§ 9-2402 — Definitions

As used in K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 9-2401 through 9-2416, and amendments thereto:
(a) "Act" means the Kansas earned wage access services act.
(b) "Commissioner" means the state bank commissioner or the commissioner's designee, who shall be the deputy commissioner of the consumer and mortgage lending division of the office of the state bank commissioner.
(c) "Consumer" means an individual who is a resident of this state. A provider may use the mailing address provided by a consumer to determine such consumer's state of residence for purposes of this act.
(d) "Consumer-directed wage access services" means offering or providing earned wage access services directly to consumers based on the consumer's representations and the provider's reasonable determination of the consumer's earned but unpaid income.
(e) "Director" means a member of the registrant's or applicant's board of directors.
(f) "Earned but unpaid income" means salary, wages, compensation or other income that a consumer has represented, and that a provider has reasonably determined, to have been earned or to have accrued to the benefit of the consumer in exchange for the consumer's provision of services to an employer or on behalf of an employer, including on an hourly, project-based, piecework or other basis and including where the consumer is acting as an independent contractor of the employer, but, at the time of the payment of proceeds, have not been paid to the consumer by the employer.
(g) "Earned wage access services" means the business of providing consumer-directed wage access services or employer-integrated wage access services, or both.
(h) "Employer-integrated wage access services" means the business of delivering to consumers access to earned but unpaid income that is based on employment, income and attendance data obtained directly or indirectly from an employer.
(i) "Fee" means a fee imposed by a provider for delivery or expedited delivery of proceeds to a consumer or a subscription or membership fee imposed by a provider for a bona fide group of services that include earned wage access services. A voluntary tip, gratuity or donation shall not be deemed a fee.
(j) "Member" means someone who has the right to receive upon dissolution, or has contributed 10% or more of the capital, of a limited liability corporation or a limited liability partnership of the registrant or applicant.
(k) "Nationwide multistate licensing system and registry" or "registry" means a multistate licensing system developed by the conference of state bank supervisors and the American association of residential mortgage regulators and operated by the state regulatory agency, LLC, for the licensing and registration of non-depository financial service entities by participating state agencies or any successor to the nationwide multisystem licensing system and registry.
(l) "Non-mandatory payment" means the following:
(1) A charge imposed by a provider for delivery or expedited delivery of proceeds to a consumer so long as a provider offers the consumer at least one option to receive proceeds at no cost to the consumer;
(2) an amount paid by an obligor to a provider on a consumer's behalf that entitles the consumer to receive proceeds at no cost to the consumer;
(3) a subscription or membership charge imposed by a provider for a group of services that include earned wage access services so long as the provider offers the consumer at least one option to receive proceeds at no cost to the consumer; or
(4) a tip or gratuity paid by a consumer to a provider so long as the provider offers the consumer at least one option to receive proceeds at no cost to the consumer.
(m) "Nonrecourse" means a provider shall not compel or attempt to compel repayment by a consumer of outstanding proceeds or fees owed by such consumer to such provider through any of the following means:
(1) A civil suit against the consumer in a court of competent jurisdiction;
(2) use of a third party to pursue collection of outstanding proceeds or fees on the provider's behalf; or
(3) sale of outstanding amounts to a third-party collector or debt buyer.
(n) "Obligor" means an employer or other person who employs a consumer or any other person who is contractually obligated to pay a consumer earned but unpaid income in exchange for a consumer's provision of services to the employer or on behalf of the employer, including on an hourly, project-based, piecework or other basis, and including where the consumer is acting as an independent contractor.
(o) "Officer" means a person who participates or has authority to participate, other than in the capacity of a director, in major policymaking functions of the registrant or applicant, whether or not the person has an official title. "Officer" includes, but is not limited to, the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operations officer, chief legal officer, chief credit officer, chief compliance officer and every vice president.
(p) "Outstanding proceeds" means proceeds remitted to a consumer by a provider that have not yet been repaid to such provider.
(q) "Owner" means an individual who holds, directly or indirectly, at least 10% or more of a class of voting securities or the power to direct the management or policies of a registrant or an applicant.
(r) "Partner" means a person that has the right to receive upon dissolution, or has contributed, 10% or more of the capital of a partnership of the registrant or applicant.
(s) "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, association or other commercial entity.
(t) "Principal" of a registrant means a person that oversees the daily operations of a registrant or applicant and is not an owner or key individual of such registrant or applicant.
(u) "Proceeds" means a payment to a consumer by a provider that is based on earned but unpaid income.
(v) "Provider" means a person who is in the business of offering and providing earned wage access services to consumers.
(w) "Registrant" means a person who is registered with the commissioner as an earned wage access services provider.

Legislative History

L. 2024, ch. 64, § 44; July 1.