Daily Legislative Update 🐝
Friday, February 21, 2025

Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.

Table of Contents

• Top Stories of the Day

  • Physical intimidation on the floor of the House?

  • A closer look at Kansas’ House-Passed Budget

    • How to deplete the general fund surplus in 3 years

  • So. Many. Bills.

  • Upcoming Actions

    • Both the House and Senate are enjoying a long week …

Top Stories of the Day

Physical intimidation on the floor of the House?

Late yesterday morning, an intense confrontation between Rep. Hoheisel (R) and Rep. Carr (D) triggered a two-hour recess. According to our sources (twice confirmed), Hoheisel crossed from the Republican side of the chamber to Carr’s desk, yelling obscenities and aggressively challenging him.

Not without irony, the incident occurred during debate on HB2104 which would have pushed for expanded in-school training on firearm safety based on the NRA’s Eddie Eagle program–all while some members of the legislature are broadly known to carry a firearm to work.

Following the incident, Republican leadership moved HB2104 back to committee and deferred a vote on HCR 5006–a proposed constitutional amendment that would make the right to purchase and own firearms “strict scrutiny” (a legal term on par with the rights of religion or speech).

A closer look at Kansas’ House-Passed Budget

Although the state’s Democratic governor still has the power of the veto, the conservative veto-proof supermajority has nullified most of the (limited) leverage Democrats have had in the annual budget process. As such, what we see in the current draft budget bill is probably pretty close to what’s going to happen.

In summary: this year’s budget pours money into large-scale conservative projects while sidelining public education and social services.

How to deplete the general fund surplus in 3 years

Let’s start with the general fund: the approved budget drains the $2.1B surplus at the end of June 2025 by June 2028.