Kansas debuts digital platform replacing 60-year-old paper-driven regulation system
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab on Tuesday announced the debut of the state’s new regulation platform, which will serve as a centralized digital platform where state agencies, boards and commissions can write, submit and edit rules and regulations electronically, replacing a 60-year-old paper process.
The new platform, which the state said is the first-ever overhaul of the state’s regulatory process, has been in development since last year when Schwab’s the office contracted with Esper, a regulatory management software company, to modernize the process. The new platform, the state said in a news release, will aim to improve the functionality of state government by cutting the regulatory process burden, reducing storage and paper costs, and streamlining the process through digital submissions and collaboration.
Under the current process, which has in place since 1965, agencies physically route paper documents between state offices for edits, legal review, approvals and filing. It involved five steps, each of which included at least four sub-steps. The process created a number of challenges, including issues with version control, transparency, storage and long approval timelines.
The new platform is also hoped to make the process more transparent and accessible, part of a push included in Schwab’s 2026 legislative agenda. This includes a law that was passed in April that delivered reforms aimed at providing Kansans greater insight into proposed regulations with earlier public notice, rather than learning about regulations once they had already received approval.
“Statewide regulation reform has been long overdue,” Schwab said in a news release. “I am proud that our agency has led these changes and delivered a more efficient regulatory process in Kansas.”
