It was another busy week with hearings on bills we either requested or are engaged in. There is only one more week of committee work before the next deadline on March 29. That will be followed by a week of conference committees considering bills that have passed both chambers with differences in content.

There were 9 new Senate bills, and 9 new House Bills introduced last week. Three of the Senate bills and none of the House bills are of interest to law enforcement. We will monitor and testify if deemed appropriate for those that do affect law enforcement. This brings the total bills we are monitored this year to 186, with 128 still active. This year, we have been actively engaged in 40 bills and 2 budget topics and provided testimony in five informational hearings.

Key bill status:

• HB2031, our bill on Reducing Armed Violence. Passed favorably by committee with one amendment removing simple possession of drugs from the list of proposed “violent crimes.” The House failed to bring it to debate and struck it from the calendar, killing the bill.
  SB193: The Senate bill on Armed Violence Reduction Act. Same content as HB2031, Hearing held in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate did not bring it to debate but sent it to an exempt committee to keep it alive.
• HB2015, our bill to allow an agency head’s designee to apply for a court order for infectious disease testing for certain people exposing us to body fluids, passed the House. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee with amendments, now on Senate GO.
• HB2023 is a bill to increase penalties for battery to or interfering with a health care worker. This is not our bill, but we support it. The House Committee passed it favorably. Passed House 118-4. It is currently in the Senate Judiciary where a hearing is not scheduled.
• SB2 is a bill allowing certain people with their driver’s license suspended solely for fail to pay/fail to appear may apply for a restricted license if they meet certain criteria. The bill was drafted with all of our recommendations from testimony on this issue last year. It was passed favorably by the Senate Transportation Committee but was re-referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee where a hearing was held on 2/13/23.  The bill failed to get out of committee and is now inactive for the remainder of this year.
• HB2252, Inflation Adjustment for current KPERS/KP&F retirees was introduced. The bill failed to get a hearing and is now inactive for this year.
• HB2196, Adding all KP&F members to the Deferred Retirement Option Program. Passed the House 120-1. Approved by Senate committee with amendments, on Senate GO.
• SB228, The bill to update the Jail statutes and address when a medical screening prior to booking is required. Passed the Senate 34-3. Approved by House Corrections Committee with amendments, now on House GO.
• SB165: Work Comp for PTSD. No hearing is scheduled. The bill failed to get a hearing and is now inactive for the rest of this year.
  On the House side, progress is being made on this bill through discussions with key legislative leaders. The strategy to proceed is still being worked on but we believe it will be assigned for an interim committee study.
  There is growing bipartisan interest in the legislature on this topic. The Governor mentioned it in her State-of-the-State Address.
• HB2398: Sentencing enhancements for manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs containing fentanyl; adding pill pressing into the definition of manufacturing; increasing first offense sentencing for manufacturing any illegal drug containing fentanyl. The House Committee added legalizing the sales and possession of fentanyl test strips to the bill. Passed the House 121-0. The bill is now in the Senate Judiciary with no hearing scheduled.
  SB238: Same topic as the original HB2398 but with SB240 added to it in committee. On Senate General Orders and is an exempt bill that is still subject to further action.
  SB240: Similar topic only related to having children present during distribution or manufacturing. After a hearing, this bill was added to SB238.
• HB2329: Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Transaction. Passed out of committee and placed on General Orders. However, it was not brought to debate and was stricken from the calendar. This bill is now dead.
  SB216: Similar bill with different approach. No hearing scheduled. Bill is inactive for remainder of this session.
• SB217: Use of tracking devices made violations of protection orders and restraining orders; and included in the acts that can lead to stalking violations. Passed the Senate 40-0. Approved by House Corrections Committee, now on House GO.
• HB2213: Amending Offender Registration Requirements. No hearing scheduled. Bill is now inactive for the remainder of this session.
• Marijuana legalization. No hearings are scheduled. All are exempt bills and still active.
  SB135 medical: Assigned to the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee and hearings held on March 15 & 16. Committee tabled bill.
  SB171 medical, no hearing.
  SB310 medical, no hearing.
  HB2367 recreational, no hearing.
  HB2417 medical, no hearing.
• KLETC Funding: This is a budget issue and not a separate bill. Work is being done on this by KLETC. We are assisting when and where KLETC asks us to help.
• SB174: Increasing penalty for certain types of interference with law enforcement officers. Passed Senate 32-6. Hearing held in House Corrections.
• SB189: Expanding access to records of applicants for law enforcement positions when not hired when conducting a background investigation. Passed Senate 39-0. Hearing held in House Judiciary.
• HB2034: Requiring referral of children who are victims of alleged abuse or neglect to a medical examination by medical staff trained in child abuse and neglect cases. Passed House 121-1. Approved by Senate Public Health and Welfare with amendment, now on Senate GO.
• HB2121: Extending exemption for speedy trial statute for another year. Passed House 112-9. Hearing in Senate Judiciary on 3/16.
• HB2198: Adding Parks and Wildlife Officers to KP&F. Passed House 118-3. Approved by Senate Committee with amendments, now on Senate GO.
• HB2326: Extending sunset on Scrap Metal Theft Reduction Act for five years and clarifying catalytic converters are included in the act. Passed House 120-1. Approved by Senate Judiciary with amendment, now on Senate GO.
• HB2246: Back the Blue license plates with revenues going to Kansas COPS. Passed the House 116-6. Approved by Senate Transportation Committee with amendments, now on Senate GO.
• HB2350: Creating new crime of human smuggling. Passed House 117-4. Hearing in Senate Judiciary on 3/15.

It was a busy week with testimony provided on the following bills:

• SB265: Increasing the criminal penalties for repeat violations of a protective order.
• SB73:   Adding domestic battery and violation of a protection order to the crimes that a person can have the intent to commit when committing burglary or aggravated burglary.
• SB189: Authorizing state and local law enforcement agencies to receive files and information about an applicant from other agencies that received an application for employment from the applicant or conducted an employment background investigation on the applicant.
• HB2034: Children and minors; relating to procedures in investigations of child abuse or neglect; requiring a child abuse review and evaluation referral; creating a program in the department of health and environment for the training and payment for child abuse reviews and exams; defining child abuse review and evaluation providers, networks and examination and child abuse medical resource centers.
• HB2198: Providing membership affiliation in the Kansas police and firemen's retirement system for certain law enforcement officers and employees of the Kansas department of wildlife and parks.
• HB2021: Allowing for overall case length limit extensions for certain juvenile offenders.
• SB174: Increasing criminal penalties for the crime of interference with law enforcement when the violation involves fleeing from a law enforcement officer.
• SB228: Modernizing statutes concerning county jails, removing the requirement that every county shall have a jail, modifying procedures used when district courts commit prisoners to jail in another county and when counties contract with city jails to keep prisoners and requiring a medical examination before certain United States prisoners or city prisoners are taken into custody of a county jail.
• HB2196: Expanding deferred retirement option program (DROP) membership to all Kansas police and firemen's retirement system members.
• HB2070: Allowing certain nondrug offenders to participate in a certified drug abuse treatment program.
• SB217: Including the conduct of utilizing any electronic tracking system or acquiring tracking information to determine the targeted person's location, movement or travel patterns in the crime of stalking when done as part of an unlawful course of conduct and authorizing orders to prohibit such conduct under the Kansas family law code, the revised Kansas code for care of children, the protection from abuse act and the protection from stalking, sexual assault or human trafficking act

Hearings Next Week:

• HB2216: Removing the mandatory term of imprisonment as a penalty for driving with license that is canceled, suspended, or revoked solely for failure to pay fines.