(Mar. 27, 2024) – Today, the House or Representatives took final votes on the following bills:

House Bill 2653 concerns children and families; relates to orders of child support; provides for child support for unborn children from the date of conception. The bill passed on a vote of 83-40. The legislation now goes before the Senate or is up for discussion in a conference committee.

House Bill 2834 transfers officers, employees, powers, duties and functions relating to the State Health Care Benefits Program and the State Workers' Compensation Self-Insurance Fund from the Division of the State Employee Health Benefits Plan of the Department of Administration to the Insurance Department; establishes the commissioner of insurance as the chairperson of the Kansas State Employees Health Care Commission; provides all management functions of such commission shall be administered by the commissioner of insurance; eliminates a pilot program regarding employer contributions for certain children. The bill passed on a vote of 81-42. The bill now goes to the Senate or is up for discussion in a conference committee.

House Substitute for Senate Bill 37 concerns state money; relates to state-managed funds and state contracts; enacts the Countries of Concern Divestment and Procurement Protection Act; requires divestment from investments with countries of concern and provides exceptions therefor; prohibits investments and deposits with any bank or company domiciled in a country of concern; state agencies from procuring final or finished goods or services from a foreign principal; indemnifies state-managed funds with respect to actions taken in compliance with such act; provides an expiration date for such act. The bill passed on a vote of 85-38. The bill now goes to the Senate for a motion to concur or go to conference.

House Substitute for Senate Bill 300 changes to the state tax law restructuring individual income tax brackets with reduced tax rates, exempts social security income from income tax, increases the standard deduction and personal exemption amounts, reduces privilege tax rates, gets rid of the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund, increases the amount of the appraised value of residential property exempt from the statewide uniform school finance levy, accelerates the elimination of the state sales tax on food and food products. While the bill saw several attempts to amend during floor debate late last night, the only successful amendments included: changes to the income bracket from $80,000 to $100,000, elimination of social security income from taxes up front, moving up the reduction in food sales tax by six months, and backfilling excess funds into the Education Mill Levy Fund. The bill passed on a vote of 123-0. The bill now goes to the Senate for a motion to concur or it could go to a conference committee.

Among the bills debated by the chamber today:

Senate Bill 414 creates the crime of encouraging suicide and provides criminal penalties therefor; relates to aggravated endangerment of a child; increases the criminal penalties in certain environments associated with fentanyl-related controlled substances or when bodily harm to the child results; relates to controlled substances; increases penalties for unlawful distribution of controlled substances with respect to material containing any quantity of a fentanyl-related controlled substance. The bill previously passed the Senate on a vote of 39-0. Today, the House took a final action vote. The bill passed on a vote of 122-0. It now goes to the Senate for a motion to concur or to a conference committee.

House Substitute for House Substitute for Senate Bill 96 relates to licensure of childcare facilities, daycare homes and childcare centers; establishes license capacity and staff-to-child ratios; reduces license fees and training requirements; creates a process for daycare facility licensees to apply for temporary waiver of certain statutory requirements; authorizes the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to develop and operate pilot programs to increase childcare facility availability and capacity; places the children's cabinet in the Department of Commerce; establishes the Kansas Office of Early Childhood; transfers administration of daycare licensing, parent education program and childcare subsidy to the Kansas Office of Early Childhood; defines youth out-of-school time programs; applies certain fire codes for daycare facilities; increases the tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses.

Senate Bill 430 amends the Workers' Compensation law to increase lifetime benefit maximums and adjusts the formula to increase the maximum benefit caps annually by a five-year average of the percentage change in the state average weekly wage. Increases "reasonable expenses" for overnight accommodations for seeking a medical opinion outside of their town or residence, and increases the amount of medical charges an employer is liable to cover from $500 to $800 when an employee consults a health care provider for an examination, diagnosis and treatment without prior application or approval. The bill previously passed the Senate on a vote of 40-0. Today, the House took a final action vote. The bill passed on a vote of 122-0. The bill now goes to the governor.