Kansas Legislature scheduled to convene today, and a few things to expect

The Kansas Legislature is scheduled to convene today to discus and vote on new legislation. This process is made up of 125 House members and 40 Senators. In even numbered years the regular session lasts 90 calendar days. However, it can be extended by a two-thirds vote from both the House and Senate. The session will adjourn May 21, 2024.

Though this is the first day to introduce bills, there are a few bills we already expect to see get introduced, at least, as of right now.

Max’s Law

This is a law being drafted up by Rep. Nick Hoheisel (R-Wichita) after a mother who lost her 21-year-old son, Max, to suicide. The mother got in touch with him to create this legislation to stop suicide encouragement. However, depending on how the bill is written, there may be a freedom of speech violation.

Restricting Porn in Libraries

There’s been a rumor that Sen. Mike Thompson (R-Johnson and Wyandotte Counties) is working on legislation to restrict access to porn for minors in public libraries. This is currently all the information we have, so we will have to see what happens moving forward on this issue.

Medical Marijuana Legislation

The ACLU has scheduled to have a Medical Marijuana Day of Action for January 23. At the Day of Action, they will be encouraging lawmakers to pass “equitable medical marijuana legislation that centers the needs of our communities.”

Pro-Life Legislation

Directly after the Medical Marijuana Day of Action, Kansans for Life will be hosting their annual March and Rally for Life on January 24 where they will encourage lawmakers to “stand boldly for life as they begin their legislative session.”

Legislation on Energy

In the Kansas Republican Party’s Friday File, Rep. Carrie Barth (R-Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, and Miami Counties) had a guest column on the new Kansas Republican Party resolution on ENERGY. The resolution was co-written with former Kansas State Rep. Dennis Hedke who was chair of the House Energy and Utilities Committee. In the guest column, Rep. Barth listed ten different “energy problems in Kansas,” so we will definitely see bills on this issue.