During the legislative session, KSCPA’s government affairs representatives – Marlee Carpenter and Natalie Bright of Bright & Carpenter Consulting, LLC – track bills and provide legislative updates and a bill tracker summary weekly via video, podcast, and write-up. See below.
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Yesterday
April 9, 2024
The Kansas Legislature adjourned the regular part of the 2024 Legislative Session around 2:30 am Saturday morning after voting to suspend the midnight rule and continue their work. Before leaving for their three-week spring break, lawmakers spent several long days and nights in conference committees and on the floor approving bills to send to the Governor’s desk.
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April 1, 2024
Last week was a quick but full week in the Kansas Legislature. The House and Senate spent Monday through Wednesday debating and passing over 100 bills. Thursday was technically the last day for all non-exempt bills to be considered in either chamber, but most Legislators were on their way home by Wednesday evening.
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March 25, 2024
Friday marked the last day for non-exempt committees to meet for the 2024 Kansas Legislative Session. Last week was a frenzy of a week as committee chairs churned through bills and worked quickly to wrap up their business for the year.
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March 18, 2024
The Senate debated and passed their budget bill last week, signaling that the end of the 2024 Kansas Legislative Session is nearing. As important deadlines loom, committees were busy hearing and working bills – many with three to four hearings a day. They have this week to complete their work before March 22, when all non-exempt committees are done meeting for the year.
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March 11, 2024
As usual, the last few weeks of committee meetings are packed full of back-to-back hearings and final action on bills. Other than those that are exempt from legislative deadlines (Budget, Tax, Federal and State Affairs), committees have two more weeks to complete their work. March 22 is their last day to meet and pass any bills they want to move forward this session. After that, Legislators are mostly on the floor, then conference committees begin their work on April 1.
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March 4, 2024
Lawmakers returned from their five-day recess last Wednesday to officially start the second half of the 2024 Legislative Session. The Legislature was Pro Forma on Wednesday and Friday, making last week very quiet. While they slowly eased back into committee work, over 75 hearings are scheduled for this week. It is typically after Turnaround when the tempo speeds up significantly to meet bill deadlines for the year. It should be fast and furious from here on out.
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February 26, 2024
The Kansas Legislature adjourned for Turnaround break late Thursday afternoon and will return to Topeka on Wednesday, February 28. Committees met on Monday and Tuesday and spent Wednesday and Thursday debating and passing legislation on the floor. Any non-exempt bills that did not pass their house of origin or get “blessed” by leadership last week are dead for the year.
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February 19, 2024
Last week was the last full week for non-exempt committees to complete their work for the first half of the legislative session. Nevertheless, the Statehouse was quieter than usual on Monday following the Chiefs Super Bowl win, and several lawmakers were out for the parade on Wednesday.
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February 12, 2024
With only two weeks left before Turnaround – when bills must pass their original chamber to stay alive for the year – the pace picked up significantly last week in the Kansas Legislature. Revisors worked furiously to meet Friday's deadline when all non-exempt bills must be introduced. The House began considering a few non-controversial bills on their General Orders, 162 more bills were introduced, and hearings quickly filled up committee calendars. The last day for non-exempt committees to meet is February 20, followed by Turnaround on February 23.
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February 5, 2024
Last week was the fourth week of the legislative session, and 112 more bills were introduced. This is typically when committees go into overdrive to meet approaching legislative deadlines. Over 65 hearings are scheduled for this week.
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January 29, 2024
The pace picked up significantly last week in the Kansas Legislature. Lawmakers hit the first legislative deadline today when all member-sponsored bill drafts must be requested by the revisor's office. We saw 93 new bills introduced last week and 60 hearings scheduled for this week.
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January 22, 2024
The Legislature began their second week of work on Tuesday, January 16. However, bitterly cold temperatures and more snow kept some legislators at home another day, making last week another short week. While a few committee meetings were cancelled on Tuesday, it was mostly business as usual as lawmakers were eager to fast-track a tax bill to the Governor’s desk by the end of the week.
