2020 Kansas legislative session

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Some states made changes to 2020 state legislative sessions and legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
For a full list of changes, visit: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
Kansas: The Kansas State Legislature suspended its session effective March 19, 2020, through May 21, 2020, at which time it adjourned. A special session was convened on June 3, 2020. The special session ended June 4, 2020.
Kansas State Legislature

Seal of Kansas.svg.png
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 13, 2020
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:  
Susan Wagle (R)
House Speaker:  Ron Ryckman (R)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Jim Denning (R)
House: Daniel Hawkins (R)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Anthony Hensley (D)
House: Tom Sawyer (D)
Structure
Members:  40 (Senate), 125 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Art 2, Kansas Constitution
Salary:   $88.66/day + per diem
Elections
Last election:  November 6, 2018
Next election:  November 3, 2020
Redistricting:  Kansas Legislature has control

In 2020, the Kansas State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 13 and adjourn on May 21.

Several state legislatures suspended their sessions or otherwise limited legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Kansas State Legislature suspended its session effective March 19, 2020. A veto session scheduled for April 27, 2020, was delayed to May 21, 2020, at which time the legislature reconvened before adjourning the session. A special session was convened on June 3, 2020. The special session ended June 4, 2020.[1][2][3]

Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority this legislative session, just as they did in 2019. Following the 2018 election, Republicans had a 31-9 supermajority in the Senate and an 85-40 majority in the House. Democrats controlled the governorship, meaning neither party held a state government trifecta.

At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a veto-proof supermajority in the Kansas state House and state Senate.
  • Kansas was one of 14 states with a divided government.
  • Kansas’ governor was Democrat Laura Kelly.

    • Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2020 state Senate and state House elections.
    Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2016 state Senate and 2018 state House elections.

    Partisan control in 2020

    See also: State government trifectas

    Kansas was one of 14 states without a state government trifectas at the start of 2020 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 22 state legislatures where one party 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 2020 legislative session.

    Kansas State Senate

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 11
         Republican Party 28
         Independent 1
    Total 40

    Between 1992 and 2016, partisan control of the Kansas State Senate was held by Republicans. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2016. 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: 1992-2016

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

    From 1917 to 2017, Republicans held consistent control of the Kansas State Senate. The last time that Democrats held the chamber was from 1913 to 1916. Republicans gained a supermajority following the 1996 elections. Twenty-seven seats (two-thirds majority) is needed to override a gubernatorial veto and put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

    Republicans held a majority of 31-9 following the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections. This was their largest majority between 1992 and 2016. Despite a national trend toward the Democratic Party in 2006 and 2008, Kansas Democrats did not eclipse 14 seats. Despite the national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D), the Kansas State Senate was resistant to that trend. Senate Republicans did not gain a seat during Obama's presidency. From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.

    While Republicans have controlled both chambers of the state legislature since 1992, there has been infighting between conservative Republicans and moderate Republicans. Before the 2016 primary, moderate Republicans had been losing ground in the state legislature since the 2010 election of Gov. Brownback (R), shifting from a more moderate Republican-controlled state legislature to a more conservative one after the 2012 elections. Eighteen Republican incumbents were defeated in the 2012 election. In the 2016 primary election, 14 conservative Republican incumbents—six in the Senate and eight in the House—were ousted by moderate Republicans running against the conservative policies of Gov. Brownback (R).[4]


    Kansas House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 41
         Republican Party 84
    Total 125

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Kansas House of Representatives was maintained by Republicans. The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2018. 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: 1992-2018

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

    From 1992 to 2020, Republicans held consistent control of the Kansas House of Representatives. Republicans had their largest majority following the 2014 elections when they held a 71-seat advantage. Republicans lost 12 seats in the 2016 elections but kept control of the chamber with an 85-40 majority. The last time that Democrats held the chamber was prior to the 1992 elections. In the 1992 elections, House Republicans gained four seats and took control of the chamber. The Republican gains in 2010 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.

    While Republicans have controlled both chambers of the state legislature since 1992, there has been infighting between conservative Republicans and moderate Republicans. Before the 2016 primary, moderate Republicans had been losing ground in the state legislature since the 2010 election of Gov. Sam Brownback (R). The legislature shifted from a more moderate Republican-controlled state legislature to a more conservative one after the 2012 elections, when 18 Republican incumbents were defeated. In the 2016 primary election, 14 conservative Republican incumbents—six in the Senate and eight in the House—were ousted by moderate Republicans running against the conservative policies of Gov. Sam Brownback (R).[5]

    Leadership in 2020

    Kansas State Senate

    Kansas House of Representatives

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2020 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 2020. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    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 2020 legislative session, there were 67 standing committees in Kansas' state government, including 19 joint legislative committees, 18 state Senate committees, and 30 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees


    Senate committees


    House committees


    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
    Flag of Kansas.png
    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

    See also

    Elections Kansas State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Kansas State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kansas Legislature adopts budget, highway bill before adjourning until late April," March 19, 2020
    2. ↑ MultiState, "2020 Legislative Session Dates," last updated April 27, 2020
    3. ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Kansas Gov. Kelly’s pandemic powers may be on the agenda when Legislature returns," May 6, 2020
    4. ↑ kwch.com, "Primary election results show changes coming to KS politics," accessed August 4, 2016
    5. ↑ kwch.com, "Primary election results show changes coming to KS politics," accessed August 4, 2016
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