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HB 2329

Reduces the assessment percentage of tangible personal property over a period of years

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Richard West

HB 2329 expands detention and placement options for certain juveniles, adds firearm-related commitments, and requires contracted non-foster youth residential beds funded by EBPA.

Referred: Ways and Means(H)
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Bill Summary · HB 2329

Summary — HB 2329 (2025 session, House Engrossed)

Status: Passed House as amended (Final Action Mar 13, 2025: Yeas 106 / Nays 16). Engrossed Mar 13, 2025. Introduced Feb 3, 2025. Referred to Senate committees following transmittal.

Purpose

HB 2329 (as amended) revises parts of the Kansas Juvenile Justice Code to (1) expand detention and placement options for certain juvenile offenders, (2) increase criminal penalties/mandatory placement options for juveniles who possess or use firearms during a felony-level offense, and (3) require the Department of Corrections to contract and pay for additional non‑foster youth residential beds, with monitoring and limited state funding authority.

Key provisions and changes

  • Juvenile detention limit

    • Raises the cumulative detention cap from 45 days to 90 cumulative days.
    • Exception: the extended limit does not apply to juveniles adjudicated for off‑grid or nondrug severity level 1–4 person felonies.

  • Detention risk-assessment override

    • Authorizes the court to approve an override of the detention risk‑assessment tool when a juvenile is alleged to have possessed or used a firearm during an offense.
    • Directs the juvenile intake/assessment worker or the court to order direct placement of such juveniles in a juvenile detention facility.

  • Firearm-related commitment

    • If a juvenile possessed or used a firearm during the commission of an offense that would be a felony for an adult, the court may commit the juvenile — regardless of risk‑assessment level — to the Secretary of Corrections for placement in a juvenile correctional complex for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 24 months (with possible conditional release of up to six months).

  • Chronic offender placement discretion

    • Expands judicial discretion to commit “chronic offenders” (as defined in current law) to juvenile correctional facilities when assessed as moderate‑risk or high‑risk (current law limits that discretion to high‑risk only).

  • Youth residential facility bed contracting and payment

    • Directs the Secretary of Corrections to contract for between 35 and 45 non‑foster‑home beds in youth residential facilities; no more than 15 beds in a single facility.
    • Directs use of juvenile case‑filing data to determine regional need and bed allocation.
    • Requires the Secretary to pay costs associated with juveniles placed in these youth residential beds.
    • Authorizes expenditures from the Evidence‑based Programs Account (EBPA) up to $10.0 million per fiscal year, subject to appropriation, to fund these placements.
    • Removes expired sunset language (related to prior youth residential placement authority).

  • Emergency shelters and therapeutic foster homes

    • Directs the Secretary to contract with emergency shelters and therapeutic foster homes to facilitate short‑term placements in cases where the victim resides with the juvenile offender (continuing/clarifying existing short‑term placement rules).

  • Oversight

    • Requires the Kansas Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee to monitor the impact and effectiveness of placements in youth residential facilities.

Who is affected

  • Juvenile offenders: broader categories of juveniles become eligible for longer detention, direct secure placement, or placement in contracted youth residential beds — especially those alleged to have used or possessed a firearm or identified as chronic offenders.
  • Department of Corrections: required to contract for beds, pay placement costs, and administer placements.
  • State budget / Evidence‑based Programs Account (EBPA): up to $10 million/year authorized (subject to appropriation) for these placements; the Department has indicated this may reduce funds available for other EBPA grants.
  • Courts, juvenile intake workers, and local service providers: procedural adjustments (overrides, placement orders, contracting relationships).

Fiscal impact

  • Fiscal note (Division of the Budget): estimates State General Fund expenditures of $10.0 million per fiscal year beginning FY2026, paid from the EBPA, subject to appropriation. The Department of Corrections warned the EBPA may not sustain this funding in later years and that other EBPA grants could be reduced.

Procedural/timeline notes & debate

  • HB 2329 was amended in committee to insert provisions from HB 2325 (chronic offenders and firearms conditions) and to set bed counts and oversight requirements.
  • Supporters argued the bill fills a placement gap between foster care and secure correctional facilities for youth with high needs or behavioral issues. Opponents and some stakeholders raised concerns about alignment with evidence‑based practices, outcomes from youth residential centers, and EBPA sustainability in FY2027–FY2028. The Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee will monitor outcomes per the bill.

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

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