We are halfway through the legislative session, and the last week was intense. Both the Senate and House spent long days on the floor debating nearly two hundred bills that made their way out of committee. Below, we’ve highlighted the bills that we will continue to monitor and some of those not advancing. Any bills not passed out of their house of origin have been stricken from the calendar, unless they were blessed by the Senate President or the Speaker of the House.
Bills Advancing
HB 2467, prohibiting convictions or sanctions for failure to comply with a traffic citation more than five years old from being considered by courts and the division of vehicles and eliminating certain notice requirements related to suspended or restricted drivers’ licenses for that division. We support this bill.
HB 2639, changing the name of juvenile crisis intervention centers to juvenile stabilization centers, modifying the intake criteria and treatment provided at such centers and transferring monies from the evidence-based programs account of the state general fund for use at such centers. As amended, it no longer requires courts to approve an override function of the detention risk assessment tool in certain circumstances. We initially submitted neutral testimony but now support the bill.
HB2589, prohibiting the secretary for children and families from accepting anonymous reports of child abuse or neglect, while allowing law enforcement agencies to accept anonymous reports. We support this bill.
HB 2132, replacing the word “shall” with “may” with respect to when a law enforcement officer takes a child under 18 years of age into custody as a child in need of care. We support this bill.
SB 363, making 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.
HB 2491, requiring state agencies to make quarterly reports to the Secretary of State with the names and addresses of noncitizens receiving public benefits. We oppose this bill.
SB 387, requiring additional income verification for free school meals, requiring school districts to seek legislative approval to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and eliminating the reduced-price meal copay for students who qualify. We oppose this bill.
HB 2438, restricting online voter registration to .gov websites and blocking nonpartisan sites like KSVotes.org. We oppose this bill.
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 25 days prior to election day. We oppose this bill.
HB 2569, requiring actions challenging the constitutionality of an election statute to only be brought in the District Court of Shawnee County. We oppose this bill.
HB 2329, increasing youth detention limits, expanding criminal penalties, and requiring the state to create youth residential penalties (group homes) using funds from the evidence-based programs accounts, expand the definition of “chronic offender,” and requiring detention placement for youth presenting to intake for the second time in a year. We strongly oppose this bill. This bill has passed both chambers and will be sent to a conference committee.
Bills Not Advancing This Year
There were a handful of bills we supported that did not make it past Turnaround. These include strengthening the foster care bill of rights, allowing for alternative sentencing for primary caregivers, enacting an opt-out statewide court text reminder program, and 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.
New Bills We’re Monitoring
We’ve added these bills to our watch list:
HB 2521, expanding the Kansas tort claims act to include child placement agencies that contract with the secretary for children and families. We oppose this bill.
HB 2320, authorizing children in the custody of the secretary of the department for children and families to attend school in any school district, requiring records for such students to be timely transferred between school districts and requiring a transportation plan if the child remains in the school of origin. We support this bill.
HB 2595, enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act, providing stipends to law students who meet certain requirements and agree to practice law in rural areas and providing loan forgiveness to lawyers who meet certain requirements and practice law in rural areas. We support this bill.
HB 2653, requiring the secretary of corrections to assist inmates with obtaining identification and employment-related documentation prior to release from custody. We support this bill.
HB 2655, authorizing the chief judge of each municipal court to establish a specialty court program and providing for expungement when a person has completed the requirements of such program. We support this bill.
SB 438, requiring eligible boards of education to consider participation in the community eligibility program, providing a financial hardship exception from such participation and requiring the state department of education to assist school districts seeking such participation. We support this bill.
Thank you for your support of our work – and thank you for your advocacy on behalf of your fellow Kansans. Together, we’ll build the state that every Kansan deserves.
