2025 Kansas legislative session

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2025 Kansas legislative session
General information
Scheduled session start:    January 13, 2025 Scheduled session end:    April 11, 2025
Leadership
Senate President Ty Masterson (R) House Speaker Daniel Hawkins (R) Majority Leader Senate: Chase Blasi (R) House: Chris Croft (R) Minority Leader Senate: Dinah Sykes (D) House: Brandon Woodard (D)
Elections
Next Election:    November 3, 2026 Last Election:    November 5, 2024
Previous legislative sessions
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2025 legislative sessions
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In 2025, the Kansas State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13 and adjourn on April 11.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2024 elections. Republicans won a 31-9 majority in the Senate and an 88-37 majority in the House. The Democratic Party controlled the governorship, creating a divided state government. At the start of the 2025 session, Kansas was one of 20 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session:

Republicans held a majority in the Kansas state House and state Senate.

Kansas was one of 12 divided state governments.

Kansas' governor was Democrat Laura Kelly.

Leadership in 2025

See also: Leadership positions in state legislatures

Kansas State Senate

• Senate president: Ty Masterson (R)
• Majority leader: Chase Blasi (R)
• Minority leader: Dinah Sykes (D)

Kansas House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House: Daniel Hawkins (R)
• Majority leader: Chris Croft (R)
• Minority leader: Brandon Woodard (D)

Partisan control in 2025

See also: State government trifectas

Kansas was one of 12 divided state governments at the start of 2025 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 2025 legislative session.

Kansas State Senate

Party		As of January 2025
	Democratic Party	9
	Republican Party	31
Total		40

Kansas House of Representatives

Party		As of January 2025
	Democratic Party	37
	Republican Party	88
Total		125

Regular session

The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2025 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 has met these criteria yet in 2025. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

Legislation trackers

See also: Legislation Trackers

Ballotpedia’s legislation trackers are your go-to resource for staying on top of key legislative topics. We capture any bill introduced on the topic across all of the 50 state legislatures, and we track the movement of the bill every step of the way. We provide real-time updates and translate legislative legalese into easily understandable language. As of the 2025 session, Ballotpedia provided tracking on the following topics. Click on the links below to view related bills from the 2025 session:

• Administrative state
• AI deepfakes
• Election administration

Standing legislative committees

See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Kansas state government

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 2025 legislative session, there were 64 standing committees in Kansas' state government, including 14 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
• 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 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

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:

See also: Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Kansas

Kansas Constitution
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 2024, they won a 29-11 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. 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: 1992-2024

Party	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20	24
Democrats	14	13	10	10	9	9	9	11	9
Republicans	26	27	30	30	31	31	31	29	31

Historical House control

Republicans won control of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1992. In 2024, they won a 88-37 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. 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: 1992-2024

Year	'92	'94	'96	'98	'00	'02	'04	'06	'08	'10	'12	'14	'16	'18	'20	'22	'24
Democrats	59	45	48	48	46	45	42	47	48	33	35	28	40	40	39	40	37
Republicans	66	80	77	77	79	80	83	78	77	92	90	97	85	85	86	85	88

Analysis

Adopted legislation, 2011-2024

See also: The State Legislative Decade - Kansas

In 2024, Ballotpedia released analysis of bills enacted in each state in the preceding decade. The charts and table below detail legislation passed each year by party sponsorship.

Noteworthy events

Kansas legislature passes second-most bills in two decades

The legislature passed 116 new laws in the 2025 session. State Sen. Chase Blasi (R) said, "This has been a short session, and there has been a lot of comments about a short session in the press and in the public, but despite this being a shorter session, this is one of the most productive sessions in our state's history."

Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed 95 bills, or 82% of the bills that passed through the legislature, and allowed another eight to become law without her signature. She vetoed 18 bills, and the legislature overrode 14, the most in her time as governor.

Of the 28 states with veto-proof legislative majorities after the 2024 elections, Kansas was one of two states with a veto-proof legislative majority and an opposing party governor. The other state, Kentucky, also had a Republican legislative majority and a Democratic governor.

Kansas legislature overrides Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) vetoes of 14 bills

The table below shows the votes to override Kelly's vetoes broken down by chamber. At the time of the overrides, Republicans held 88 seats in the House, and Democrats held 37. In the Senate, Republicans held 31 seats, and Democrats held nine. In Kansas, a two-thirds vote in both chambers is required to override a veto.

Veto override votes in the Kansas Legislature 2025
Date	Bill	House	Senate		Date	Bill	House	Senate		Date	Bill	House	Senate
March 25, 2025	Senate Bill 4	84-41	30-10		April 10, 2025	Senate Bill 5	87-37	31-9		April 10, 2025	Senate Bill 14	85-39	31-9
April 10, 2025	Senate Bill 29	86-38	31-9		February 18, 2025	Senate Bill 63	85-34	31-9		April 11, 2025	Senate Bill 125 (line-item vetoes)	88-34	30-10
April 10, 2025	Senate Bill 269	87-37	30-10		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2033	87-38	32-8		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2062	87-38	31-9
April 10, 2025	House Bill 2217	87-38	30-10		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2240	88-37	31-9		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2284	88-37	30-10
April 10, 2025	House Bill 2291	88-37	30-10		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2311	87-38	31-9		April 10, 2025	House Bill 2382	84-41	31-9

In Kansas' 2025 regular legislative session, the state legislature overrode 14 full vetoes and 19 line-item vetoes made by Gov. Laura Kelly (D). The line-item vetoes were in the state's budget bill, SB 125.

