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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 🐝
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
Continued expansion of prenatal personhood?
During floor debate in the Senate on House Bill 2062, which previously passed in the House and is now on the Senate floor for debate, proposes three significant changes:
Enforcing pregnancy and delivery costs in child support calculations;
Establish parental rights between mother and unborn child, and between father and unborn child; and
Blocks any child support burden from elective abortions.
Yesterday, Senator Schmidt (D) submitted an amendment that includes unborn children as qualifying dependents for income tax deductions. The amendment was adopted, and so now the version of HB2062 that will see a final vote (1) includes an unborn child dependent tax credit and (2) differs from the version passed by the House…so it will need to go through a conference committee to reconcile the differences.
LetterSwarm of the Day
Today, we’re focusing on a Federal issue: policy support for agriculture (and in particular, the negative impacts of ongoing unpredictability with tariffs).
State Budget Continuity Act moves forward
I’d previously flagged SB14 (the State Budget Continuity Act) as a particularly bad fiscal move for Kansas…but also one that was essentially impossible to stop, unless the Republican supermajority decided to change course. It’s moving forward, but may turn out to be vulnerable to a veto:
It passed (with an amendment) by 82-41 in the House, which is 2 votes shy of the 84 required to override a veto. (The two absent votes were both Democrats.)
An amendment was passed that suspends pay for legislators and the governor during any time that the state is operating without a passed budget. (You can think Rep. Helgerson (D) for this move!)
The bill, now having passed with different language in the House and Senate, must go through a conference committee to reconcile the differences.
TL;DR: It might be possible to stop this bill.
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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:
HB 2111 (PASSED) – Kansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Enhancement Act: Increases the acreage cap for CREP from 40,000 to 60,000 acres.
HB 2152 (PASSED) – Public Moneys Management Act: Regulates public deposits and investments in Kansas.
HB 2400 (PASSED) – Agritourism Property Tax Valuation Act: Allows trail rides as agritourism activities in Kansas.
SB 14 (PASSED) – State Budget Continuity Act: Provides for a continuous budget until amended, lapsed, or eliminated by the legislature. Was amended by the house, now headed to a conference committee for reconciliation.
SB 105 (PASSED) – Office Vacancy Appointments Act: Requires the appointment of individuals from the same political party as incumbents to fill vacancies in U.S. Senator, State Treasurer, and Commissioner of Insurance offices. Was amended by the house, now headed to a conference committee for reconciliation.
Consent Calendar (Bills Eligible for Fast-Track Approval):
HB 2390 – Tax Administration Enhancement Act: Authorizes countywide sales tax for hospital services funding.
General Orders (Bills Under Consideration):
HB 2407 – Kansas Anti-Discrimination Act Amendment: Expands discrimination protections to LGBTQ+ and veterans.
New Bills Introduced
House Bills:
Taxes, Fiscal Policy, and Economic Development:
Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Corrections:
🐝🐝 HB 2407: Expands discrimination protections to LGBTQ+ and veterans.
Senate Bills:
Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Corrections:
🐝🐝 SB 295: Decriminalizes personal-use marijuana possession in Kansas.
Session Highlights for March 11, 2025
House of Representatives
The House, presided over by Speaker pro tempore Carpenter, convened at 11:00 a.m. and was adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Roll Call:
123 members were present, with Rep. Martinez excused for illness and Rep. Simmons excused by the Speaker.
Bill Actions:
Additional Notes:
Prayer Highlights: The prayer emphasized unity, respectful dialogue, and peace among representatives.
Statements: Remarks by Reps. Schreiber and Barrett on HR 6012.
The House adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Senate
The Senate, presided over by President Ty Masterson, convened at 2:30 p.m. and was adjourned until 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Roll Call:
37 senators were present, with Senators J.R. Claeys, Erickson, and Thompson excused.
Bill Actions:
SB 295: Passed through Committee of the Whole.
HB 2027: Passed.
HB 2029: Passed, as amended.
HB 2062: Passed, as amended.
HB 2124: Passed, as amended.
HB 2155: Passed, as amended.
HB 2347: Passed, as amended.
SB 14: Nonconcur in House amendments; conference committee appointed.
SB 105: Nonconcur in House amendments; conference committee appointed.
Additional Notes:
Invocation Highlights: Reverend Cecil T. Washington's invocation focused on humility and character qualities.
Message from the House: Announced passage of multiple bills and appointed conference committees.
The Senate adjourned until 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.
Upcoming Actions
House
Session Time: 11:00 AM
Committee Updates:
Financial Institutions and Pensions (9:00 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Legislative Modernization (9:00 AM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Local Government (9:00 AM): Hearing on SB 194 regarding voiding discriminatory property covenants from 1948-1958.
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 State Water Plan.
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2344 establishing the Kansas-Ireland trade commission.
Corrections and Juvenile Justice (1:30 PM): No meeting scheduled.
Education (1:30 PM): Hearing on SB 47 requiring public listing of school board members' contact information.
Health and Human Services (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2223 modifying the optometry law.
Higher Education Budget (1:30 PM): Student Panel Discussion on Higher Education Budget.
Transportation (1:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Child Welfare and Foster Care (1:30 PM): Presentation by Safe Families for Children.
Welfare Reform (1:30 PM): Meeting scheduled - Agenda to be announced.
Senate
Session Time: 2:30 PM
Committee Updates:
Agriculture and Natural Resources (8:30 AM): Hearing on HB 2158 permitting certain beekeepers to sell honey without holding a food establishment license; presentation on Bartlett Soybean Processing Plant.
Transportation (8:30 AM): Hearing on HB 2169 modifying documentation for veteran license plates.
Assessment and Taxation (9:30 AM): Request for bill introductions.
Financial Institutions and Insurance (9:30 AM): Final action on HB 2334 updating the captive insurance act; hearing on SB 282 and Sub HB 2152 regarding the Kansas retirement investment and savings plan.
Government Efficiency (9:30 AM): Presentation on Emporia State University.
Local Government, Transparency and Ethics (9:30 AM): Hearing on SB 286 relating to lobbying definitions.
Ways and Means (10:30 AM): Hearing on Sub HB 2007 concerning supplemental appropriations.
Education (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2382 establishing daily compensation rates for State Board of Education members.
Utilities (1:30 PM): Confirmation hearing on HB 2206 for the Central Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Commission.
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