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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 🐝
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
Coming Soon: Vote Tracking
We’ve almost finished our improvements to BillBee to start tracking how legislators vote. This is the penultimate step in our initial plans for the tool:
Identify proposed bills →
Analyze and understand the bills →
Categorize the bills →
Track their status through the legislature →
Capture information about legislators →
Connect legislators to committees →
Track their votes → [YOU ARE HERE]
Score and describe how legislators actually voted.
The intention from the beginning has always been about simplifying information and eliminating obfuscation. We anticipate that once we complete this phase of the project, it will be possible to generate reports and scorecards on individual legislators automatically and in highly customizable ways.
LetterSwarm of the Day
Time is running out to tell legislators to oppose school voucher plans. If you have not yet written to your representative but intend to, now is the time to act.
Big Vote in the Kansas Senate Today
Scheduled on the Senate calendar today is a final vote on HB 2106. This innocuous-looking bill, which already passed the House last month, will prohibit out-of-state donations to any campaigns or activities that either support or oppose a state constitutional amendment.
The Vote No campaign of 2022 was a state constitutional amendment.
Not only does it prohibit these contributions, it also requires any organization or person campaigning about an amendment must (1) explicitly obtain certification from any donors that they are not an out-of-state person, and (2) that donor has not received donations from out-of-state persons.
As law, this will essentially block multi-state, regional, or national organizations from participating in any way in the campaign process. The target is clearly the eventual reversal of Vote No, but the consequences of this law will be much more expansive.
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Bills and Resolutions
UPDATE: Summaries of these bills are now published on BillBee. The links below go directly to each bill’s writeup.
Bills Under Consideration
House Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
SB2 (PASSED) – Validates bond issuance election results for USD 200.
HB2217 (PASSED) – Expand inspector general's powers over assistance programs.
SB82 (PASSED) – Waivers for rural emergency hospitals to provide skilled nursing.
SB88 (PASSED) – Requires dementia training for long-term care ombudsmen.
SB126 (PASSED) – Interstate practice for physician assistants.
SB175 (PASSED) – Updates athletic trainer licensure requirements.
SB193 (PASSED) – Removes law enforcement from opioid antagonist protocol.
HCR5013 (PASSED) – Urges Congress to grant states authority over Medicare Advantage.
HR6013 – a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the State Government Affairs Council.
HR6014 – a resolution recognizing March 13, 2025, as Mental Health Advocacy Day at the Capitol.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
HB2390 – Authorizes countywide sales tax for hospital services funding.
Senate Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions
HB 2027 (PASSED) – Reorganizes certain public assistance statutes and updates cross-references.
HB 2029 (PASSED) – Designates parts of K‑5 and I‑635 highways in honor of Rep. Marvin S. Robinson and Harry Darby, respectively.
HB 2062 (PASSED) – Establishes child support for unborn children from conception, including direct pregnancy-related expenses.
HB 2124 (PASSED) – Designates a portion of U.S.‑160 as the CPL Monte Wayne Forrest Memorial Highway and a portion of U.S.‑77 (and a Clay County bridge) as the POW MIA Memorial Highway/Bridge.
HB 2155 (PASSED) – Clarifies that sheriffs bear liability for official acts in the charge and custody of jails.
HB 2347 (PASSED) – Revises theft statutes to alter culpability requirements and increases the penalty for certain motor vehicle theft.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval)
HB 2092 – Adjusts registration renewal and surety requirements for professional employer organizations.
HB 2117 – Requires certain filings when business trusts dissolve or withdraw and modifies cross-references for business entities.
HB 2166 – Continues specific exceptions under the Kansas Open Records Act and updates related statutory references.
New Bills Introduced
House Bills:
Senate Bills:
Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Corrections:
🐝🐝 SB 295: Decriminalizes personal-use marijuana possession in Kansas.
Taxes, Fiscal Policy, and Economic Development:
🐝🐝 SB 296: Eliminates outdated tax incentives and modifies tax provisions.
Labor, Employment, and Workers’ Rights:
🐝🐝 SB 297: Local control over construction project wages and benefits.
House Concurrent Resolutions:
Healthcare and Public Health:
🐝🐝 HCR 5013: Urges Congress to grant states authority over Medicare Advantage.
Session Highlights for March 12, 2025
House of Representatives
The House, presided over by Speaker Hawkins, convened at 11:00 a.m. and adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Roll Call:
122 members were present.
Rep. Meyer was excused due to verified illness.
Reps. Simmons and Willcott were excused by the Speaker.
Absent or Not Voting: Meyer, Simmons, Willcott.
Bill Actions:
SB 2: Passed with a vote of 121-1.
HB 2217: Passed as amended with a vote of 85-37.
SB 82: Passed unanimously with a vote of 122-0.
SB 88: Passed as amended with a vote of 121-1.
SB 175: Passed with a vote of 121-1.
SB 193: Passed as amended with a vote of 122-0.
SB 126: Passed as amended with a vote of 119-3.
SB 193: Passed, as amended with a vote of 121-1.