In her veto statement for SB 269, a bill which, according to its title, "[provided] that future income tax and privilege tax rate decreases be contingent on exceeding revenue estimates and retaining a certain amount in the budget stabilization fund," Kelly wrote:

“

I have proposed and supported tax cuts when they are implemented responsibly and benefit the people of Kansas, especially those who need it most. This bill ignores Kansas families at a time of rising costs and inflation in favor of hundreds of millions of dollars in giveaways to corporations and the wealthy. Make no mistake, should this bill become law, it will put the state back on the path toward the failed Brownback tax experiment: the four-day school weeks, the budget cuts, and the crumbling roads and bridges that came with it.

”

In her veto statement for HB 2062, which in part, according to its title, "[provided] for child support orders for unborn children from the date of conception" and "[provided] for an income tax exemption for unborn and stillborn children," Kelly wrote:

“

[T]his bill is yet another attempt by special interest groups and extremist lawmakers to ignore the will of Kansans and insert themselves into the lives of those making private medical decisions. It is a place where this Legislature has become all too comfortable — particularly for those who espouse freedom from government overreach. The motives behind this bill are clear. Instead of helping pregnant women and families, the Legislature chose to pass a bill that connects the issue to a woman's constitutional rights. This bill is a dismissal of the will of the majority of Kansans who voted overwhelmingly in 2022 to keep politicians out of the private medical decisions made between a woman and her doctor.

”

After the Senate overrode the vetoes, Sen. Majority Leader Ty Masterson (R) wrote:

“

In November, Kansans expanded our Republican supermajority with a clear mandate to act and today, we delivered for the people. Republicans stood united in support of tax relief, defending constitutional rights, protecting our children from transgender ideology, securing our elections, reducing regulatory burdens on small businesses, supporting pregnant women, and scaling back the size and scope of government. By standing strong and united, Republicans demonstrated our commitment to building a stronger, freer, more prosperous Kansas for all.

”

Kansas lawmakers override Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) veto of bill changing the deadline for returning mail-in ballots

On March 25, 2025, lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Kansas legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) veto of Senate Bill 4, a bill changing the deadline for the return of mail-in ballots.

The bill required all mail-in ballots to be received at the office of the county election officer or any polling place by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted. Previously, ballots would be counted so long as they were postmarked by Election Day and received by the following Friday.

Republican House leadership released the following statement: "Governor Kelly's misguided veto was a slight to voter confidence, but that was corrected with today's override of Senate Bill 4. Kansas voters—whether in rural communities or urban centers—deserve an election system that is transparent, fair, and trusted. This override reflects House Republicans’ commitment to ensuring all Kansans’ votes will be counted."

In her veto statement, Kelly wrote:

“

The three-day grace period for mail ballots was a bipartisan solution approved by the Legislature in 2017 to address delays in processing of mail by the United States Postal Service, particularly in rural areas. The goal was to ensure that all Kansans had their votes counted, no matter where they lived. Not only will removing the three-day grace period for mail ballots disenfranchise thousands of Kansas voters, but it also shows a lack of understanding of our elections in Kansas. Implementing this will create confusion among county election officials, who will have to update policies and procedures on handling of mail ballots in a higher turnout election year.

”

In the House, the override vote was 84-41 with four Republicans voting against the override. In the Senate, the override vote was 30-10 with Sen. Brenda Dietrich (R) voting against the override.

Kansas lawmakers override Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) veto of bill prohibiting gender transition treatments for minors

On February 18, 2025, lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Kansas legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's (D) veto of a bill prohibiting gender transition treatments for minors.

The bill prohibits healthcare providers from providing gender transition treatments in the form of hormone therapies, puberty blockers, or surgery to children whose gender identity is inconsistent with their sex and creates legal and professional consequences for healthcare providers who provide such treatment. Additionally, it prohibits recipients of state funds from providing a referral to a different healthcare provider.

Senate President Ty Masterson said, "Today, we sign the Help Not Harm Act in honor of the children who Governor Kelly failed to protect with her repeated vetoes of this sensible legislation. With help from Kansas voters last fall, we were able to override her veto and protect Kansas children from these harmful, irreversible, and experimental gender-reassignment surgeries and medicines."

Following the veto, Kelly said, "It is unfortunate that the first bill the Legislature sent me this session is focused on putting politicians between Kansans and their private medical decisions instead of prioritizing solutions to issues like rising prices and the cost of groceries, which would benefit everyone. This divisive bill will undoubtedly have ripple effects that harm Kansas families, our businesses, and our economy and intensify our workforce shortage issue."

In the House, the override vote was 85-34 with Rep. Mark Schreiber (R) voting against the override. In the Senate, the override vote was 31-9 along party lines.

See also

Elections	Kansas State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Kansas State Senate elections, 2028 Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2026	Kansas State Legislature Kansas House of Representatives Kansas State Senate Governor of Kansas Kansas Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2025 State legislative special elections, 2025 State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2020	State government trifectas State government triplexes Veto overrides in state legislatures State executives State courts Ballot measures

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Kansas State Legislature homepage

Footnotes

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