HB 2651 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Limiting the use of a summons instead of a warrant for the arrest of a defendant to misdemeanor crimes and requiring that any bond set on a warrant issued after a failure to appear in response to a summons shall not allow release on the defendant's own recognizance.

HB 2651 modifies Kansas law to allow anyone who signed a voluntary paternity acknowledgment to challenge it at any time after signing if they discover fraud, duress, or a "material mistake of fact." The key change specifies that genetic test results excluding the acknowledged father (or identifying another man) automatically count as a material mistake of fact, removing the need for additional proof. Courts must prioritize the child's best interests before overturning an acknowledgment. This directly affects fathers who signed paternity forms and children involved in such cases, ensuring genetic evidence can trigger a legal review without time limits.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Vetoed
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Vetoed Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} Enrolled · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill completely replaces the existing text of K.S.A. 22-2302, shifting the law's focus from paternity acknowledgment to criminal arrest procedures. The new law mandates that arrest warrants must be issued for felonies and generally for misdemeanors, restricting the use of summonses to specific misdemeanor cases. It also establishes a new process for public access to the affidavits used to justify arrests, including specific rules for redacting sensitive information like victim identities and financial data.
Scope change
The bill's scope changed entirely; it no longer addresses paternity rights and child support but now exclusively governs the issuance of arrest warrants versus summonses and the public disclosure of probable cause affidavits.
SCOPE

All provisions regarding paternity acknowledgment, revocation timelines, and parental rights were removed.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that arrest warrants must be issued for felonies and for most misdemeanors, limiting summonses to specific misdemeanor cases upon prosecutor request or magistrate determination.

Added a new process requiring law enforcement to make probable cause affidavits available to the public after execution, with specific procedures for redacting sensitive information such as victim identities, financial data, and confidential sources.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a rule that if a defendant fails to appear after a summons, any subsequent arrest warrant cannot allow release on their own recognizance.

DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy' to guide redactions, stating it applies only to redactions and not to sealing documents.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
28
Key actions
19
Committee
12
Apr 10, 2026
Vetoed
No motion to reconsider vetoed bill; Veto sustained
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Vetoed
Vetoed by Governor; Returned to House on Wednesday, April 8, 2026
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 72, Nay 48, Absent 5
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 28, Nay 12
upper
Mar 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference committee report now available
upper
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Rep. Susan Humphries, Rep. Laura Williams and Rep. Dan Osman appointed as second conferees
lower
Mar 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Sen. Kellie Warren, Sen. Kenny Titus and Sen. Ethan Corson appointed as second conferees
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference committee report now available
upper
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
Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 40, Nay 0
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
upper
Mar 17, 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
Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 116, Nay 0, Absent 9
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Tom Kessler was adopted
lower
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Tom Kessler
lower
Feb 19, 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
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Judiciary
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.