Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2302

Introduced
2/5/25  

Caption

Requiring a law enforcement officer to consult with the secretary for children and families before taking a child into custody and that the secretary respond and offer consultation to such law enforcement officer outside of the secretary's operating hours.

Summary

HB 2302 would amend Kansas child-in-custody law to require law enforcement officers to contact and consult with the secretary for children and families before taking a child into custody when the officer reasonably believes the child will be harmed if not immediately removed from the location. The bill keeps existing authority for officers to take a child into custody in other situations, including when there is a court order, when the child is a runaway or missing person, when the child is believed to be a victim of human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation, or when the child is in a behavioral health crisis and likely to harm self or others. The bill also requires the secretary for children and families to maintain after-hours operations so that officers can receive a response and consultation outside normal business hours for these emergency removals. It preserves the existing rule that a person sheltering a runaway must promptly report the child’s location, and it allows law enforcement, when it is in the child’s best interests, to let the child remain in that sheltering location subject to the statute’s requirements. The bill makes technical changes to K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 38-2231 and repeals the current version of that statute.

Impact

HB 2302 would change Kansas law governing when and how children under 18 may be taken into protective custody by law enforcement or court services officers. Its main legal effect is to add a consultation requirement with the secretary for children and families before emergency removal under the child-harm provision, and to impose an operational duty on the secretary to provide after-hours response capability. The bill would affect law enforcement agencies, the Department for Children and Families, children alleged to be in danger, and families in child welfare, runaway, trafficking, and behavioral health situations.

Sentiment

Based on the bill’s caption and structure, the measure appears aimed at improving coordination between law enforcement and child welfare officials before a child is removed from a home or residence. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from hearings or floor action. The bill’s framing suggests a policy preference for consultation and child welfare oversight, while still preserving emergency authority for officers in urgent situations.

Contention

The likely point of contention is whether requiring consultation with the secretary before removal could delay urgent protective action or create operational burdens for law enforcement, especially outside normal business hours. Supporters would likely emphasize added child welfare review, better decision-making, and continuity of care, while critics may worry about response-time delays, staffing demands on the secretary, and ambiguity in fast-moving emergency situations. Another possible issue is how the consultation requirement would work in practice when immediate danger is suspected.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 SB3

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

KS SCR1601

Informing the Governor that the two houses of the Legislature are organized and ready to receive communications.

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 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 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 HB2002

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

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 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.

KS SB8

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

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.