Committee Actions:
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Recommended passing SB 36 and SB 89.
Education: Recommended passing SB 44 as amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole.
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications: Recommended amending HB 2149 with a substitute bill and passing it.
Health and Human Services: Recommended passing Substitute for SB 67 and amending SB 250.
Local Government: Recommended passing SB 194 as amended by the Senate Committee and placing it on the consent calendar.
Taxation: Recommended passing SB 117 and amending SB 10 as per committee recommendations.
Additional Notes:
Speaker Hawkins announced the appointment of Rep. Vaughn to replace Rep. Meyer on the Committee on Health and Human Services for March 12, 2025.
Rep. Wikle was appointed to replace Rep. Ousley on the Committee on Appropriations for March 13, 2025.
The House adjourned until 11:00 a.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Senate
The Senate, presided over by President Masterson, convened at 2:30 p.m.
Roll Call:
39 senators were present. Senator Thompson was excused.
Bill Actions:
SB 296: Introduced but no action reported.
SB 297: Introduced but no action reported.
SB 211: Amended and recommended to pass.
HB 2033: Recommended to pass.
SB 1714: Passed by voice vote.
HB 2042: Amended by committee and passed.
HB 2043: Amended by committee and passed.
HB 2045: Amended by committee and passed.
HB 2106: Passed; committee report rejected.
Sub HB 2145: Passed.
SB 45: Nonconcurred by Senate; conference committee appointed.
SB 82: Nonconcurred by Senate; conference committee appointed.
Sub SB 126: Nonconcurred by Senate; conference committee appointed.
Sub SB 193: Nonconcurred by Senate; conference committee appointed.
Committee Actions:
Agriculture and Natural Resources: Recommended amending SB 211 and passing it.
Education: Recommended passing HB 2033, Sub HB 2102, and HB 2185.
Federal and State Affairs: Recommended amending HB 2050 and HB 2087.
Financial Institutions and Insurance: Recommended amending HB 2050 as per committee instructions.
Judiciary: Recommended passing HB 2359 as amended.
Transportation: Recommended amending HB 2121 as per committee instructions.
Additional Notes:
Senators recognized the members of Kansas Task Force 1 for their efforts during Hurricanes Helene and Milton via SR 1714.
Multiple conference committees were appointed for SB 14, SB 105, SB 193, and others.
The Senate adjourned until 2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025.
Upcoming Actions
House
Session Time: 11:00 AM
Committee Updates:
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications (9:00 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Veterans and Military (9:00 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Water (9:00 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget (1:30 PM): Presentation on the Kansas Geological Survey.
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2344.
Corrections and Juvenile Justice (1:30 PM): No meeting scheduled.
Education (1:30 PM): Discussion & action on SB 47.
Health and Human Services (1:30 PM): Final action on bills previously heard.
Higher Education Budget (1:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Transportation (1:30 PM): Informational briefing regarding SB 119.
Welfare Reform (1:30 PM): Discussion on SB 85.
Agriculture and Natural Resources (3:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2268.
General Government Budget (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Judiciary (3:30 PM): Hearing on SCR 1611.
K-12 Education Budget (3:30 PM): Informational briefing.
Social Services Budget (3:30 PM): Presentation on Contract Health Care Regulations.
Taxation (3:30 PM): Request for bill introductions and final action on bills previously heard.
Transportation and Public Safety Budget (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Child Welfare and Foster Care (1:30 PM): Presentation on Police Protective Custody in Kansas.
Insurance (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Senate
Session Time: 2:30 PM
Select Committee Reports:
Messages from the Governor:
Chief Hearing Officer, State Board of Tax Appeals: Thomas Browne, term ends January 15, 2029.
Member, State Board of Tax Appeals: Kristen Wheeler, term ends January 15, 2029.
Secretary, Department of Wildlife and Parks: Christopher Kennedy, at the pleasure of the Governor.
Member, University of Kansas Hospital Authority:
Donald Hall, term ends March 15, 2029.
Maureen Mahoney, term ends March 15, 2027.
Brigadier General, Kansas National Guard: Michael McCoy.
Messages from State Officers:
Committee Updates:
Public Health and Welfare (8:30 AM): Hearing on HB 2335.
Transportation (8:30 AM): Hearing on HB 2263.
Assessment and Taxation (9:30 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Financial Institutions and Insurance (9:30 AM): Hearing on SB 282 and Sub HB 2152.
Government Efficiency (9:30 AM): Hearing on SB 281.
Local Government, Transparency and Ethics (9:30 AM): Possible final action on bills previously heard.
Judiciary (10:30 AM): Hearing on HB 2192.
Ways and Means (10:30 AM): Request for bill introductions and Continuation of hearing on Sub HB 2007.
Commerce (1:30 PM): Continuation of hearing on HB 2343 and informational hearing on (AIM-K).
Education (1:30 PM): Hearing on SB 275.
Utilities (1:30 PM): Final action on HB 2107 and Presentation on energy storage systems.
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