Topeka
February 18, 2025
In the past two weeks the Senate adopted the following:
With veto-proof supermajorities, the Senate passed two Kansas election bills.
SB4 passed and will set the cut off for receipt of advance ballots to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, the same deadline all other votes must be cast by in order to be counted. This past year, a federal appeals court ruled that “grace periods” are unconstitutional.
SB6 will ban ranked choice voting in Kansas. Ranked choice voting has proven to be a disaster where it has been tried, resulting in delayed results and some voters’ legitimate ballots being trashed to get to a “forced majority.”
SB84 which would expand the criminal use of a financial card to include gift cards in an effort to stamp out fraud. The bill would provide that conduct involving a gift card would be classified and penalized in the same manner as conduct involving a financial card. It would be unlawful to use a gift card without the owner’s consent, possess or retain a gift card without authorization, or alter or tamper with a gift card.
SB7 will increase the bonding cap on general obligation bonds issued by townships for the reconstruction, repair, and equipment of township buildings in any township with a population of more that 5,000 and would increase the bonding cap for bond issues of a township fire department.
SB36 amends a law concerning conservation districts. The bill would change the date from September 1 to November 1 by which conservation districts are required to submit a certificate to the Division of Conservation of the amount of moneys required for conservation district activities each year, and would increase the cap on the amount of funding that would be allocated by the Division to the conservation districts from $25,000 to $50,000 per district, beginning in FY 2026, subject to appropriation. This bill would also increase the State’s current matching fund from $1 to $2 state funding to $1 county funding.
SB125 authorized various claims against the state. Many of the claims filed against the state come from the Department of Corrections when inmates file claims for personal items that have been stolen or misplaced.
This week the Senate will spend our time on the Senate floor discussing bills followed by “turn around.” Turn around is when the bills passed by the Senate go to the House for consideration and the House sends their passed bills to the Senate.
My office has several dates available for 6th graders through high school to serve as a page. Working as a page in the Kansas Legislature is an excellent way to learn more about the legislative process. If your child is interested in being a page for my office the following dates are available: March 3 and March 10.
I am honored and grateful to represent the 40th Senate District in Kansas.
Please do not hesitate to contact me by email: [email protected] or call me with your questions or concerns. My office number is 785 296-7399 or my cell number is 785-899-4700. If you are in Topeka, stop by my office at 545-S.
I will try to keep everyone up to date as to what is happening under the dome.