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HB 2238

Trees; preservation during development.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Dan Helmer and 1 co-sponsor

HB 2238 shifts the duty to prepare all legislative committee minutes from KLRD to LAS, standardizing minutes in and out of session with no net fiscal impact.

Passed by indefinitely in Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with letter (12-Y 3-N)
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Bill Summary · HB 2238

HB 2238 — Summary (2025)

Status: Approved by Governor (March 26, 2025)
Primary change: Transfers responsibility for preparing legislative committee minutes from the Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) to the Division of Legislative Administrative Services (LAS)

Purpose and intent

The bill reallocates the statutory duty of preparing minutes for legislative committee meetings from KLRD to LAS. The stated intent (per committee testimony) is to align the processes used for creating and reviewing minutes during the legislative session and the interim, and to allow KLRD analysts to devote more time to research requests.

Key provisions

  • Amends K.S.A. 46-1210 and K.S.A. 46-1212a to:
    • Remove the explicit duty for the Legislative Research Department (KLRD) to prepare committee minutes.
    • Assign to the Division of Legislative Administrative Services (LAS) the duty to "prepare minutes of each special committee, select committee, joint committee and standing committee meeting, whether the legislature is in session or not," showing attendance, disposition of agenda items, tentative and final decisions, staff instructions, and other helpful matters.
  • Makes other conforming and technical edits and repeals the prior versions of K.S.A. 46-1210 and 46-1212a where necessary.
  • Effective date: the act takes effect upon its publication in the statute book (per the enrolled version).

Who is affected

  • Legislative Administrative Services (LAS): gains responsibility for preparing committee minutes and will perform that administrative function for meetings both in session and in the interim.
  • Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD): relinquishes the minute-preparation duty and may reallocate analyst time to research and related duties.
  • Committee chairs, members, and legislative staff: will interact with LAS for minute preparation and related notice/administrative coordination.
  • Legislative Coordinating Council: remains the appointing/direction authority for both agencies; statutory references to duties are changed under the council’s oversight.

Fiscal and operational impact

  • The Division of the Budget fiscal note (Feb. 7, 2025) reports that both LAS and KLRD indicate enactment would have no fiscal effect. (No new appropriations or staffing changes were identified in the fiscal note.)
  • Operationally, the change standardizes minute creation/review between session and interim and may require internal workflow adjustments within LAS (training, access to committee materials), but no budgetary impacts were reported.

Legislative timeline (key dates)

  • Filed/Introduced: January 29, 2025 (requested by Rep. Kristey Williams)
  • House Committee on Legislative Modernization: amended technical drafting error; proponent testimony from KLRD Director
  • Committee actions / floor votes: reported favorably and placed on consent/second reading; Consent Calendar passed (March 18, 2025; Yea 39 Nay 1)
  • Enrolled and presented to Governor: March 21, 2025
  • Approved by Governor: March 26, 2025
  • Effective: upon publication in the statute book

Note

The committee supplemental note clarifies that, prior to this bill, committee assistants prepared interim minutes for KLRD to format, edit, and post to the legislative website. HB 2238 consolidates minute-preparation responsibility under LAS and makes conforming statutory edits to reflect that shift.

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

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