Committee hears bill to extend whistleblower protections to municipal employees

At a hearing of the Kansas Senate Local Government Committee on Transparency and Ethics, lawmakers and witnesses discussed Senate Bill 120, a proposal to extend statutory whistleblower protections to employees of cities, counties and school districts in Kansas.

The bill, described by committee staff as a municipal version of existing state protections, would bar disciplinary action against municipal employees who report unlawful or dangerous conduct and would let aggrieved employees sue in district court within 90 days for damages, equitable relief, court costs and fees. If enacted the bill would take effect July 1, 2025.

Representative Carrie Barth, who introduced the legislation in the House as House Bill 2,160 and testified as a proponent, told the committee she drafted the measure using federal and state language because she has received requests from municipal employees who feared retaliation. "I wish there was no need for this bill," Representative Carrie Barth said. She cited multiple local incidents described in written testimony, including allegations in Neosho, Bourbon and Leavenworth counties and a Douglas County matter that she said involved a county employee named in litigation.

Charles, committee staff and the reviser who gave the bill brief, summarized the substance of the draft. "SB 120 ...…