Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB244

Introduced
2/6/25  
Refer
2/7/25  
Report Pass
2/17/25  
Engrossed
2/25/25  
Refer
2/25/25  
Report Pass
1/27/26  
Enrolled
2/3/26  
Vetoed
2/16/26  

Caption

House Substitute for SB 244 by Committee on Judiciary - Requiring the designation of multiple-occupancy private spaces in public buildings for use by only one sex and imposing criminal and civil penalties for violations, defining the term "gender" to mean biological sex at birth for purposes of statutory construction, directing the division of vehicles to invalidate and reissue driver's licenses when necessary to correct the gender identification on such licenses and directing the office of vital statistics to invalidate and reissue birth certificates when necessary to correct the sex identification on such certificates.

Summary

SB 244 revises Kansas law governing compensated sureties and appearance bonds in pretrial release. The bill requires compensated sureties to apply for authorization in each judicial district before acting there, provide specified identifying and licensing information, and, in some cases, submit to state and national criminal history record checks. It also sets rules for property sureties, including limits on the total amount of outstanding bonds and the maximum size of any single bond relative to the value of pledged property. The bill establishes a minimum appearance bond premium of 10% of the bond’s face amount and requires at least half of that premium to be received in approved forms of payment before a bond may be posted. For any unpaid portion of the premium, the surety must use a premium financing agreement, and the bill prohibits the surety from making or being affiliated with loans used to cover the required upfront portion. It also requires the surety to be physically present when the bond is posted, imposes annual continuing education requirements, and authorizes chief judges to approve, suspend, or terminate surety authorization for specified misconduct or noncompliance.

Impact

SB 244 amends and repeals K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 22-2809b, tightening statewide regulation of the bail bond industry and giving judicial districts more oversight over who may act as a compensated surety. It affects bail agents, insurance agent sureties, property sureties, judicial districts, and the Kansas bail agents association by adding licensing, reporting, education, and enforcement requirements, as well as restrictions on financing arrangements tied to bond premiums. The bill also creates new misdemeanor exposure for improper use of criminal history information obtained through the authorization process.

Sentiment

The vote history suggests the bill ultimately had strong support in both chambers, including passage over veto, indicating broad legislative backing for the changes. The pattern of votes also shows repeated rejection of House amendments, which suggests the final version reflected a relatively firm majority position and limited willingness to alter the core regulatory framework. Overall, the sentiment appears favorable toward stricter oversight of bail practices and surety conduct.

Contention

The main points of contention appear to have centered on the scope of regulation imposed on the bail industry, especially the premium-payment rules, the prohibition on sureties being involved with financing for the required upfront premium, and the authority of chief judges to deny, suspend, or terminate surety authorization. The repeated rejection of multiple House amendments indicates that some members sought to modify the substitute bill, but those efforts did not prevail. Opposition likely focused on the bill’s impact on bail agents’ business practices and access to pretrial release services, while supporters appear to have emphasized consumer protection, court oversight, and preventing improper financial arrangements.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 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 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 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 SB3

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

KS SB8

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

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 HR6002

Providing for assignment of seats in the House of Representatives for the 2024 special session of the Legislature.

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