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Important Action in the House this Week!
HB 2381 - Attorneys for Foster Kids
HB 2381 appoints attorneys to represent children in custody of the state. These attorneys may serve as guardians ad litem for the child–representing their needs and interests in court. If the represented child is unable to decide his or her own best interest–whether because of their age or other factors–the court-appointed attorney may decide the child’s best interest until the child is capable of doing so. The bill also amends current legislation to give the appointed attorney all requisite authority to represent the child, such as access to the child's official file. HB 2381 was heard in the Committee on Judiciary on Thursday, and we look forward to seeing more action on this bill.
SB 394 - Internet Age Restrictions for Minors
SB 394 penalizes pornographic websites for failing to verify that their users are at least eighteen years old. The bills require that websites containing sexual material with no educational value use a verification program to protect minors from their content. While the manner of verification is flexible, the consequences of failure are clear: a violation may result in an investigation by the attorney general and a fine of up to 10,000 dollars–in addition to injunctive relief. SB 394 was heard in the House Committee on Judiciary on Wednesday.
SB 419 - Increased Penalties for Exposing Children to Fentanyl
SB 419 criminalizes exposing a child to fentanyl-controlled substances or environments associated with such substances. The bill defines such actions as aggravated child-endangerment, which is classified as a felony and thus subject to the ensuing penalties. SB 419 was heard in the House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice on Wednesday, and we look forward to hearing more about this bill in the coming weeks.
HB 2749 - Reporting Reasons for Abortion
On Thursday, HB 2749 passed in the House 81-39. The bill approaches the pro-life issue from a different tactic by investigating the reasoning behind abortions. HB 2749 requires that medical care centers list the main reason, such as lack of familial or marital support, for each abortion performed. These reasons will be included in a public biannual report and can be used to reduce outside motivations for abortion. HB 2749 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare and currently awaits a hearing.
HB 2723 - Matching Grants to Address Homelessness
HB 2723 addresses the issue of homelessness in Kansas by directing $40,000,000 towards the Homeless Shelter Infrastructure Grant Account. The state of Kansas will then use this account to match the investments of local governments who seek to build or improve shelters, enforce regulations, or provide wraparound services for the homeless population. HB 2723 was heard on Tuesday in the House Committee on Welfare Reform.
SB 352 - Visitation Rights in Hospitals
SB 352 establishes the John D. Springer Patient’s Bill of Rights. This bill protects and promotes patients' rights by requiring that medical care facilities allow in-person visitation. Additionally, it creates a fund to reimburse medical care facilities for any federal assistance they may lose by complying with this bill. SB 352 was heard in the House Committee on Health and Human Services on Tuesday.
HB 2803 - The Kansas Gun Rights Preservation Act
HB 2803 prohibits the use of state resources to enact federal gun control on law-abiding citizens. Additionally, the bill clarifies that state resources may still be used to control gun-ownership by foreigners and felons. The bill was heard in the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Thursday.
HB 2766 - The Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act
HB 2776, also called the Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act, protects Kansas security by prohibiting certain countries from investing in Kansas property near military installations. The act forbids companies, political entities, and citizens of historically hostile countries, meaning Venezuela, Cuba, China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, from maintaining an interest in real property within 150 miles of any military installation in Kansas. Persons and entities whose property falls into this category must divest that interest. HB 2766 was heard in the House Committee on Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development on Monday, March 4th.
SB 420 - An Expectation of Privacy
SB 420 had its hearing in the House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice on Thursday. This bill clarifies that secretly videoing or photographing someone in a state of undress when an expectation of privacy is understood is a breach of privacy. SB 420 removes wording such as “concealed” and “secret” from the definition of a breach of privacy to further protect people from being photographed through a window or filmed under their clothes.
HB 2665 - Abandoning a Fatal Accident
HB 2665 penalizes drivers who leave the scene of an accident that resulted in injury or death. According to the bill, abandoning the scene of an accident that caused a fatality is classified as a severity level 3, person felony. The bill passed by emergency final action on Thursday, 120-0, and it was moved to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary the next day.
Sub Bill for HB 2676 - Criminalizing Encouraging Suicide
HB 2676 criminalizes encouraging someone to attempt or to commit suicide. Such influence is categorized as a severity level 5, person felony if the person attempts to commit suicide, and as a severity level 4, person felony if the person follows through with the act. The substitute bill was passed by the House on Thursday, 119-1, and it was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
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