Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB94

Introduced
1/28/25  

Caption

Requiring a person convicted of an offense that resulted in the incapacitation or death of a victim who is the parent or guardian of a minor child to pay restitution in the form of child support.

Impact

The bill introduces a significant change in criminal restitution practices in the state. It enforces a new responsibility on convicted individuals to care for the victims' dependents financially, which can greatly influence the court's decisions regarding sentencing. Courts will have to take into account various factors when determining the amount of child support, including the children's needs, the financial situation of the surviving parent or guardian, and the victim's previous standard of living. This potentially injects a new layer of complexity into sentencing and restitution processes.

Summary

Senate Bill 94 mandates that individuals convicted of an offense resulting in the incapacitation or death of a victim, who is also a parent or guardian of a minor, must pay restitution in the form of child support. This bill establishes a legal obligation for offenders to provide financial support for the children of the victim until they reach 18 years of age and have graduated from high school. The intention behind the bill is to ensure that children who lose a parent or guardian due to a crime are not left without necessary financial support.

Conclusion

Overall, SB94 seeks to address the well-being of children affected by crime through mandated financial support from offenders. This legislative action reflects a broader recognition of victims' families' needs in the criminal justice system, promoting a perspective that emphasizes accountability while considering the vulnerabilities of dependents left behind.

Contention

While the bill aims to provide necessary support for children of victims, it may raise questions regarding the enforcement of such restitution orders. Critics might argue about the fairness and feasibility of expecting convicted individuals to fulfill these financial obligations, especially if they are facing incarceration or have limited financial means. Furthermore, some may point to the need for safeguards to ensure that payments go directly to the intended beneficiaries and are not subject to the defendant’s financial irresponsibility or changes in circumstance.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

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 SB6

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

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 HB2002

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

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 SCR1601

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

KS SB4

Requiring all advance voting ballots be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day.

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

No similar bills found.