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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 5, 2025
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
New Bills shift towards tax, budget
Now that we’re past Turnaround1, any newly-introduced bills for the 2025 session need to originate from an exempt committee. There are seven exempt committees in the Kansas Legislature:
House and Senate Federal and State Affairs (chairs Tom Kessler and Mike Thompson, respectively)
Senate Ways and Means (chair Rick Billinger)
House Appropriations (chair Troy Waymaster)
House Taxation (chair Adam Smith)
At this stage of the legislative game, the committee chairs above have outsized power and influence over these final four weeks. Committee rules give exceptional control over committee proceedings to the committee chairs, which includes limiting the public’s opportunity to testify on proposed bills.
Frankly, I’m rather skeptical about the public’s ability to influence legislation within the committees this year. The Republican supermajority hasn’t demonstrated any interest in negotiating bills with any input from people outside of their caucus (including the public), and has generally blocked or diverted even the smallest and least controversial proposals from Democratic legislators.
They are vulnerable to anything that threatens their reelection odds, though–especially Representatives, who will be back on the campaign trail in 2026. That means amplifying your voice directly with the senator and representative that represents you.
LetterSwarm of the Day
With the recent launch of LetterSwarm, it’s now fast and easy to promote advocacy and letter-writing campaigns to express your view to your legislator(s). When appropriate, I’ll highlight an active “swarm” for your consideration. Today’s swarm is a request to write your state senator to oppose private school vouchers.
Campaign contribution limits to be doubled
House Bill 2504 passed the House yesterday and swiftly moved to the Senate, where it has already arrived at the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs. It’s scheduled for a hearing next Tuesday, March 11. It will immediately make it possible to raise and spend a lot more money:
Contribution limits are doubled from their current limits. These contributions are per election cycle, meaning the maximum below can be donated in both the primary and general elections.
Governor: $2,000 → $4,000
Judges and Representatives: $500 → $1,000
Senators and State Board of Education: $1,000 → $2,000
Contributions for both the primary and general elections can be combined: A large donor, for example, could give $8,000 to a governor candidate’s campaign as early as this summer and have that donation cover both the primary and general calendars.
Contributions to political party committees are uncapped. (At present, there are limits to how much you can donate to the state and county party entities).
Taken together, this is going to create ripe conditions for an extremely expensive 2026 election cycle.
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Bills and Resolutions
House Bills on the Floor for Consideration
Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
HB 2054 – Elections: Increasing campaign contribution limits, eliminating limits on contributions to party committees.
New Bills Introduced
House Bills:
Senate Bills:
Taxes, Fiscal Policy, and Economic Development:
Healthcare and Public Health:
🐝🐝 SB 284: Prohibits interference with 340B drug distribution.
Government Organization, Elections, and Public Administration:
Criminal Justice, Public Safety, and Corrections:
House Resolutions:
Miscellaneous / Commemorative and Cultural Acts:
🐝 HR 6009: Honoring Michael Young for his artistic contributions to Kansas.
Senate Resolutions:
Miscellaneous / Commemorative and Cultural Acts:
🐝 SR 1711: Honoring artist Michael Young for his contributions to Kansas.
Senate Concurrent Resolutions:
Session Highlights for March 4, 2025
House of Representatives
The House, presided over by Speaker Hawkins, convened at 11:00 a.m.
Roll Call:
123 members were present, with Rep. Barth and Rep. Butler excused by the Speaker.
Bill Actions:
Committee Actions:
Committee on Education: Recommended amendments to SB 45 as specified.
Committee on Financial Institutions and Pensions: Recommended amendments and substitution for HB 2152.
Committee on General Government Budget: Recommended HB 2393 be passed.
Committee on Insurance:
Committee on K-12 Education Budget: Recommended amendments to HB 2382 as specified.
Additional Notes:
Prayer: Delivered by Chaplain Holmes, emphasizing wisdom, humility, and integrity.
Pledge of Allegiance: Led by Rep. Sawyer.
Committee Assignment Changes:
Rep. Ellis appointed to replace Rep. Barth on the Committee on Local Government effective March 5, 2025.
Rep. McDonald appointed to replace Rep. Meyer on the Committee on Elections effective March 7, 2025.
