Topeka ? The Kansas House on Friday advanced two bills aimed at making it easier for regents universities, including Kansas University, to offer online courses in other states and reduce property insurance costs.

Under House Bill 2544, Kansas would join a regional group of states that would establish standards for online courses and automatically authorize the member states to deliver distance education courses in each state.

Currently, each school must pursue needed approvals in each state where it enrolls students. That is a cumbersome and expensive process, higher education officials said.

House Bill 2470 would allow the universities to purchase property insurance from companies that haven’t been admitted to do business in the state.

Purchasing from “non-admitted” carriers would increase the number of potential insurers and lower costs, the bill’s supporters said. Higher education officials said they believed safeguards were in place for the schools to avoid purchasing risky policies.

Both bills were advanced on a nonrecord voice vote and will be up for final House approval next week.