This week has been heavy. As we work in the Statehouse to advocate for legislation that will positively impact the lives of Kansans, our hearts and minds are with the people of Minnesota. We stand in support of their right to assemble, protest, and hold government officials accountable. A loss of these rights for one state is a loss of rights for all states.
Here’s what we’re watching at the Statehouse:
Ending Childhood Hunger
Yesterday, we offered testimony to the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency opposing SB 387, requiring school districts to verify the household gross earned income of each student who qualifies for free meals under the national school lunch program and requiring legislative authorization to participate in federal programs such as the Community Eligibility Provision. We were proud to stand with 40 other opponents to the bill. We are against any bill that uses food for children as a political weapon. The Legislature should be doing more to provide food for children, not less.
Protecting and Expanding Food Assistance Programs
The hearing on SB 363 was cancelled this week, and we anticipate that it will be scheduled for the week of February 9. SB 363 would make it harder for Kansans to access food and medical assistance by adding new verification rules, limiting agency flexibility, and codifying some of the most onerous parts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. We oppose this bill. If you’d like a primer on how the OBBBA harms Kansans, read our report, “What the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Really means for Kansas: More Hunger, Less Stability.”
There will be a hearing on SB 428 on Tuesday, February 3. This bill requires the Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to share sensitive data with the federal government, including social security numbers, dates of birth and other personal information. We oppose this bill because of clear privacy concerns for Kansans. As you might recall, this topic was litigated between the governor and attorney general last fall, and the matter was ultimately dismissed. This is the legislature’s attempt to do what the courts would not.
Ensuring Fairness in the Adult Justice System
We saw a great step forward in the House Committee on Transportation yesterday! HB 2467 was passed unanimously out of committee. This bill, as amended, would prohibit courts and the division of vehicles from considering convictions or sanctions tied to traffic citation more than five years old when determining suspended or restricted driving privileges. It would also eliminate certain notice requirements related to suspended or restricted drivers’ licenses. Kansas Appleseed continues to support this bill as it helps people get back to work by ensuring they do not lose their driver’s license for unnecessary reasons.
Supporting Justice-Involved Youth
On Monday, Mike Fonkert delivered testimony opposing HB 2329, increasing the cumulative detention limit for youth, expanding criminal penalties, requiring the reintroduction of youth residential facilities (group homes), using funds from the evidence-based programs account to contract for these beds, and rolling back proven justice reforms by diverting funds from evidence-based programs. Mike’s testimony offered a critical historical perspective on youth justice reforms from 2016 and shared how this bill would harm justice-involved youth. If you have four minutes, we encourage you to watch Mike’s testimony and then call your state senator and urge them to vote no on HB 2329.
Next week, we’ll be releasing a report, An Unfinished Story: Kansas Youth Justice Reform 10 Years After Senate Bill 367, which highlights the successes and missed opportunities in truly reforming the youth justice system.
Protecting Access to the Ballot Box
The House Committee on Elections certainly has been incredibly busy over the last few weeks, primarily focused on making it more difficult for Kansans to vote. Here’s a rundown of the bills we’re watching and testifying on:
- HB 2438, restricting online voter registration to .gov websites and blocking nonpartisan sites like KSVotes.org. We oppose this bill. because it would give the Secretary of State sole authority to approve sites and prevent county officials from accepting other electronic applications. Status: Passed out of committee.
- HB 2493, requiring a person transmitting or delivering a ballot on behalf of another voter to include such person’s driver’s license number in the written statement on the ballot envelope. We oppose this bill because strong ballot collection and delivery safeguards already exist to ensure electoral integrity and accountability. Status: Hearing was on Tuesday, remains in committee.
- HB 2453, requiring applications for advance voting ballots be filed by the 14th day prior to election day, that advance voting in person be completed by 12:00 p.m. on the Sunday prior to election day, extending the time for transmittal of advance voting ballots to 22 days prior to an election and ending the time for voter registration at 23 days prior to election day. We oppose this bill because the modest expansion of time for transmitting absentee ballots is largely negated by the shortened window for requesting absentee ballots and registering to vote. Status: Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 3.
- HB 2447, providing for a presidential preference primary election every four years commencing in 2028 and aligning the special election date in March with the presidential preference primary election date. We support this bill as it would mitigate confusion among voters and election officials and result in a smoother democratic process during presidential preference primaries. Status: Hearing was on Tuesday, remains in committee.
Thank you for your support in and out of the Statehouse – it takes all of us to create a thriving, inclusive, and just state.
