Bill
SB 204
SB 204 primarily proposes sealing or restricting access to certain court and governmental records and proceedings for privacy and procedural reasons.
Note: “SB 204” is a common bill number used in multiple state legislatures in 2025. The documents you provided include several distinct SB 204 bills from different states on different topics. Below is a concise, state‑organized summary of the separate SB 204 measures reflected in those documents, with each bill’s purpose, key provisions, affected parties, and status or fiscal notes where available.
Kansas — Court Records; sealing records in criminal and juvenile cases (KS SB 204)
- Purpose: Require sealing of criminal and juvenile case records, warrants, subpoenas while an arrest warrant is being sought or until executed/denied.
- Key provisions: Seal cases filed where an arrest warrant is sought; keep subpoenas sealed unless court finds unsealing is in the interest of justice; defines “seal” to bar public disclosure (but allows disclosure to law enforcement to execute or serve warrants/subpoenas); excludes warrants issued for failure to appear; applies retroactively to pending matters.
- Who’s affected: District courts, court clerks (increased workload), law enforcement, defendants, victims; public access to certain records restricted.
- Fiscal/Procedure: Judicial Administration anticipates significant clerks’ workload increase; possible CMS reprogramming costs; fiscal impact cannot be estimated. Status in your header: (S) Died in Process.
Michigan — School closure procedures (MI SB 204, multiple substitute versions)
- Purpose: Require school districts, ISDs, and public school academies (PSAs) to adopt standardized school‑closure policies by July 31, 2026.
- Key provisions: Minimum 1‑month notice and at least one public meeting; address student reassignment and transfer of academic/medical records; require selection of a records repository (ISD default, alternatives allowed); asset accounting and securement within 60 days; limit in‑year closures to health/safety emergencies; MDE to publish model policy by March 31, 2026.
- Who’s affected: Local school boards, ISDs, PSAs, students, parents, employees; potential administrative and operating costs for districts/PSAs.
- Fiscal: No state fiscal impact; possible negative local fiscal impact (amount unspecified).
Arkansas — Eminent domain gains excluded from state gross income (AR SB 204, As Engrossed)
- Purpose: Add an exclusion in state income tax code for gains from property acquired through eminent domain or threat of condemnation.
- Key provisions: Amends §26‑51‑404(b) to exclude such gains from gross income for state income tax; effective for tax years beginning Jan 1, 2025.
- Who’s affected: Property owners subject to eminent domain; state General Revenue estimated reduction ~$3.8M FY2026 (per DFA fiscal impact).
Alabama — Dental benefit rollover (AL SB 204, Banking & Insurance)
- Purpose: Require dental insurers to allow beneficiaries to roll over unused annual benefit maximums into the succeeding year within limits.
- Key provisions: Carried over dollars add to next year’s maximum; insurers can limit accumulations (cap = 2× prior year annual maximum); implementation effective Jan 1, 2026; insurers may set rules and Department of Insurance may adopt rules.
- Fiscal: Estimated increase in obligations for state employee and public education health boards (examples: ~$3.15M and ~$9M per year in one fiscal note); premium tax receipts may rise.
Maryland — Move deadline to set local property tax rates to June 1 (MD SB 204)
- Purpose: Move the statutory deadline for counties and municipal corporations to set property tax rates from July 1 to June 1 to allow timely homeowners’ tax credit calculations and billing.
- Key provisions: Amend Tax‑Property §§6‑302 and 6‑303 to change “before July 1” to “before June 1”; effective July 1, 2025.
- Fiscal: State/local effect minimal; intended to avoid billing delays. Passed and enacted (Chapter 230, approved April 22, 2025).
Other SB 204 bills appearing in the documents (different states/topics; summaries only):
- Georgia: Preemption/Brady‑style weapons regulation and expanded private causes of action; changes to charging by accusation in certain criminal cases (GA SB 204 substitute versions).
- Indiana: Permit for registered lobbyists to carry handguns in the statehouse contingent on training and a new “statehouse permit” (IN SB 204).
- Hawaii: Amendments raising/clarifying administrative fines and penalties under the State Water Code, clarifying separate offenses and factors for penalty assessment (HI SB 204).
- Kentucky: Various amendments re carbon dioxide geologic storage program timelines and reporting (KY SB 204).
- Illinois: Circuit Courts Act amendment affecting conversion of at‑large judgeships to resident judgeships in the 6th judicial circuit (IL SB 204).
- Delaware: Clarifies municipal authority to set different tax rates by property class consistent with constitutional uniformity requirement.
- Kansas (additional changes): County law library trustee appointments and use of certain fees (KS enrollments include amendments).
Overall note on status and ambiguity
- “SB 204” in your packet refers to multiple, unrelated bills across jurisdictions and sessions. Each summary above applies to the specific version in the corresponding state documents. If you want a focused, deeper analysis (full bill text, amendment history, fiscal note review, stakeholder positions, or likely outcomes) for one specific SB 204 (identify state), tell me which state/version and I will prepare a targeted, detailed summary.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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