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January 15, 2024
The 2024 Kansas Legislative Session kicked off on January 8, 2024, with rare first-day floor action to pass resolutions showing support for Israel but was quickly halted by a winter storm that hit Topeka Monday night. Most committee chairmen cancelled their meetings on Tuesday, so Wednesday was essentially the first day of business.
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May 1, 2023
The 2023 Legislature adjourned Sine Die late Friday night after passing the omnibus and education budgets and attempting to override many of the Governor’s Vetoes. Sine Die adjournment means the 2023 Legislative Session is officially concluded, and legislators will not be able to return to override any additional vetoes on bills that may occur. Traditionally, Sine Die comes three weeks after the veto session ends, but this year Leadership made the decision to combine the two and officially end the 2023 Legislative session on the 89th day.
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April 26, 2023
Kansas lawmakers return to Topeka today to officially begin the 2023 Kansas Legislative Veto Session after a two-week spring break. Both House and Senate Republican leaders have stated that they hope to be adjourned by the end of the week. That would give the Legislature just enough time to pass an omnibus budget, attempt any veto overrides, and wrap up some outstanding conference committee reports.
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April 10, 2023
The Kansas Legislature left for a two-week spring break on Friday, officially adjourning the regular part of the 2023 Legislative Session just after 4:00 a.m. Lawmakers had a busy week of conference committees and floor debate but left several larger items for the Veto Session, including education funding and tax policy.
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April 3, 2023
Last week was a short but full week in the Kansas Legislature. Wednesday was the last day for all non-exempt bills to be considered in either chamber, so the House and Senate spent Monday through Wednesday debating and passing nearly 130 bills. The House adjourned early afternoon on Wednesday, while the Senate worked into the evening and adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
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March 28, 2023
Friday was the last day for non-exempt committees to meet for the 2023 Kansas Legislative Session. Last week was a frenzy of a week as committee chairs churned through bills and worked quickly to wrap up their business for the year.
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March 20, 2023
The Senate debated and passed their budget bill early last Thursday evening, signaling that the end of the 2023 Kansas Legislative Session is nearing. As important deadlines loom, committees were busy hearing and working bills last week – many with three to four hearings a day. This is the last week to complete their work before March 24, when all non-exempt committees are done meeting for the year. Lawmakers will then debate bills the week of March 27th and return the following week for conference committee work with a First Adjournment (end of regular session) date of April 6. Veto session will begin Wednesday, April 26th.
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March 13, 2023
As usual, the last three weeks of committee meetings are packed full of back-to-back hearings and final action on bills. Other than those that are exempt from legislative deadlines (Budget, Tax, Federal and State Affairs), committees have two more weeks to complete their work. March 24 is their last day to meet and pass any bills they want to move forward this session. After that, Legislators are mostly on the floor, and then conference committees begin their work on April 3.
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March 10, 2023
An update from the KSCPA Advocate Task Force on KSCPA's advocacy efforts regarding the SALT Parity Act.
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March 6, 2023
Lawmakers returned from their five-day recess last Wednesday to officially start the second half of the 2023 Legislative Session. The Legislature was Pro Forma on Friday, making it a relatively quiet two-day week. While they slowly eased back into committee work, this week is filling up quickly with dozens of hearings already scheduled. It’s typically after Turnaround that the tempo speeds up significantly to meet bill deadlines for the year. It should be fast and furious from here on out.
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February 27, 2023
The Kansas Legislature adjourned for Turnaround break late Thursday evening and will return to Topeka on Wednesday, March 1. Committees only met on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the next two days for debating and passing legislation on the floor. Any non-exempt bills that didn’t pass their house of origin or get “blessed” by leadership this week are dead for this year. Any bill that is introduced through or touches an exempt committee remains alive and actionable for the remainder of session. Exempt committees include Taxation, Federal & State Affairs, and Calendar & Printing.
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February 20, 2023
Last week was the last full week for non-exempt committees to complete their work for the first half of the legislative session. Tuesday marks the official last day for those committees to meet, so a few of them still have agendas on the calendar. Starting Wednesday, Legislators are on the floor working toward Turnaround on Friday, February 24. All non-exempt bills that haven’t passed their House of Origin by Turnaround are dead for the year. Lawmakers will then have a four-day weekend and return to start the second half of the session on Wednesday, March 1.
