SCR 1617 Kansas Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Proposing to amend section 13 of article 2 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to require a simple majority for passage of a resolution to ratify any amendment to the constitution of the United States or to make any application for congress to call a convention for proposing amendments to the constitution of the United States.

This bill proposes to change the Kansas state constitution to lower the voting threshold for ratifying U.S. constitutional amendments or calling a federal amendment convention from a two-thirds majority to a simple majority. The change directly affects the state legislature by reducing the supermajority requirement currently outlined in Article 2, Section 13 of the state constitution. This adjustment is being made in response to a federal court ruling that declared the existing two-thirds rule unconstitutional under the U.S. Constitution. If approved by voters, the bill would allow state legislators to pass these specific resolutions with a standard majority vote rather than the higher threshold previously required.
Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 15, 2026 Last action Apr 10, 2026
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What changed between versions

As Introduced As Amended by Senate Committee · 2 edits
MINOR
The Senate Committee amended SCR 1617 to correct grammatical errors and improve clarity in the explanatory statement printed on the ballot. The changes add the word 'provide' to clarify that the amendment establishes a new rule, and they adjust phrasing to ensure voters understand that a simple majority is now required instead of the previous two-thirds supermajority.
TECHNICAL

Replaced the phrase 'require only a simple majority vote' with 'require provide that only a simple majority vote' in the explanatory statement to fix a grammatical error and clarify the legal effect of the amendment.

Adjusted the phrasing in the 'vote against' section to ensure consistency with the new language, stating that the vote against the proposition would maintain the current two-thirds requirement.

Floor votes

How they voted

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Feb 6, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending resolution be adopted as amended by Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs
upper
Jan 16, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs
upper
Jan 15, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

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