Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2174

Introduced
1/30/25  
Refer
1/30/25  

Caption

Enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act to provide financial assistance to lawyers and law students who practice law in rural areas.

Impact

The legislation stipulates that law students enrolled in cooperating law schools—namely Washburn University and the University of Kansas—can receive loans of up to $30,000 per academic year, applicable for a maximum of three years. In exchange, students must commit to practicing law in a rural community for at least one year for every year they receive funding. Similarly, licensed attorneys who practice in these rural areas can apply for loan repayment assistance, capped at $20,000 annually, up to a total of $100,000 over five years. This program aims to alleviate the heavy burden of student debt for those willing to serve in rural communities.

Summary

House Bill 2174, known as the Attorney Training Program for Rural Kansas Act, is designed to address the challenges faced by rural communities in attracting and retaining legal professionals. The act aims to provide financial assistance to both aspiring law students and licensed attorneys practicing in rural areas of Kansas. By establishing a dedicated fund, it seeks to incentivize legal practice in regions that often face shortages of legal services, ultimately enhancing access to justice for underserved populations.

Contention

While proponents argue that this initiative will significantly benefit rural justice systems and improve the quality of legal representation, concerns have been raised regarding the sustainability and fairness of such financial assistance programs. Questions regarding the program's administration, the prioritization of loan repayment, and the potential obligation for students to repay loans if they do not fulfill their practice requirements have also emerged. Additionally, the introduction of this bill reflects broader concerns about the accessibility of legal services in rural areas and the ongoing struggles faced by these communities in attracting professionals.

Achievements

Ultimately, HB 2174 represents a proactive effort to remedy the imbalance in legal service availability between urban and rural areas. If successfully implemented, it could serve as a model for similar initiatives in other states facing challenges in rural legal service provision.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS HB2002

Expanding medical assistance eligibility and enacting the cutting healthcare costs for all Kansans act.

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 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.

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 SR1702

A resolution honoring the life, career and trailblazing achievements of Kansas icon Ed Dwight.

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 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 SB6

Providing a sales tax exemption for sales of electricity to residential premises by municipally owned or operated utilities.

KS SCR1602

Approving the creation of a port authority in Wyandotte County Kansas.

KS SCR1604

Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to limit property tax valuation increases for real property and personal property mobile homes.

Similar Bills

KS HB2595

Substitute for HB 2595 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources - Enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act, providing stipends to law students who meet certain requirements and agree to practice law in rural areas and providing loan forgiveness to lawyers who meet certain requirements and practice law in rural areas, coordination between the department of commerce and the office of judicial administration.

KS SB214

Enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act to provide financial assistance to lawyers and law students who practice law in rural areas.

TX HB140

Relating to advisory bodies for the Department of Family and Protective Services, including the creation of the child protective investigations advisory committee and the abolition of the Family and Protective Services Council.

ME LD330

Resolve, to Create an Advisory Council to Oversee the Review and Technical Revision of the Maine Criminal Code and Other Statutes Establishing Criminal Offenses

KS SB375

Enacting the proxy advisor transparency act, requiring proxy advisors to make certain disclosures when recommending an action against company management, authorizing the attorney general to investigate and take enforcement actions against violators and establishing a private right of action for a declaratory judgment or injunctive relief.

TX SB425

Relating to the creation of the child and adult protective investigations advisory committee in the Department of Family and Protective Services.

TX SB25

Relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living, including requirements for food labeling, primary and secondary education, higher education, and continuing education for certain health care professionals; authorizing a civil penalty.

ME LD1893

An Act to Establish an Independent Office of the Child Advocate