Schwab Launches Statewide Modernization of Regulation Process

Monday, October 6, 2025

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab is leading a major overhaul of how state regulations are created, tracked, approved, and filed—transitioning Kansas away from a decades-old paper-based system to a fully digital process.

Since beginning his second term, Secretary Schwab has prioritized modernizing the regulation making process. Currently, agencies submit paper documents for regulatory approval. These documents are reviewed, edited, adopted, and then stored in physical file cabinets indefinitely.

Recognizing the need for modernization, the agency recently contracted with Esper, a regulatory management software company. Following an assessment process, which is already underway, Kansas agencies, boards, and commissions will begin using the new digital platform in early 2026.

“This kind of statewide change is long overdue,” said Schwab. “We even found records from 2003 where state employees called attention to the inefficiencies of the current process and pleaded for reform.”

In its current form, the regulatory process offers little transparency to the public. Kansans have no visibility when new regulations are submitted. They often only learn about them at the point of public hearing, just before adoption.

The new system will enhance both public transparency and internal efficiency, ensuring that all stakeholders from agency staff to Kansas residents are better informed and better served.

###