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HB 2093

Allow DMV to accept auto-renewals for vehicle registration

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Gary Howell and 1 co-sponsor

Extends the civil filing limit for childhood sexual abuse to up to 37 years after age 18, enabling more survivors to sue.

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Bill Summary · HB 2093

Summary — HB 2093 (2025)

Status: Introduced January 24, 2025; referred to House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care.
Primary statutes amended: K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 38-2212 and 60-523 (repealing existing sections and replacing with the amended provisions).

Purpose

HB 2093 is intended to (1) authorize adult victims of childhood abuse or neglect to access certain child-protection records relating to substantiated reports or investigations that concern them, and (2) substantially extend the civil limitations period for bringing private civil claims for damages arising from childhood sexual abuse.

Key provisions

  • Access to records

    • Grants a right for a person who is:
    • at least 18 years old, and
    • the subject of a report or investigation, to access agency records related to substantiated reports or investigations of abuse or neglect.
    • Preserves confidentiality protections in other parts of the statute (e.g., the prohibition on disclosing the identity of mandatory reporters).
    • The bill amends K.S.A. 38-2212 (child welfare records/disclosure rules) to provide for disclosure to the victim as described.

  • Extension of civil limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims

    • Amends the civil statute of limitations (K.S.A. 60-523) so that a civil action for damages caused by childhood sexual abuse may be commenced up to:
    • 37 years after the date the victim attains 18 years of age, or
    • "more than three years after the date of a related criminal conviction" (verbatim language in the fiscal note).
    • This replaces the current limitation that requires such civil actions to be commenced no more than 13 years after the victim turns 18.

Who or what would be affected

  • Adult survivors of childhood abuse or neglect (victims who are 18+) — gain access to related agency records and have a substantially longer time window to file civil suits for childhood sexual abuse.
  • Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) — the fiscal note indicates no expected fiscal effect for these agencies.
  • Judicial Branch / district courts — the bill could increase the number of civil cases filed because of the extended limitations period, increasing judicial and non‑judicial workload (fiscal effect uncertain).
  • Reporters of abuse — protections against identifying reporters in disclosed records remain in the statutory framework.

Fiscal and procedural notes

  • Division of the Budget fiscal note (Feb 7, 2025): DCF and KDHE report no fiscal effect. The Office of Judicial Administration cautions the Judicial Branch may see increased filings and associated workload; precise expenditure impacts cannot be estimated until courts operate under the law. Any docket fees collected from additional filings would be deposited to the State General Fund.
  • Legislative status (selected): Filed 1/24/2025; referred to Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care. (A formal fiscal note was issued 2/7/2025.)

Practical effect and considerations

  • The bill expands survivor access to official records about investigations and substantiated findings, which can assist survivors in civil litigation, healing, or obtaining records for other purposes.
  • The longer civil filing window (from 13 to 37 years after reaching age 18, per the bill language) is likely to enable many additional civil claims that would otherwise be time‑barred; this is the primary driver of the potential increased court workload noted in the fiscal note.
  • Implementation details (what specific records are accessible, any required procedures for requesting records, and how confidentiality of third parties/reporters will be managed) would be determined by the amended statutory text and agency practices following enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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