10 Kansas bills to know about that were introduced this week

The first week of the Kansas legislative session is coming to an end, and despite all the snow, the Kansas Legislature was able to introduce a number of new bills that could potentially become law. These are ten bills that The Kansas Constitutional will be following moving forward. Following these bills does not mean we endorse them, but rather we find them of particular interest. It should also be noted that these are very basic descriptions of bills that can be pages long.

Abortion

HB 2492 – Outlaws abortion unless it is to save a woman’s life.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

HB 2476 – Makes it so that the Kansas Legislature must vote to approve land or water being designated as a US national park, heritage area, or trail.

Criminal Justice

HB 2497 – Takes power away from District Magistrate Judges so they may not issue search warrants.

Drug Policy

HB 2487 – Provides immunity from prosecution for certain drug crimes if the controlled substance is used for medical purposes.

Education

HB 2480 – Forces school districts to hire a specialist in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Elections

HB 2496 – This is a bill that would enact a “national popular vote total” when it comes to electing President and Vice-President.

Government

SB 328 – Makes it so that employees of the state executive branch cannot be members of the state legislature. It also disqualifies the lieutenant governor from serving as a secretary of a state department or as a department head.

Speech

HB 2488 – Makes speech that encourages suicide a crime if the person the speech is directed at commits or attempts suicide.

Transportation

HB 2479 – Expands the free-market by allowing “a first or second manufacturer or distributor that is licensed as a vehicle dealer in Kansas…to sell and service motor vehicles in Kansas and otherwise act in the capacity of a new vehicle dealer or dealership if no other vehicle dealer, factory branch, distributor branch or distributor sells and services the same line-make vehicles in Kansas.”

SB 341 – Allows certain individuals with revoked driver’s licenses certain driving privileges and to be able to pick up and drop off children from school or childcare.