Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2008

Introduced

1/13/25

Refer

1/14/25

Caption

Modifying the definition of security officer to include certain juvenile corrections officer positions for purposes of the KPERS correctional employees group.

Summary

HB 2008 amends Kansas public employees retirement system (KPERS) provisions governing the correctional employees group. The bill expands the statutory definition of “security officer” to include specified juvenile corrections officer job classes and related successor positions within the Department of Corrections, so those employees can be treated the same as other covered correctional staff for retirement purposes. It also updates cross-references and definitions to reflect that the covered workforce includes both adult correctional institutions and juvenile correctional facilities. The bill primarily affects retirement eligibility, benefit calculations, and employer contribution treatment for certain Department of Corrections employees. By bringing juvenile corrections officer positions into the security officer category, the measure would allow those employees to qualify for the special correctional employee retirement rules, including disability and survivor benefits tied to that status. The bill also makes conforming changes to the disability-benefit statute for correctional employees and repeals the existing versions of the amended sections. The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text and caption is supportive of extending retirement coverage to additional correctional staff, especially those working in juvenile facilities who have similar duties and contact with offenders as other covered correctional employees. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or debate in the available materials. The main point of policy significance is whether juvenile corrections officer positions should be treated as equivalent to other security officer roles for KPERS purposes. The bill appears to be a targeted workforce and retirement equity measure rather than a broad pension overhaul, and its practical effect would be to increase the number of employees eligible for the correctional employees group and its associated retirement protections.

Impact

HB 2008 would amend K.S.A. 74-4914a and 74-4914e to expand the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System correctional employees group to include certain juvenile corrections officer positions and related supervisory or successor classifications. This would affect retirement dates, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and employer contribution treatment for covered Department of Corrections employees, while also updating statutory references to include juvenile correctional facilities alongside adult correctional institutions. The bill repeals the current versions of the amended statutes and replaces them with revised language.

Sentiment

The available materials suggest a generally favorable, technical retirement-policy measure aimed at aligning juvenile corrections officers with existing correctional employee retirement coverage. The bill caption and text indicate a consensus-oriented effort to recognize similar job duties and risks across adult and juvenile corrections. No committee testimony or vote record was provided, so there is no documented opposition or divided sentiment in the supplied context.

Contention

The likely substantive issue is whether juvenile corrections officer positions should be included in the special KPERS correctional employees category, which can affect retirement eligibility and benefit costs. Potential concerns would center on fiscal impact to the retirement system and employer contribution rates, as well as whether the expanded definition could create precedent for other job classifications seeking similar treatment. No specific opponents or supporters are identified in the provided record, and no formal debate transcript is available.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB1

Modifying income tax rates for individuals, exempting all social security benefits from Kansas income tax, increasing the Kansas standard deduction and the Kansas personal exemption, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, decreasing the privilege tax normal tax, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value for property tax valuation purposes, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund and abolishing the local ad valorem tax reduction fund and the county and city revenue sharing fund.

KS HB2003

Establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, modifying the definition of household income and increasing the appraised value threshold for eligibility of seniors and disabled veterans related to increased property tax claims and citing the section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, providing property tax exemptions for certain personal property including watercraft, marine equipment, off-road vehicles, motorized bicycles and certain trailers, excluding internal revenue code section 1031 exchange transactions as indicators of fair market value, providing for certain exclusions from the prohibition of paying taxes under protest after a valuation notice appeal and providing four prior years' values on the annual valuation notice.

KS SB2

Eliminating the income limit to qualify for the subtraction modification exempting social security benefits, increasing the income tax credit amount for household and dependent care expenses, establishing the veterans' valor property tax relief act providing for an income tax credit or refund for eligible individuals, citing the increased property tax homestead refund claim section as the homeowners' property tax freeze program, decreasing the normal privilege tax rate, increasing the extent of property tax exemption for residential property from the statewide school levy, decreasing the rate of ad valorem tax imposed by a school district; providing for certain transfers to the state school district finance fund, reducing the state rate of tax on sales of food and food ingredients and modifying the percent credited to the state highway fund from revenue collected.

KS SB3

Clarifying the procedures and restrictions on accepting a nomination for an elected office.

KS SB7

Authorizing federally licensed firearm dealers, in addition to county sheriffs, to receive applications for concealed carry licenses and forward such applications to the attorney general, prohibiting sheriffs from assessing any fee related to application services and allowing dealers to assess a fee related to application services not to exceed $20.

KS SB8

Exempting the sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition, firearm safes and firearm safety devices from the retatilers' sales tax.

KS HB2001

Authorizing the secretary of commerce to enter into agreements with major professional sports franchises to establish STAR bond projects for a major professional sports complex, providing for additional revenue sources, expanding the powers and discretion of the secretary and making other changes to the STAR bonds financing act to facilitate such projects, limiting the secretary’s authority to approve such projects to one year unless extended by the legislative coordinating council, authorizing the Kansas development finance authority to issue STAR bonds for such projects, transferring funds under certain circumstances from the state gaming revenues fund to the attracting professional sports to Kansas fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and, if approved by the legislative coordinating council, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.