Gov. Laura Kelly signed five bills Friday, bringing to 108 the number of bills she has signed into law this session. She has vetoed 10 bills, including five that were overridden.
Two of those bills – one related to short-term health insurance and another related to compensation for businesses hurt during the pandemic – could be overridden when the Legislature convenes for its ceremonial wrapup next Wednesday.
Here’s a roundup of the bills she signed on Friday.
House Bill 2158: Requires visual observation of an alleged victim of child abuse or neglect as part of an investigation. This provision of the bill is called “Adrian’s Law,” named after Adrian Jones of Kansas City, Kansas, a 7-year-old boy who was tortured to death by his father and stepmother after years of reported abuse went uninvestigated. The bill also establishes the joint committee on child welfare system oversight. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
HB 2026: Establish a certified drug abuse treatment program for certain persons who have entered into a diversion agreement. The bill also increases the criminal penalties for riot and incitement to riot when the crime occurs in a correctional facility. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers.
HB 2079 Transfers the registration of charitable organizations from the secretary of state to the attorney general. It also increases the charitable organization registration fee from $20 to $25 and adds a registration or renewal fee of $25 for every professional fundraiser and professional solicitor required to register with the attorney general. The bill also prohibits municipalities from filing or becoming a party to opioid litigation in any court without the prior approval of the attorney general. The bill also enacts a grant program for the purpose of preventing, reducing, treating and mitigating the effects of substance abuse and addiction. The money for the grants would come from opioid litigation involving the attorney general. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and 78-42 in the House.
House Bill 2224: Expands the definition of “infectious disease” in certain statutes related to crimes in which bodily fluids may have been transmitted from one person to another. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and 112-7 in the House.
House Bill 2397: Reconciles amendments to statutes that were amended more than once during the current and previous legislative sessions. Passed unanimously in the Senate and 116-3 in the House.