Senate
The Senate, presided over by President Ty Masterson, convened at 2:30 p.m.
Roll Call:
37 senators were present, with Senators Blew, J.R. Claeys, and Shane excused.
Bill Actions:
Message from the House: Announcing the passage of HB 2054.
Committee Actions:
Committee on Federal and State Affairs: Recommended SB 231 be passed.
Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance: Recommended amendments to HB 2042 as specified.
Committee on Public Health and Welfare: Recommended HB 2027 be passed.
Committee on Transportation: Recommended amendments to HB 2029 as specified.
Additional Notes:
Invocation: Delivered by Rev. Dr. Desmond Lamb, guest of Senator Haley.
Pledge of Allegiance: Led by President Masterson.
Introduction of Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
Reference of Bills and Concurrent Resolutions:
Upcoming Actions
House of Representatives
Session Time: 11:00 AM
Committee Updates:
Appropriations (9:00 AM): Daily meeting.
Federal and State Affairs (9:00 AM): Request for bill introductions; Hearing on SB 14 — Providing for continuous state budgets until amended, lapsed or eliminated by the legislature, temporary reallocations and establishing conditions and limitations.
Financial Institutions and Pensions (9:00 AM): Hearing on SB 64 — Adjusting certain internal KPERS act statutory references, extending the time for filing administrative appeals and updating provisions relating to compliance with the federal internal revenue code; and SB 139 — Updating certain definitions, terms and conditions relating to the state banking code.
Legislative Modernization (9:00 AM): Discussion on Legislative Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), Executive CITO, and Judicial CITO.
Local Government (9:00 AM): Hearing on SB 2 — Validating the election results for the bond issuance question submitted by the board of education of USD 200, Greeley county; Guest speaker: Kimberly Svaty.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget (1:30 PM): Joint Meeting with Higher Education Budget Committee; Presentation on Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Corrections and Juvenile Justice (1:30 PM): Meeting scheduled - Agenda to be announced.
Education (1:30 PM): Hearing on SB 44 — Expanding Kansas Promise scholarship; SB 114 — Authorizing nonpublic and virtual school students participation in public school activities; Recognition of Kansas Master Teachers; Hearing on SB 78 — Requiring postsecondary institutions to review accreditation policies; Discussion & action on SB 76 — Requiring use of name and pronouns consistent with student's biological sex and birth certificate.
Health and Human Services (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2386 — Updating the state children's health insurance program; SB 126 — Enacting the physician assistant licensure compact; HB 2250 — Increasing the annual assessment rate on hospital providers; HB 2397 — Increasing state financial assistance for local health departments; HB 2399 — Establishing an advance universal newborn screening program.
Higher Education Budget (1:30 PM): Joint Meeting with Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee; Presentation on Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Child Welfare and Foster Care (1:30 PM): Possible action on SB 152 — Modifying the definition of neglect.
Agriculture and Natural Resources (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
General Government Budget (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
K-12 Education Budget (3:30 PM): Meeting canceled.
Social Services Budget (3:30 PM): No meeting scheduled.
Transportation and Public Safety Budget (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Insurance (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Elections (3:30 PM): Meeting on call of the chair.
Senate
Session Time: 2:30 PM
Committee Updates:
Agriculture and Natural Resources (8:30 AM): Budget hearing on Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Division of Environment.
Assessment and Taxation (9:30 AM): Request for bill introductions; Hearing on SB 283 — Decreasing individual income tax rates, discontinuing certain tax credits.
Government Efficiency (9:30 AM): Briefing by Adam Proffitt, Secretary, Kansas Department of Administration.
Ways and Means (10:30 AM): Request for bill introductions; Budget hearing on Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and Environment – Division of Health.
Education (1:30 PM): Budget recommendations; Recognition of master teachers; Meeting on call of the chair.
Utilities (1:30 PM): Hearing on HB 2109 — Authorizing public utilities and law enforcement agencies to enter utility pole agreements; Possible final action on bills previously heard; Hearing on HB 2107 — Claims to recover damages from fire events caused by electric public utilities; Possible final action on bills previously heard.
Have any ideas or feedback, just let us know!
1 The deadline in the Kansas Legislature by which most bills must be passed out of their chamber of origin to remain eligible for consideration.
