Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2327

Introduced
2/7/25  
Refer
2/7/25  
Report Pass
2/17/25  
Engrossed
2/25/25  

Caption

Establishing procedures and requirements for the secretary of corrections to issue a certificate of employability to certain inmates.

Summary

HB 2327 creates a new “certificate of employability” program for certain inmates released from the custody of the secretary of corrections. The secretary must identify an inmate’s educational and training history and issue the certificate if the inmate meets three conditions: the inmate earned a qualifying educational or vocational credential, had no major disciplinary violations in the year before release, and achieved the required score on a job-skills assessment. The secretary must also inform inmates about the opportunity to obtain the certificate and confirm whether a certificate has been issued when asked. The bill also sets rules for revocation and misuse of the certificate. A certificate must be revoked if the person is later convicted of a felony, and the person may appeal that revocation to the secretary. Knowingly falsely claiming to have a valid certificate would be a class B nonperson misdemeanor. The secretary is given immunity from damages for decisions to issue, deny, or revoke certificates, and may adopt rules and regulations to implement the program. The secretary must also submit annual reports on the number of certificates issued and the recidivism rate among recipients.

Impact

The bill would add a new statutory framework within the corrections system governing post-release employability certification for eligible inmates. It affects the secretary of corrections by imposing duties to evaluate educational and disciplinary history, administer job-skills testing, issue and revoke certificates, notify inmates, respond to verification requests, and report annually to state leadership. It also creates a new criminal offense for false claims of certification and provides a potential defense and evidentiary benefit for employers facing negligent hiring claims when they relied on a valid certificate.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported in the House, passing 122-1 on final action. That margin indicates strong bipartisan or near-unanimous approval, with only one dissenting vote. No committee transcript is available here, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the vote suggests the bill was generally viewed favorably as a reentry and workforce-related measure.

Contention

The main policy tension in the bill is between reentry support and liability concerns. Supporters likely view the certificate as a way to recognize rehabilitation, improve employment prospects for returning citizens, and encourage workforce participation after release. Potential concerns center on the legal effect of the certificate in negligent hiring litigation, because the bill allows employers to use reliance on the certificate as a defense and as evidence of due care. Another possible point of concern is the creation of a new misdemeanor for false representation and the broad immunity granted to the secretary for certification decisions, though the lopsided vote suggests these issues did not generate significant opposition in the House.

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 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 SB8

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

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 SB6

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

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 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 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.

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