TOPEKA — The bill-writing software for the Kansas Legislature that was supposed to be operational months before start of the 2026 legislative session in January remains ill-equipped for implementation.
House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, said the objective was to work with contractor Propylon to get the system functional by the launch of the 2027 session.
“The goal is still to go live in the next legislative session,” Hawkins said. ‘They still have work to do. Hopefully, we’ll still get there.”
Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said relying on antiquated technology to craft bills would be unacceptable and that the inability of Propylon to deliver was frustrating.
“I hope we’re not just pushing on ‘hopefully,’ ” Sykes said. “We need to have bills drafted. Last session was a nightmare, and for government to function we need that working. I feel like they have just been dragging us along.”
Altaf Uddin, who leads the Legislature’s technology office, said Propylon had been more responsive to the state’s IT demands than in the past.
The company signed a $3.9 million contract with the Legislature in October 2022, but failed to complete its work by June and October 2025 deadlines. Extending the project beyond the Oct. 1 target compelled the state to devote another $190,000 to the project.
Uddin said intensive testing revealed deficiencies in the Computer Assisted Legislative Information System, or CALIS, that had to be addressed. The system eventually would be a resource for individual legislators, but also by legislative staff responsible for conducting policy research and for writing bills.
In 2025, Hawkins had joined a group of legislators who echoed sentiment that Propylon “doesn’t seem to deliver on their promises.”
Hawkins and Sykes are both candidates for the job of state insurance commissioner. Joining them on the November ballot will be Libertarian nominee Ric Koehn of Cimarron.
Meanwhile, the Legislative Coordinating Council — comprised of the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate — received confirmation Tuesday a failed contract authorized by the LCC in 2024 would be canceled. The LCC was responsible for choosing Indigov to produce a service intended to assist lawmakers in managing communications and relationships with their constituents.
The LCC voted unanimously in August to spike the $288,000 per-year contract because the system wasn’t popular with senators and representatives. Indigov was notified Sept. 16 and the company affirmed it had received the letter. The existing contract with Indigov will expire in December.
This story previously appeared on the Kansas Reflector.
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