Criminal Justice in Kansas

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2688: Providing that a nondisclosure agreement shall not be judicially enforceable in a dispute involving childhood sexual abuse or human trafficking allegations or claims.

HB 2688 prevents courts from enforcing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in legal disputes involving childhood sexual abuse or human trafficking allegations. It directly affects victims, abusers, and traffickers in civil cases by voiding NDAs that would otherwise silence victims or conceal wrongdoing. The law applies to NDAs signed on or after July 1, 2026, though agreements made before that date may still be enforced if a court issues a final declaration of enforceability. This policy change ensures victims cannot be legally barred from speaking about abuse or trafficking incidents in related legal proceedings.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Courts Human Trafficking Victims' Rights

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 447: Creating a domestic violence task force to study domestic violence across the state and make policy recommendations.

SB 447 establishes a 15-member domestic violence task force within Kansas' Attorney General's office to study state domestic violence laws and services. The task force, including survivors, advocates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement representatives, will review enforcement gaps, develop specialized victim and offender support networks, and assess shelter availability. It must make policy recommendations to the legislature by January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter. The bill directly affects domestic violence victims and the state's legal system by creating a structured process to identify improvements in responses to domestic violence.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Law Enforcement

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2778: Removing the current exception to the criminal use of weapons statute that allows any individual over the age of 21 or with a provisional license to possess a concealed handgun in or on school property or grounds or at any regularly scheduled school-sponsored activity or event if not otherwise prohibited under either federal or state law.

HB 2778 removes a specific exception in Kansas law that previously allowed people over 21 or holding a provisional handgun license to carry concealed handguns on school property, at school grounds, or during school-sponsored events. This change eliminates a loophole, making concealed firearm possession on school grounds illegal for most adults under the state's criminal weapons statute. The bill amends K.S.A. 21-6301 by deleting subsection (a)(11), which had permitted this exception. It directly affects licensed gun owners who previously could legally carry concealed weapons at schools without violating state law.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Drug Policy Firearms

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2692: Establishing standards of conduct for agents of the United States immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) prohibiting facial covering of agents, requiring vehicles be clearly marked, requiring judicial search warrants, prohibiting raids in places of worships, schools, daycare centers, hospitals and courts, requiring minimum training.

HB 2692 is a Kansas state bill requiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating within Kansas to follow specific conduct standards. It prohibits agents from wearing facial coverings, mandates clear vehicle markings and identification, and requires judicial warrants for raids in schools, places of worship, hospitals, courts, and daycare centers. The bill also bans door-to-door residential raids and sets a minimum 14-week training standard for agents, matching Kansas law enforcement requirements. This legislation applies directly to federal ICE agents conducting enforcement activities in Kansas.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Education ✓ Immigration

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2723: Requiring the supreme court to develop or procure a court date reminder program for the purpose of sending advance notifications to individuals with scheduled court dates for a criminal case or an infraction and requiring all courts to send certain notifications using such program.

HB 2723 requires Kansas courts to implement a free court date reminder program for individuals with scheduled court dates in criminal cases or traffic infractions. The program, to be developed by the Supreme Court by June 2027, will automatically send multiple reminders via text, email, phone call, or mail at least 14 days, 7 days, and 1 day before the court date, plus a follow-up if a date is missed. Courts must collect contact information during summons, booking, or court intake processes (without penalizing refusal to provide it), and individuals can opt out of text reminders while updating contact details through a public website. The law ensures no cost to users and mandates consistent notification timing to reduce missed appearances.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Courts

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2594: Modifying the elements of the crime of blackmail related to threatened dissemination of any image, video or other recording of another identifiable person who is nude or engaged in sexual activity by changing the connection to breach of privacy and describing the content of the image, video or other recording.

HB 2594 updates Kansas' blackmail law by removing the requirement that a threatened image must have been obtained illegally (violating privacy laws). The bill now makes it blackmail to threaten sharing any image of an identifiable person who is nude or engaged in sexual activity, including images altered by artificial intelligence. This change broadens the law to cover threats regardless of how the image was obtained, focusing solely on the act of threatening dissemination. The bill directly affects individuals making such threats and the people targeted by these threats.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

Sub-Topics Artificial Intelligence

failed · Kansas · House Mar 26, 2026

HB 2527: Prohibiting certain sex offenders from entering onto school property or attending school activities, prohibiting courts from assigning a defendant to work release if the defendant is required to register as a sex offender for certain crimes and prohibiting the secretary of corrections from granting an inmate leave from confinement except for specified purposes if theinmate is required to register as a sex offender for certain crimes or is serving a sentence for certain crimes that require registration as a sex offender.

HB 2527 prohibits courts from assigning defendants to work release programs if they have any prior conviction or court finding for a crime requiring sex offender registration under Kansas law. It also bans the secretary of corrections from granting inmates with such prior convictions leave for work release or educational release programs. This law directly affects individuals with prior sex offense convictions that mandate registration under Kansas' sex offender registry system. The bill amends Kansas statutes 21-6604 and 75-5267 to enforce these restrictions.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Education

Sub-Topics Corrections Courts Probation & Parole

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 414: Authorizing the secretary of corrections to enter into a memorandum of understanding to provide money from the evidence-based programs account to residential facilities with behavioral health crisis intervention services for juveniles.

SB 414 authorizes the Kansas Secretary of Corrections to use up to $2 million annually from the state's evidence-based programs account to fund licensed residential facilities providing behavioral health crisis intervention services for juveniles. It directly affects facilities licensed by Kansas' Department for Children and Families or Department for Aging and Disability Services that offer crisis intervention programs. The bill establishes a process for the Secretary to enter memorandums of understanding with these facilities, ensuring funding supports short-term crisis care without restricting facility design or requiring jail placements. This policy change specifically redirects existing state funds to expand access to crisis services for juveniles experiencing behavioral health issues.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Healthcare

Sub-Topics Corrections Juvenile Justice Mental Health

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2499: Requiring persons convicted of or given diversion agreements for driving under the influence offenses to attend victim impact panel programs.

HB 2499 requires individuals convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) or placed in diversion programs for DUI offenses to attend victim impact panel programs. These panels, run by approved nonprofit organizations, must be attended in person unless a court approves an online alternative due to impracticality. The bill permits nonprofits to charge up to $100 for the program and applies to all DUI convictions under Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-2,144 and 8-1567) starting January 1, 2027. It directly affects DUI offenders who face this requirement as part of their sentencing or diversion terms.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Transportation

Sub-Topics Courts Sentencing Traffic Safety

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2422: Providing that the theft of grain or hay is a severity level 6, nonperson felony.

HB 2422 reclassifies theft of grain as a felony by adding "property that is grain" to Kansas' felony theft categories under K.S.A. 21-5801(b)(9). It defines "grain" as 400 or more bushels of specific crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, or other grains meeting federal standards. Stealing grain meeting this threshold is now classified as a severity level 6 felony, a more serious offense than lower-level thefts. This directly affects individuals who steal significant quantities of grain from agricultural operations or storage facilities.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

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