SB 229 Kansas Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

House Substitute for SB 229 by Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development - Providing amendments, suspensions or repeals of employment security law provisions should follow specified review procedures by the legislature, authorizing the secretary of labor to recognize and approve employer-sponsored supplemental unemployment benefit plans if such plans meet specific criteria and integrating such plans into the employment security law, updating and reorganizing statutory language, enhancing federal conformity by incorporating references to federal laws and guidelines, updating temporary unemployment provisions and providing for eight weeks of temporary unemployment benefits, eliminating debt relief provisions for negative balance employers and other updates to the employment security law.

SB 229 requires most occupational licenses in Kansas to expire after five years unless the legislature renews them via a joint resolution. It affects professions like construction, cosmetology, or contracting (excluding healthcare providers and technical fields like engineering). The bill mandates legislative committees to review each license requirement, assessing public safety benefits, costs to applicants, job impacts, and whether less restrictive alternatives exist before renewal. Agencies must notify legislators 18 months before a license’s expiration date, and new licenses adopted after July 2025 will automatically terminate five years from their effective date.
Bill status died 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2026
Governor
Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Last action Apr 10, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} As Amended by Senate Committee on Commerce · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was completely rewritten to shift its focus from labor and unemployment security to occupational licensing reform. The new version establishes a five-year sunset clause for all occupational licenses, requiring legislative review and renewal to keep them in effect, while the original version focused on regulating supplemental unemployment benefit plans.
Scope change
The bill's scope changed entirely from the Employment Security Law (unemployment benefits) to the Occupational Licensing Law (professional permits and requirements).
SCOPE

Removed all provisions regarding supplemental unemployment benefit plans, employer funding, and unemployment trust fund monitoring.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory five-year expiration date for all occupational licenses, requiring legislative renewal to continue.

Added a requirement for standing committees in both houses of the legislature to review and recommend on license renewals before the legislature acts.

DEFINITION

Replaced definitions related to unemployment and employment security with new definitions for 'agency,' 'material change,' and 'occupational license.'

FISCAL

Removed all references to the employment security trust fund and debt-relief provisions for employers.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
24
Key actions
17
Committee
13
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 88, Nay 34, Absent 3
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Sen. Larry Alley, Sen. Stephen Owens and Sen. Silas Miller appointed as second conferees
upper
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Committee Report agree to disagree adopted; Rep. Sean Tarwater, Rep. Jill Ward and Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton appointed as second conferees
lower
Mar 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference committee report now available
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Upper · Passed
Sen. Silas Miller is appointed to replace Sen. Oletha Faust Goudeau on the Conference Committee
upper
Mar 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
Motion to accede adopted; Rep. Sean Tarwater, Rep. Jill Ward and Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton appointed as conferees
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Sen. Larry Alley, Sen. Stephen Owens and Sen. Oletha Faust Goudeau
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Final Action - Substitute passed as amended; Yea 83, Nay 36, Absent 5
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Substitute bill be passed as amended
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Sean Tarwater was adopted
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Sean Tarwater
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill be passed
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
lower
Mar 24, 2025
Introduced
Received and Introduced
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 31, Nay 9
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
upper
Mar 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Senate Committee on Commerce
upper
Mar 12, 2025
Committee
Withdrawn from Senate Committee on Commerce; Rereferred to Senate Committee on Commerce
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Committee
Withdrawn from Senate Committee on Ways and Means; Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Introduced
Introduced
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.