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February 13, 2023
With less than three weeks left before Turnaround – when bills must pass their original chamber to stay alive for the year – the pace picked up significantly last week in the Kansas Legislature. Revisors worked furiously to meet Friday's deadline when all non-exempt bills must be introduced. Both Chambers began considering non-controversial bills on their General Orders, several hot topic bills were introduced, and hearings are quickly filling up committee calendars. The last day for non-exempt committees to meet is February 21, followed by Turnaround on February 24.
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February 6, 2023
Last week was the fourth week of the legislative session, and 128 more bills were introduced. This is typically when committees go into overdrive to meet quickly approaching legislative deadlines. Over 75 hearings are scheduled for this week.
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January 30, 2023
The pace picked up significantly last week in the Kansas Legislature. The first legislative deadline is today, when all member-sponsored bill drafts must be requested by the Revisor's office. We saw 125 new bills introduced last week and 70 hearings scheduled for this week.
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January 23, 2023
Last week, the Legislature began the second week of work on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King holiday. Committees picked up steam, holding informational hearings on issues that could be headliners this year, including taxes, workforce development, childcare, and water. Over 100 new bills were introduced, and dozens of hearings are scheduled. This week looks to be a busy one as well. The Governor will also give her State of the State Address Wednesday evening, two weeks later than usual.
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January 17, 2023
The 2023 Kansas Legislative Session kicked off last Monday with the inauguration of Governor Laura Kelly into her second term of office, as well as the swearing-in of 32 new House members and two new Senators.
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January 9, 2023
Lawmakers return to Topeka for the start of the 2023 Kansas Legislative Session today, with roughly $2 billion in the State General Fund. With tax revenues drastically exceeding estimates every month this fiscal year and last, expect to see some tension around how that money is spent.
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November 10, 2022
While 29,000 mail-in ballots have not been returned and provisional ballots are still being tallied, Kansans woke up on Wednesday to more certainty and fewer surprises than many expected.
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August 8, 2022
The 2022 Primary Election was highlighted by a few highly contested statewide races and several surprising House district upsets. We continue to analyze and digest the results from the primary election in anticipation of the 2022 general elections. Please note these reported results are preliminary and are not official until certified by the Secretary of State’s office.
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May 23, 2022
The Kansas Legislature returned to Topeka on Monday, May 23, for a “Veto Session #2” to redraw their congressional redistricting map. However, last week, the Kansas Supreme Court decided to uphold the congressional map and reverse a district court’s ruling that it was unconstitutional due to partisan and racial gerrymandering.
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May 2, 2022
The Kansas Legislature returned to Topeka on Monday, April 25 after a three-week spring break. After a rule was suspended allowing the Legislature to work past midnight, the four-day start of the Veto Session concluded around 2:00 a.m. Friday morning.
Lawmakers had four major pieces of business to wrap up: veto overrides, food sales tax, education, and budget. Medical marijuana was thought to also be a priority for the wrap-up session, but no action was taken, and the bill remains in conference committee.
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April 25, 2022
Kansas lawmakers return to Topeka today to begin the 2022 Kansas Legislative Veto Session after a three-week spring break. Both House and Senate Republican leaders have stated that little work remains on their agenda and hope to be adjourned by the end of the week. That would give the Legislature just enough time to pass an omnibus budget, attempt any veto overrides, and wrap up some outstanding conference committee reports.
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April 4, 2022
The Kansas Legislature left for a three-week spring break on Saturday, officially adjourning the regular part of the 2022 Legislative Session just before 2:00 a.m. Lawmakers had a very busy week of conference committees and floor debate but left several larger items for the Veto Session. From education funding to food sales tax to medical marijuana to sports wagering, it’s unclear which issues still have a chance when they return and which ones were put on hold intentionally. It’s an election year, so careful consideration is given to the votes on which legislators can campaign.
