HB 2537 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Increasing the penalties for the crime of sexual extortion when an offender is 18 years of age or older and the victim is less than 18 years of age or a dependent adult, creating the crimes of aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm and aggravated sexual extortion causing death and requiring the attorney general to prepare and provide educational materials and information concerning such crimes.

HB 2537 would increase penalties for sexual extortion when the offender is 18+ and the victim is under 18 or a dependent adult. It creates two new aggravated offenses: "aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm" (a severity level 3 felony) and "aggravated sexual extortion causing death" (a severity level 1 felony), with harsher punishments than standard sexual extortion. The bill also requires Kansas’ Attorney General to develop and distribute educational materials about these crimes to schools, parents, and the public, with annual reports on implementation. This bill directly affects victims under 18 or dependent adults and offenders aged 18+ who commit sexual extortion. It is pending legislative action as of January 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 23, 2026 Signed Apr 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by House Committee {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to include a formal title ('Caleb's Law') and a preamble, while the substantive legal text regarding definitions, penalties, and repeals remained unchanged. This change adds ceremonial context and naming to the legislation without altering its operational impact or legal requirements.
Scope change
The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the amendment only adds a title and introductory clauses.
TECHNICAL

Added a formal title 'Caleb's Law' and a 'Now, therefore' preamble to the bill text.

Changed the header description from 'As Amended by House Committee' to 'As Amended by House Committee of the Whole'.

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 40, Nay 0
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed by Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Introduced
Received and Introduced
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 124, Nay 0, Absent 1
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Jill Ward was adopted
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Jill Ward
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Judiciary
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Judiciary
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.