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bills
All criminal justice bills
HB 2613 authorizes Kansas' Crime Victims Compensation Board to establish fees for medical examinations of sexual assault victims and to use funds from the Crime Victims Compensation Fund to cover these costs. The bill requires counties where alleged assaults occurred to pay the fees - never the victim or their insurance - regardless of whether the victim reports the crime to law enforcement. It also mandates that medical facilities use approved evidence collection kits during examinations and follow specific procedures for handling unreported kits. This change directly affects counties, medical facilities, and the Crime Victims Compensation Board in administering victim care.
SB 141, the "Right to Speak Your Truth Act," prevents individuals accused of sexual misconduct from filing defamation lawsuits based on reported accusations unless specific conditions are met. It directly affects people accused of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment who might sue others for making public reports about them. The law blocks defamation claims unless evidence shows: the accused couldn't have committed the act, the accuser was found not guilty in court, the accuser made contradictory public statements about the incident, or the accuser publicly denied the incident occurred. This applies only to accusations reported to law enforcement, HR departments, media, or social media, not private discussions. The bill aims to protect public reporting on serious misconduct while limiting defamation claims in those specific scenarios.
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.
