02/04/2026
🚨 END-OF-SESSION UPDATE 🚨
Except for the veto session in April, the 2026 legislative session has ended. The House considered roughly 100 pieces of legislation this past week, mostly in the form of “conference committee reports (CCRs).”
In short, if one chamber (say, the Senate) passes a bill and then the other chamber passes a different version of that same bill, the bill then goes to a “conference committee” which is comprised of members of both chambers to hash out a compromise and produce a report which is then voted on by everyone again. 🗳️
❇️ Many of you may have heard about CCR for HB 2527. It would have made it illegal for certain s*x offenders to be on school property or at school activities at any time for any reason. It also would have prohibited those same offenders from accessing any work release programs.
Several issues were raised. Among them were constitutional concerns that voting rights would be infringed upon for those whose polling place is located on school property.
Also, no consideration was given to the unique nature of consensual teenager-teenager relationships. Someone who turns 18 briefly before their boyfriend/girlfriend turns 16 could very easily find themselves on the wrong end of overly punitive and lifelong consequences, including the inability to finish high school.
Additionally, the bill would have prohibited work release programs, among other things, for these same offenders.
We absolutely must be responsible about offender management, and that includes accepting what some may see as an inconvenient fact. Subjecting folks to uninterrupted incarceration and artificial hurdles to reintegration actually leads to increased rates of recidivism.
Much handwringing was done over convicted s*x offenders being issued work release assignments in schools, but these arguments seem unfounded as the Department of Corrections is not in the habit of sending s*x offenders to school-related work release programs in the first place. And while the aim of the legislation was good, this is an excellent example of how rushing through the legislative process can lead to well-intended laws landing on the chopping block because key concepts were half-baked and the language was poorly constructed.
The CCR ultimately failed 46 – 75. All Dems except one voted against it. My vote on CCR for HB 2527: ❌
❇️ HB2365 does several things surrounding drug classification, but the key takeaway is that it classifies kratom as a Schedule I drug. Despite lawmakers being inundated with stories of how responsible use of natural kratom has saved people from hardcore addiction and given them their lives and families back, lawmakers have forgone regulatory measures that would have addressed the concerns surrounding dangerous synthetic forms of kratom in favor of an all-out ban.
Once again, the Legislature had the opportunity to do right by Kansans and has chosen indiscriminate government overreach instead.
The CCR passed 76 – 49. My vote on CCR for HB 2365: ❌
❇️ In a rare moment, the House came together almost unanimously to pass HB 2018, a religious freedom bill that’s actually about religious freedom. HB 2018 would create the crimes of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly and aggravated interference with the conduct of a religious assembly.
Simply put, a religious assembly can be held generally anywhere and cannot be interfered with without consequences. The bill does not give any belief system deference or preference. This is an incredibly important piece of legislation because religious freedom is for everyone, not just the adherents of a dominant belief system.
The bill passed 106 – 14. My vote on HB 2018: ✅
🏃🏼♀️ Now the campaign trail really begins to heat up. I’m looking forward to returning for next year’s session, but I need your help. Donate today at ActBlue.com/donate/Abi-boatman-1 and let’s get Kansas back on track.
🌻💙
