Criminal Justice in Kansas

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2198: Enacting the gun violence restraining order act to authorize the issuance of protective orders prohibiting the acquisition and possession of firearms by certain individuals.

HB 2198 creates a new court order called a "gun violence restraining order" that allows judges to prohibit certain individuals from possessing firearms if they pose a significant risk of harming themselves or others. This order can be requested by specific people, including current or former spouses, family members, individuals in a dating relationship, or those living in the same household, who must provide evidence of the risk. Courts must find "reasonable cause" to believe the person is a threat - considering past violence, threats, or other relevant facts - before issuing the order. The order prevents the restrained individual from acquiring or possessing firearms and may be issued without notifying them if immediate action is needed to prevent harm.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Drug Policy Firearms

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2093: Authorizing victims of childhood abuse to access records related to substantiated reports or investigations of abuse or neglect and extending the time to file civil actions for recovery of damages caused by childhood sexual abuse.

HB 2093 allows victims of childhood sexual abuse in Kansas to access official records from substantiated abuse or neglect investigations. It also extends the deadline for filing civil lawsuits seeking damages from such abuse. The bill amends Kansas statutes 38-2212 (governing access to child welfare records) and 60-523 (setting civil filing deadlines). This directly affects adult survivors who may have previously missed filing deadlines due to the prior statute of limitations. The law provides clearer access to verified case records to support legal claims.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

vetoed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2329: Changing the name of juvenile crisis intervention centers to juvenile stabilization centers, modifying the intake criteria for such centers, prohibiting certain rules and regulations for such centers, modifying the treatment and services provided by such centers, increasing the cumulative detention limit for juvenile offenders and criminal penalties for juvenile offenders who use a firearm in the commission of an offense or who are repeat offenders, providing for increased placement of offenders in non-foster home beds in youth residential facilities, requiring the secretary of corrections to pay for the costs associated with such placements, authorizing the secretary to make expenditures from the evidence-based programs account of the state general fund moneys to contract for such beds and transferring moneys from such account of the state general fund to the department for children and families to provide juvenile stabilization services.

HB 2329 increases the cumulative detention limit for juvenile offenders who commit repeat offenses or use a firearm during a crime, raising criminal penalties for these specific situations. The bill expands placement options by requiring more juveniles to be housed in specialized youth residential facilities (non-foster home beds) rather than foster care, with the secretary of corrections responsible for covering these costs. It authorizes the secretary to use funds from the state's evidence-based programs account to contract for these facility beds, ensuring cost coverage without requiring new legislative appropriations.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Firearms Juvenile Justice

failed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2164: Senate Substitute for HB 2164 by Committee on Judiciary - Prohibiting certain sex offenders from entering onto school property or attending school activities and creating criminal penalties for violation thereof.

HB 2164 prohibits adult sex offenders (18+ years old) whose underlying crime involved a victim under 18 from entering school property or attending school activities in Kansas. It creates criminal penalties for violations, classifying first offenses as a severity level 6 felony, second offenses as level 5, and third or subsequent offenses as level 3 felonies. The bill amends Kansas' offender registration laws to include this restriction as part of the Kansas Offender Registration Act. It directly affects sex offenders convicted of crimes against minors, such as those involving indecent liberties, sexual battery, or exploitation where the victim was under 18 at the time. The law applies to all Kansas public and private schools, including athletic events and extracurricular activities.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 2182: Prohibiting a sheriff from charging a fee for service of process for proceedings under the protection from abuse act and the protection from stalking, sexual assault or human trafficking act.

HB 2182 prohibits Kansas sheriffs from charging fees for serving court documents in protection order cases under the Protection from Abuse Act and the Protection from Stalking, Sexual Assault, or Human Trafficking Act. This means victims seeking these specific protections will not face a $15 service fee (standard for most cases) when legal documents are delivered. The bill amends Kansas law to explicitly exempt these proceedings from the standard fee structure. This removes a financial barrier for individuals accessing court-ordered protections in abuse, stalking, sexual assault, or trafficking cases.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Human Trafficking Violent Crime

signed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 2222: Requiring ignition interlock device manufacturers to pay fees to the state for the administration of the ignition interlock program.

HB 2222 requires ignition interlock device (IID) manufacturers to pay fees to the Kansas Highway Patrol for program administration. Manufacturers must pay a one-time $10 fee per device installed after July 1, 2025, plus a $5 monthly fee per device in use (with exceptions for low-income users meeting specific criteria). The collected fees fund the IID fee program fund, which covers the state’s oversight, monitoring, and administration of the ignition interlock program. This directly affects IID manufacturers by creating a new cost structure, while low-income individuals eligible for reduced fees (based on income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level or participation in certain assistance programs) pay only 50% of device costs. The bill amends Kansas law to establish these requirements and creates the dedicated fund for program expenses.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Transportation

Sub-Topics Driver Licensing

signed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 2215: Modifying the definition of public-private partnership to increase the allowable cost-share limit for expenditures by the department of corrections on certain correctional institution construction projects.

This bill increases the maximum percentage of construction costs the Kansas Department of Corrections (DOC) can cover in public-private partnerships for correctional facility projects, raising it from 25% to 50% of total project costs. It directly affects the DOC and private entities - such as corporations, non-profits, or faith-based organizations - partnering on building or renovating correctional facilities. The key change modifies the legal definition of "public-private partnership" to allow the DOC to pay up to half the project costs, expanding opportunities for such collaborations. This adjustment simplifies the cost-sharing structure without altering project requirements or oversight.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Corrections

signed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 2061: Including aboveground and belowground lines, cables and wires in the definition of a critical infrastructure facility used for telecommunications or video services for the crimes of trespassing on a critical infrastructure facility and criminal damage to a critical infrastructure facility.

HB 2061 expands the legal definition of "critical infrastructure facility" for telecommunications crimes to explicitly include aboveground and belowground lines, cables, and wires. This change directly affects telecommunications and video service providers (like Charter Communications, which requested the bill) by bringing physical infrastructure such as buried fiber optic cables and overhead power lines under existing trespassing and damage laws. The bill amends Kansas law to clarify that knowingly entering or damaging these infrastructure elements - previously not explicitly covered - constitutes trespassing or criminal damage to a critical infrastructure facility. Penalties range from misdemeanors to felonies depending on the severity, aligning physical telecom infrastructure with other critical facilities like power grids under the same legal protections.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

Sub-Topics Broadband Access Telecommunications

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2405: Enacting the adult use cannabis regulation act to regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, possession and sale of cannabis in this state.

HB 2405 establishes a legal framework for regulating cannabis use by adults in Kansas. It requires businesses to obtain licenses for activities like growing, manufacturing, transporting, and selling cannabis, while imposing a tax on sales to fund a new "cannabis business regulation fund." The bill also provides exemptions from certain drug-related criminal penalties for adults possessing or using cannabis within the regulated system. This legislation replaces existing cannabis laws and amends specific Kansas statutes to create the new regulatory structure.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 15: Authorizing the director of alcoholic beverage control to issue licenses for the sale of alcoholic liquor to persons convicted of a felony if such conviction is more than 10 years old.

SB 15 would amend Kansas liquor licensing laws to allow the director of alcoholic beverage control to issue licenses to individuals convicted of felonies if the conviction occurred more than 10 years before the license application and the applicant demonstrates sufficient rehabilitation. Currently, felony convictions automatically disqualify applicants under K.S.A. 41-311. The bill specifically revises this rule to create an exception for those meeting the 10-year timeline and rehabilitation standard. This directly affects people with past felony convictions seeking to operate liquor businesses in Kansas.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

All criminal justice bills