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HB 2593 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Requiring that a political subdivision hold an open meeting to discuss a contingency fee contract for legal services before approving such contract and requiring the attorney general to approve such contracts.

HB 2593 requires Kansas cities, counties, and other local governments to hold a public meeting before approving legal contracts where attorneys are paid only if they win (contingency fees). The meeting must discuss specific details like the legal issue’s purpose, attorney qualifications, and why in-house staff or hourly billing isn’t feasible. It also mandates that the state Attorney General review and approve such contracts within 45 days, with refusal reasons including conflicts with state legal positions or non-compliance with ethics rules. The bill directly affects all political subdivisions seeking to use contingency fee arrangements for legal services.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Vetoed
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Vetoed Apr 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary → Enrolled · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was reformatted to remove page numbers and committee headers, while the core legal text was significantly clarified and expanded. The most important change is the addition of a 'deemed approval' rule: if the Attorney General does not respond within 45 days, the contract is automatically approved. Additionally, the reasons for refusing approval were tightened to ensure the state's legal position remains unified, and a new expiration date for confidentiality provisions was added.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability remains the same (contingent fee contracts for political subdivisions), but the enforcement mechanism for the Attorney General's review was strengthened.
REQUIREMENT

Added a 'deemed approval' rule where contracts are automatically approved if the Attorney General fails to respond within 45 days.

ENFORCEMENT

Refined the criteria for refusing approval to explicitly prevent inconsistent legal outcomes or undermine the state's unified position.

TIMELINE

Added a specific expiration date (July 1, 2031) for the confidentiality of records held by the Attorney General.

TECHNICAL

Removed page numbers, committee headers, and formatting artifacts to clean up the bill text.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
11
Committee
5
Apr 9, 2026
Vetoed
Motion to override veto prevailed; Yea 27, Nay 12, Absent 1
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Vetoed
Motion to override veto prevailed; Yea 85, Nay 38, Absent 2
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor; Returned to House on Wednesday, April 8, 2026
lower
Mar 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Concurred with amendments in conference; Yea 79, Nay 40, Absent 6
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Motion to accede adopted; Sen. Kellie Warren, Sen. Kenny Titus and Sen. Ethan Corson appointed as conferees
upper
Mar 23, 2026
Lower · Passed
Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Rep. Susan Humphries, Rep. Laura Williams and Rep. Dan Osman
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 23, Nay 17
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
upper
Mar 18, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
upper
Mar 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Introduced
Received and Introduced
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 77, Nay 45, Absent 3
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Judiciary
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Judiciary
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.