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2024 Kansas legislative session
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| 2024 Kansas legislative session |
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| General information |
| Scheduled session start: Jan. 8, 2024 Scheduled session end: April 30, 2024 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Ty Masterson (R) House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2024 legislative sessions |
In 2024, the Kansas State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8 and adjourn on April 30.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 state Senate elections and the 2022 state House elections. Republicans won a 29-11 majority in the Senate and an 85-40 majority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, making Kansas one of 10 divided governments with no state government trifecta. At the start of the 2024 session, Kansas was one of 20 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2024
Kansas State Senate
- Senate president: Ty Masterson (R)
- Majority leader: Larry Alley (R)
- Minority leader: Dinah Sykes (D)
Kansas House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Daniel Hawkins (R)
- Majority leader: Chris Croft (R)
- Minority leader: Vic Miller (D)
Partisan control in 2024
- See also: State government trifectas
Kansas was one of 10 divided governments where neither party had a state government trifecta at the start of 2024 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Kansas was also one of 20 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Kansas State Legislature in the 2024 legislative session.
Kansas State Senate
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Total | 40 | |
Kansas House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 40 | |
| Republican Party | 85 | |
| Total | 125 | |
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2024 legislative session, there were 65 standing committees in Kansas' state government, including 15 joint legislative committees, 16 state Senate committees, and 34 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Administrative Rules and Regulations Committee
- Child Welfare System Oversight
- Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee
- Fiduciary Financial Institutions Oversight
- Home and Community Based Services Oversight Committee
- Information Technology Committee
- Kansas Security Committee
- Legislative Budget Committee
- Legislative Coordinating Council Committee
- Legislative Post Audit Committee
- Pensions, Investments and Benefits Committee
- Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight
- Special Claims Against the State Committee
- State Building Construction Committee
- State-Tribal Relations Committee
Senate committees
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Assessment and Taxation Committee
- Commerce Committee
- Confirmation Oversight Committee
- Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee
- Organization, Calendar and Rules Committee
- Public Health and Welfare Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee
- Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Transparency and Ethics Committee
- Utilities Committee
- Ways and Means Committee
House committees
- Agriculture Committee
- Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Calendar and Printing Committee
- Child Welfare and Foster Care
- Children and Seniors Committee
- Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee
- Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee
- Elections Committee
- Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications Committee
- Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee
- Financial Institutions and Rural Development Committee
- General Government Budget Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
- Higher Education Budget Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Federal and State Affairs Committee
- House Interstate Cooperation Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Legislative Budget Committee
- House Local Government Committee
- House Transportation Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Insurance and Pensions Committee
- K-12 Education Budget Committee
- Legislative Modernization
- Rules and Journal Committee
- Rural Revitalization Committee
- Social Services Budget Committee
- Taxation Committee
- Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee
- Veterans and Military Committee
- Water Committee
- Welfare Reform
Legislation
Enacted legislation
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2024 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2024. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Election administration legislation
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job. Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments, translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language, and, because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
The table below lists 2024 election-related legislation in Kansas. The following information is included for each bill:
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Kansas Constitution can be amended:
| Kansas Constitution |
|---|
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| Articles |
| Ordinance • Preamble • Bill of Rights 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 |
Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution governs the ways in which the state's constitution can be changed over time.
- One path is the legislatively referred constitutional amendment. Either house of the Kansas State Legislature can propose an amendment to the state's constitution. Two-thirds of the members of each chamber must approve the resolution. If they do, the proposed amendment goes on either the next statewide ballot during which members of the state legislature are elected or on a special election ballot if the legislature agrees to have a special election for this purpose.
- If a simple majority of the electors of the state who vote on the proposition agree with it, it becomes part of the constitution.
- The legislature must say what the measure's ballot title will be in their resolution authorizing it.
- If there is more than one proposed amendment, voters must be able to vote on them separately.
- At most, five amendments can be proposed for one election.
- An amendment is allowed to revise one entire article of the constitution "except the article on general provisions."
- Another path to amend the state constitution is through a constitutional convention. If two-thirds of the members of each house of the state legislature vote in favor, the question "Shall there be a convention to amend or revise the constitution of the state of Kansas?" or "Shall there be a convention limited to revision of article(s) ________ of the constitution of the state of Kansas?" shall be placed on a statewide ballot.
- If a simple majority of those voting on that question say "yes," a convention is held.
- Any amendments or revisions that come out of the convention must go before the state's voters.
Kansas does not feature the power of citizen initiative for either initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Kansas.
Kansas Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Sixteen years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
Republicans won control of the Kansas State Senate in 1916. In 2020, they won a 29-11 majority.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Kansas State Senate election results: 1992-2020
| Party | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 14 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Republicans | 26 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 29 |
Historical House control
Republicans won control of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1992. In 2022, they won a 85-40 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas House following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Kansas House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 59 | 45 | 48 | 48 | 46 | 45 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 33 | 35 | 28 | 40 | 40 | 39 | 40 |
| Republicans | 66 | 80 | 77 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 83 | 78 | 77 | 92 | 90 | 97 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 85 |
See also
| Elections | Kansas State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
