Kansas Bills

SB 88 requires Kansas' state and regional long-term care ombudsmen to complete mandatory training on memory care, specifically addressing Alzheimer's disease and dementia. This training covers key topics like recognizing symptoms, person-centered care strategies, communication techniques, safety concerns (e.g., wandering), and connecting residents to dementia resources. The bill directly affects all ombudsmen and volunteer ombudsmen who advocate for residents in long-term care facilities across Kansas. It amends existing law (K.S.A. 75-7306) to add these dementia care requirements to their training protocols, ensuring advocates better support residents with memory-related conditions. The change focuses on improving how ombudsmen handle complaints and needs specific to dementia care, without altering facility standards or resident services.

SB 8 requires drivers in Kansas to proceed with caution when approaching stationary vehicles displaying hazard lights, road flares, cones, or warning signs. Drivers must either change lanes (if safe and possible on multi-lane highways) or reduce speed and maintain a safe speed if lane changes aren’t feasible. This applies to all drivers encountering stopped vehicles - such as road crews or emergency vehicles - on Kansas roads. The law amends existing traffic regulations to clarify these safety requirements and aligns with a $75 penalty for violations under K.S.A. 8-1520a.

SB 2 validates the May 21, 2024 election results in Greeley County where voters approved a $4.6 million bond for school improvements. The bill specifically authorizes USD 200 school district to issue general obligation bonds for constructing, renovating, and equipping school facilities, including safety upgrades, playgrounds, gym additions, and ADA-compliant renovations. It confirms the election's validity for funding these projects, with bonds limited to $4.6 million to cover construction, equipment, and bond interest costs. This directly affects Greeley County's school district and its ability to proceed with the approved facility projects.

SB 175 updates Kansas' definition of "athletic training" to include injury prevention, emergency care, rehabilitation, and wellness promotion. It allows athletic trainers licensed in another state, D.C., territory, or foreign country to practice in Kansas without retaking exams if their credentials meet Kansas' standards, through two pathways: (1) equivalent licensure in another jurisdiction, or (2) certification by the National Athletic Trainers' Association. The bill also exempts trainers accompanying visiting sports teams from full licensure requirements, provided they are already licensed elsewhere and serve only that team. These changes replace Kansas' previous licensing rules for athletic trainers, effective upon publication.

SB 128 creates an exception to Kansas' mandatory child abuse reporting rules for licensed social workers employed under an attorney's supervision in specific legal cases. It exempts these social workers from reporting suspected child abuse or neglect when the concern arises solely during the attorney's representation in criminal, civil, domestic, or juvenile matters. The bill also allows attorneys to require social workers to maintain attorney-client privilege during these cases, aligning their ethical obligations with legal confidentiality standards. This directly affects licensed social workers who collaborate with attorneys on cases involving children, modifying their mandatory reporting duties only in those defined legal contexts.

SB 53 changes how attorney members serve on county law library boards in most Kansas counties (excluding Johnson and Sedgwick), shifting their appointment from the county bar association to the chief judge of the judicial district. It also allows these boards to authorize the chief judge to use certain library fees to support district court functions, like improving court operations or technology. The bill specifically exempts Johnson and Sedgwick counties from the new appointment rule, maintaining their existing process.

SB 71 increases criminal penalties for individuals convicted of buying sexual relations (soliciting sex) and requires certain offenders to complete approved educational or treatment programs focused on commercial sexual exploitation. The bill directs the Kansas Attorney General, in consultation with the Judicial Administration, to approve these programs by July 2026 and establish rules for their operation. It removes existing city ordinance provisions prohibiting the purchase of sex and changes how fines from such violations are handled, directing half of fines related to this offense to the Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund. The bill amends several Kansas statutes to implement these changes, focusing on strengthening penalties and treatment requirements for buyers of sexual services.

SB 70 updates Kansas' open government laws by prohibiting public agencies from charging fees for electronic copies of records (capping fees at $0.125 per page). It exempts formally closed investigations with no violations from public disclosure and requires county/district attorneys to submit violation reports to the attorney general by October instead of January. The bill also clarifies membership calculations for subordinate groups under open meetings law and mandates that live-streamed meetings remain accessible to the public, allowing a five-minute deviation to resume public sessions after executive sessions. These changes aim to reduce barriers to accessing public records while streamlining reporting requirements for law enforcement.

SB 87 expands Kansas' tax credit program for low-income student scholarships by removing the requirement that students must have previously attended a public school. It increases the tax credit rate for donors from 70% to 75% for tax years starting in 2023, while maintaining an annual scholarship cap of $8,000 per student. The bill directly affects low-income students (including those in foster care, military families, or with parents in emergency services) and scholarship organizations by broadening eligibility and making contributions more valuable for donors. Key mechanisms include eliminating prior public school enrollment as a requirement and raising the credit rate to encourage greater private funding for educational scholarships.

SB 76, the "Given Name Act," requires school district and postsecondary institution employees in Kansas to use a student's name and pronouns matching their biological sex and birth certificate, unless the student's parent provides written permission. It directly affects minor students (under 18) and protects employees who decline to use preferred names/pronouns without parental consent. The bill authorizes students or affected individuals to sue for violations, seeking injunctive relief, damages, or attorney fees. It does not apply to students over 18 or override parental rights regarding their child's name.

SB 211 modifies how the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission is appointed and streamlines its process for developing rules. It allows commission members to directly submit proposed rules to the commission and authorizes the commission to direct the secretary to develop or report on new rules. The bill does not change wildlife policies but updates the commission's internal procedures for rule-making. This affects commission members, the secretary of the department, and the public by clarifying how rules affecting parks and wildlife are proposed and reviewed.

This Kansas House Concurrent Resolution requests the U.S. Congress to convene a national convention specifically to propose a constitutional amendment establishing term limits for members of Congress. The bill aims to restrict how many times individuals can be elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate to prevent the accumulation of power and influence by long-serving officials. If approved by two-thirds of state legislatures, this application would trigger the constitutional process for states to vote on the proposed changes. The resolution also outlines that Kansas delegates to such a convention would be selected from current state and local officials or through district elections, while barring anyone with past or current federal office experience from serving.