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- Topeka Buzz: Friday, January 31
Topeka Buzz: Friday, January 31
The Help Not Harm (gender transition services ban) bill, after clearing the Senate, is now sailing through the House. Also: 50 (!) new bills submitted between the House and Senate.
Jason Anderson
January 31, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
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The 🐝 Rating System
Each bill is evaluated based on four key factors: Scope of Impact, Financial Impact, Urgency, and Controversy. These factors are weighted to reflect their influence on the bill's overall importance. Here's how the ratings break down:
🐝 Minimal Impact: Legislation with limited reach or lower urgency and controversy.
🐝🐝 Moderate Impact: Proposals with a broader or more notable influence, addressing issues of medium urgency or financial significance.
🐝🐝🐝 High Impact: Bills with widespread consequences, urgent needs, or significant public and political attention.
Daily Legislative Update 🐝
Friday, January 31, 2025
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
“Help Not Harm” bill reaches House floor
SB 63 (the “Help Not Harm” act), after passing Wednesday in the Senate on a 32-8 vote, was pushed through rapidly and is now expected to be pushed through to a full vote. If passed by the Republican supermajority as expected, the bill would prohibit surgical or pharmaceutical gender transition therapies and treatments for anyone under 18.
“Protect Public Schools Amendment” proposed
Rep. Poskin (D) sponsored a new constitutional amendment in an effort to defend the separation of church and state and to ensure public funds are invested only in public education. HCR 5005 would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, and would restrict the use of public funds appropriated for elementary or secondary education solely for secular public schools. It would prohibit the use of public funds, directly or indirectly, to support private nonpublic schools.
Given the current composition of the state legislature, the amendment is extremely unlikely to pass either chamber.
Bills and Resolutions
UPDATE: Summaries of these bills are now published on DataHive. The links below go directly to each bill’s writeup.
House Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
SB 63 – Help Not Harm Act: Prohibiting healthcare providers from treating a child whose gender identity is inconsistent with the child’s sex.
HB 2027 – Public Assistance: Reorganizing subsections of the public assistance statute and updating cross-references.
HB 2020 – Driver’s Licenses of Noncitizens: Requiring the director of the division of motor vehicles to make quarterly reports of names and addresses of noncitizens to the secretary of state.
HCR 5004 – Voter Eligibility Amendment: Proposing a constitutional amendment to require individuals to be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, and residents of the voting area in which they seek to vote.
HB 2011 – Property Tax Reduction: Decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by school districts and expanding exemptions for residential property under the statewide school levy.
HB 2042 – Title Insurance Regulations: Modifying reporting and bonding requirements for title insurance agents.
HB 2043 – Insurance Compliance Rules: Requiring insurers and agents to respond to commissioner inquiries within 14 calendar days and extending rebate pilot programs.
HB 2049 – Insurance Licensing Updates: Adjusting licensing and renewal rules for insurance agents and public adjusters.
HB 2050 – Insurance Fee Regulations: Allowing the commissioner of insurance to set certain fees and requiring public publication in the Kansas Register.
HB 2071 – Help Not Harm Act (House Version): Prohibiting gender transition treatments for minors and restricting insurance coverage for such procedures.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
HB 2048 – Insurance Department Reporting Updates: Eliminates the requirement for the Kansas insurance commissioner to submit certain reports to the governor.
HB 2037 – Tourism Development Council Expansion: Increases the membership of the Council on Travel and Tourism, updates legislative committee assignments, and modifies grant allocation rules.
HB 2004 – Seward County Sales Tax Authority: Grants Seward County the ability to levy a countywide sales tax for financing roadway and bridge projects.
General Orders (Bills Under Consideration):
Senate Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
SB 5 – Elections & Funding: Prohibiting the use of funds provided by the U.S. government for conducting elections and election-related activities unless approved by the legislature.
SB 6 – Elections & Voting Methods: Prohibiting the use of any form of ranked-choice voting in conducting elections.
SB 14 – State Budget: Providing for a continuous budget until amended, lapsed, or eliminated by the legislature; setting conditions and limitations.
SB 36 – Conservation Districts: Increasing the cap on state matching funds for local conservation district operations.
SCR 1603 – Property Taxation: Proposing a constitutional amendment to limit valuation increases for real property and mobile homes used for residential purposes.
SB 4 – Advance Voting Deadline: Requiring the return of advance ballots by 7:00 p.m. on election day.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
General Orders (Bills Under Consideration):
New Bills Introduced
House Bills
Criminal Justice & Public Safety:
🐝🐝 HB 2177: Increases penalties for eluding police officers.
🐝🐝 HB 2159: Establishes fund for law enforcement opioid antagonist purchases.
🐝 HB 2164: Lower minimum age for police certification to 20.
🐝🐝 HB 2167: Create crime of unlawful firearm storage with penalties.
🐝🐝🐝 HB 2171: Criminalizes abortion and removes exceptions in Kansas.
🐝 HB 2173: Permit petitions for relief from offender registration.
🐝 HB 2182: Prohibits fees for protection order services.
🐝🐝 HB 2183: Updates child exploitation laws for digital images.
Government & Transparency:
Tax & Economic Policy:
Education & Public Services:
Transportation & Infrastructure:
Health & Social Services:
🐝🐝 HB 2178: Felony drug convicts eligible for food assistance.
Water & Environmental Policy:
🐝🐝 HB 2172: Establishes a task force for state water program evaluation.
Legal & Judicial Matters:
Sports & Special Recognitions:
Senate Bills
Criminal Justice & Public Safety:
Government & Transparency:
Tax & Economic Policy:
Education & Public Services:
Legal & Judicial Matters:
🐝 SB 121: Regulates insurance instructions, calculations for Kansas insurers.
🐝 SB 127: Expand hearsay exception to more healthcare providers.
🐝 SB 128: Modifies social workers' mandatory reporting rules.
🐝 SB 129: Raises retirement age for judges in small Kansas counties.
🐝 SB 135: Enhances child-related protection order precedence.
Infrastructure & Environmental Policy:
Healthcare & Licensing:
Resolutions: