indicates enactment of the bill could increase the
number of cases filed in district courts for transnational repression. Since the criminal penalties
would be increased by one severity level, there could be less supervision of offenders required to
be performed by court services officers. The bill could also result in a decrease in supervision fee
revenues that would be deposited into the agency
’
s Correctional Supervision Fund and the State
General Fund. However, the agency states a precise fiscal effect cannot be estimated.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation states that any costs to develop training materials and
develop public awareness and reporting would be absorbed within its existing resources. Kansas
State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Kansas Medical Center all state
that designating a university liaison and updating campus disciplinary policies would be absorbed
within existing resources. The Office of the Attorney General and the Adjutant General
’
s
Department both state that the bill would not have a fiscal effect. Any fiscal effect associated with
SB 454 is not reflected in
The FY 2027 Governor
’
s Budget Report
.
The Kansas Association of Counties states that enactment of the bill could increase
investigation and prosecution expenditures for counties. However, the Association cannot
The Honorable Kellie Warren, Chairperson
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SB 454
estimate a fiscal effect. The League of Kansas Municipalities states that the bill would increase
expenditures for cities because cities and their law enforcement would have to develop and
implement new procedures related to the recognition and response training related to transnational
repression. The League is unable to estimate a precise fiscal effect.
Sincerely,
Adam C. Proffitt
Director of the Budget
cc: Paul Weisgerber, Kansas Bureau of Investigation
Beth Visocsky, Office of the Adjutant General
Wendi Stark, League of Kansas Municipalities
Bruce Chladny, Kansas Association of Counties
Jeff Dewitt, University of Kansas
Matt Bingesser, Office of the Attorney General
Trisha Morrow, Judiciary
Scott Schultz, Kansas Sentencing Commission
Jennifer King, Department of Corrections