Weekly Senate Report from Richard Wilborn

Senate Highlights 

The Kansas Senate debated 31 bills over the course of Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week marked “Turnaround” which is the official halfway point for the 2016 Legislative Session.  By “Turnaround”, legislation, with a few exceptions, must have passed its chamber of origin or be removed for consideration for the remainder of the session. The Senate will have a few days off to allow staff to process the legislation that was passed and will resume work on Wednesday, March 2nd. 

Notable Legislation:

Law Enforcement Funding

SB 335 gives an additional funding source to the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center(KLETC) and the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP). The legislation would add an additional $3.25 to vehicle registration fees. Two dollars of the fee would go to the Kansas Highway Patrol to create the Kansas Highway Patrol and Staffing fund. The proposal will allow the KHP to expand its’ workforce by 75 troopers by the end of FY 2018, and will continue to fund an annual recruit class of 15 troopers in subsequent years. The extra $1.25 would go to the KLETCto update the center’s revenue source which has not occurred in over a decade and will yield approximately $3.2 million in additional funding.

Prize-Linked Savings Accounts

SB 387 would allow banks and credit unions the ability to offer prize-linked savings accounts. This legislation would incentivize individuals to save for the future by entering them in a drawing every time they made a deposit over a predetermined threshold which would be established by the financial institution. Until recently, prize-linked savings accounts had been prohibited by federal law. However, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran led an effort to give states the authority to authorize these types of accounts. The Senate also passed the following bills:

SB 362 – which amends law relating to the KS Criminal Justice Information System 

SB 392 – which amends the Uniform Mandatory Disposition of Detainer Act

SB 366 – which prohibits local governments from passing price control ordinances

SB 391 – which creates the new crimes of unlawful transmission of a visual depiction of a child

Sub SB 440 – which amends statutes to the Judicial Branch

Sub SB 103 - which enacts law dealing with contracts between pharmacies and pharmacy         

 ​​   benefits managers

SB 330 – which establishes the Kansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

SB 407 – which deals with statute in the Sexually Violent Predator Act

SB 438 – which deals with the transfer of the insurance policies

SB 365 - which establishes the Contaminated Property Redevelopment Act

SB 415 - which sunsets certain statutes in the Kansas Open Records Act

SB 419 - which enacts law allowing mutual insurance companies to transfer health care     

              provider liability insurance

SB 408 – which amends law relating to abuse, neglect, and exploitation

SB 374 - which amends law concerning sureties

SB 453 –which allows the Secretary of Corrections to transfer offenders from state correctional 

               facilities to home detention.

SB 338 – which amends the definition of “abandoned property” 

SB 393 –which considers domestic violence in custody and parenting time 

SB 418 – which is a technical bill dealing with child in need of care instances

SB 426 – which creates the crime of violating consumer protection

1. 
   UPDATED SESSION CALENDAR