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March 28, 2022
Last week was a quick but full week in the Kansas Legislature. Wednesday was the last day for all non-exempt bills to be considered in either chamber, so the House and Senate spent Monday through Wednesday debating and passing over 100 bills. The House adjourned early afternoon on Wednesday, while the Senate worked past midnight adjourning close to 2:00 a.m.Thursday morning.
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March 21, 2022
Friday was the last day for non-exempt committees to meet for the 2022 Kansas Legislative Session. It was a frenzy of a week as committee chairs churned through bills and worked quickly to wrap up their business for the year. This week, the House and Senate will be on the floor all of today through Wednesday, followed by a four-day weekend, then another few days of conference committees leading up to first adjournment currently scheduled for April 1.
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March 14, 2022
As usual, the last two weeks of committee meetings are packed full of back-to-back hearings and final action on bills. Other than those that are exempt from legislative deadlines (Budget, Tax, Federal & State Affairs), committees have one more week to complete their work. March 18 is their last day to meet and pass any bills they want to move forward this session. After that, Legislators will primarily do floor work before conference committees begin their work on March 28.
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March 7, 2022
Lawmakers returned from their five-day recess on March 1 to officially start the second half of the 2022 Legislative Session. The Legislature was Pro Forma on Friday, making it a relatively quiet three-day week. While they slowly eased back into committee work, this week is filling up quickly with dozens of hearings already scheduled. It’s typically after Turnaround that the tempo speeds up significantly to meet bill deadlines for the year. It should be March madness from here on out!
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February 28, 2022
The Kansas Legislature adjourned for Turnaround break on February 23 and will return to Topeka this Tuesday, March 1. Committees only met on Monday, leaving the next two days for debating and passing legislation on the floor. Any non-exempt bills that didn’t pass their house of origin or get “blessed” by leadership by February 23 are dead for this year.
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February 21, 2022
Last week was the last full week for non-exempt committees to complete their work for the first half of the legislative session. Today marks the official last day for those committees to meet, so a few of them still have agendas on the calendar. Starting on Tuesday, Legislators are on the floor working toward Turnaround or halfway point of session on Thursday, February 24. All non-exempt bills that have not passed their House of Origin by Turnaround are dead for the year. Lawmakers will then have a four-day weekend and return to start the second half of the session on Tuesday, March 1.
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February 14, 2022
Last week was a full, fast, and furious week in Topeka, as the Kansas Legislature raced to meet the February 11 deadline, when all non-exempt bills must be introduced. Committees that are exempt from legislative deadlines are: House and Senate Federal and State Affairs, Senate Ways and Means, Senate Assessment and Taxation, and House committees on Calendar and Printing, Appropriations, and Taxation. The last day for non-exempt committees to meet is February 21, followed by Turnaround (halfway point of session when non-exempt bills need to be out of their house of origin) on February 24.
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February 7, 2022
A winter storm cut last week short for the Kansas Legislature. Most legislators went home Tuesday night to beat the snow, with only a few House committees meeting on Thursday. The snow days will put a strain on committees this week to hear and work bills. The Turnaround deadline is quickly approaching on February 24.
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January 31, 2022
Last week was the first full week of the 2022 Legislative Session, and committees were picking up the pace. We also saw 92 new bills introduced as lawmakers near the first legislative deadline today, when all requests for member-sponsored bill drafts by the revisor’s office must be completed.
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January 24, 2022
Redistricting will be a focus of the 2022 Legislative Session, a census process that occurs every ten years. The House and Senate Redistricting Committees introduced their first sets of congressional district maps last week. Most attention is on the third district, currently represented by democrat Congresswoman Sharice Davids. The district has grown significantly, and legislators must reshape the lines covering Wyandotte and Johnson counties.
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January 17, 2022
The 2022 Kansas Legislative Session kicked off on January 10, 2022, with more steam than usual. Over 70 bills were introduced, with several hearings already scheduled for this week. Committees were busy receiving reports from agency heads on various programs and settling into the rhythm of legislative session.
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January 14, 2022
Help your state legislators understand issues important to Kansas CPAs and let them know that KSCPA is here to be their informational resource!
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January 11, 2022
January 10, 2022
January 10, 2022
Preview of potential issues
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