Conference committee moves background‑check provisions into House bill and places licensing‑review language into Senate bill

A legislative conference committee agreed to place the contents of Senate Bill 30 into House Bill 2342 and to put the provisions of Senate Bill 229 into the shell of Senate Bill 30, committee participants said.

Committee staff summarized the bills’ key provisions. The reviser said, “Senate bill 30 authorizes the attorney general and the state gaming agency to receive more, criminal history record check information related to, the criminal history background checks that they run. It also requires the Secretary of Labor to conduct a state and national criminal history record check on employees who have access to federal tax information.” The reviser later summarized Senate Bill 229 as a measure that would “require any new occupational license or material change to an existing license adopted by an agency on or after 07/01/2025 to be approved by the legislature by joint resolution unless ratified by an enactment of a bill,” and said the bill would require a standing committee in each chamber to review proposed licenses before consideration of such a resolution.

Members discussed a potential conflict with a separate fingerprint bill and agreed the conference offer would avoid duplicate or conflicting statutory changes by placing related policy language together. The reviser told the panel that combining the policy pieces into one bill would require amending the statute only once, and that staff could “make them fit altogether in 1 bill.”

Committee members asked the reviser to pull up the hearing record for SB229. The reviser reported that Senate committee hearing proponents included Americans for Prosperity–Kansas and an organization identified in the record as “United We.” Written proponent testimony came from representatives of the cities of Arkansas City and Winfield. Neutral testimony was recorded from a representative of the Secretary of State. Written opponent testimony was recorded from the Kansas Grain and Feed Association and the Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association.

Committee members indicated they were “amicable” to the offered changes and instructed staff to draft the combined language. One member said the committee would sign the draft “as soon as we can.” No roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt; participants said they would have the drafting completed and return signed paperwork.

The committee also briefly confirmed an effective‑date change discussed previously for the base bill; participants referenced keeping the effective‑date language in the Kansas Register, but the transcript did not provide a detailed text of that change.

The panel adjourned after instructing staff to prepare the draft language and circulate it for signatures.