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HB 2378 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Establishing the removal of squatters act, providing a procedure to remove a squatter from a dwelling unit, requiring owners or agents of dwelling units to provide an affidavit to the county sheriff department or police department , requiring notice to vacate by the sheriff, establishing the crime of providing a false affidavit and establishing a civil cause of action for wrongful removal of a person from a dwelling unit, allowing attorney fees and punitive damages.

HB 2378 creates a legal process for property owners to remove squatters from dwellings (including homes, commercial spaces, and mobile homes) without using standard eviction procedures. Property owners or their agents must submit a notarized affidavit to the sheriff detailing why someone is unlawfully occupying the property, after which the sheriff must verify the claim and provide 24 hours' notice to vacate before removing the person. The bill criminalizes knowingly submitting false affidavits (as a misdemeanor) and allows individuals wrongfully removed to sue for triple the fair market rent, attorney fees, and punitive damages. This law directly affects property owners, squatters, and law enforcement by establishing clear, timely removal steps while protecting against misuse.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 11, 2025 Signed Apr 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs → {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill title was updated to reflect its amendment by the House Committee of the Whole. The text was reorganized to place the definitions of key terms like 'dwelling unit' and 'tenant' earlier in the document, moving them from the end to the beginning. No substantive policy changes, such as new fees, altered eligibility, or modified enforcement powers, were made.
TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated to indicate the specific committee that amended the text.

The structure of the bill was reorganized by moving the definitions section to appear before the procedural sections, likely to improve readability and logical flow.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
16
Key actions
10
Committee
5
Apr 9, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Final Action - Passed; Yea 39, Nay 1
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed by Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Mar 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Introduced
Received and Introduced
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 114, Nay 8, Absent 3
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Will Carpenter was adopted
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Will Carpenter
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
lower
Feb 27, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
lower
Feb 11, 2025
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
lower
Feb 11, 2025
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.