A Senate committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 64 on Feb. 6, which would update internal Kansas statutes for the CAPERS retirement system, extend the time to request administrative hearings from 30 days to 60 days, and make several edits to align state law with federal Internal Revenue Code provisions.

The bill matters because it affects administrative appeal rights for CAPERS members — many of whom pursue appeals on disability determinations — and updates statutory language that the committee’s staff described as necessary to maintain federal tax compliance and correct an age discrepancy in required minimum distribution rules.

Eileen, committee staff member, told the committee, “Senate Bill 64 adjusts certain internal CAPER statutory references. It extends the time for filing administrative appeals and updates certain provisions relating to compliance with the federal internal revenue code.” She walked the panel through statutory citations and technical edits, identifying amendments to KSA provisions and changes to internal subsection references that the bill would make.

Alan Conroy, executive director of CAPERS, said the most significant policy point is the proposed extension of the appeal window. Conroy said the system receives roughly 10–12 administrative appeals a year, and that “probably, probably at least 3 fourths” are disability determinations. He told the committee the 30‑day limit can be difficult for some appellants who represent themselves and may need more time to gather medical records and decide whether to appeal. “We thought just really out of maybe fairness, to these people that wanna appeal, and again, it's their right, just to increase that statutory limitation from 30, to to 60 days,” Conroy said.

The bill also would update state language to align with federal tax law. Committee staff pointed to changes intended to correct a federal drafting error affecting the required minimum distribution age for individuals born in 1959 and to reference section 401(a)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code for life‑expectancy and distribution rules. Staff also noted a change reflecting the PATH Act of 2015 and references to more recent federal changes (the committee record mentions the SECURE 2.0 legislation) so the state statute tracks current federal rules.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about when the appeal clock starts and the volume of appeals. Committee staff and Conroy said the clock runs from the official notice of the decision, and Conroy reiterated the estimated annual appeal volume and the preponderance of disability cases. No opponents or neutral witnesses registered; the committee closed the hearing on Senate Bill 64 without a committee vote recorded at that time.

The committee record shows the bill was presented as technical corrections and federal compliance updates and that the Board of Trustees requested the bill; no formal motion or roll‑call vote on Senate Bill 64 was taken during the hearing.

Looking ahead, committee members moved on to other bills on the agenda for the week, including Senate Bill 32.