Senate Judiciary committee approves amendment expanding telecom infrastructure protections

House Bill 2061, which the Kansas House passed 104‑14, would add above‑ground and below‑ground lines, cables and wires to the definition of critical infrastructure facility used in criminal trespass and criminal damage statutes for telecommunications or video services. The Senate Judiciary Committee considered the bill and adopted an amendment to refine language that had raised questions about right‑of‑way coverage.

Senator Kellie Titus explained the amendment on the committee floor, saying it was intended to protect telecommunications lines and cables without creating confusion about whether ordinary presence in a public right‑of‑way, such as standing near a line, would constitute trespass. Titus said the change removes ambiguous right‑of‑way language and limits the protected status to the facilities and associated lines that are clearly part of the critical infrastructure.

Committee members discussed scenarios such as a person stopped on the side of a road near buried cable and whether casual presence would be criminalized; the sponsor said mere presence would not be an offense unless a person dug up or damaged the cable. Senator Clays seconded the amendment and the committee adopted it by voice vote. The committee then voted to recommend House Bill 2061, as amended, favorably for passage to the full Senate.

The reviser noted the bill had been requested by a representative of Charter Communications Operating LLC. The committee proceeded with a voice‑vote process on the amendment and the final recommendation; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the committee minutes presented during the hearing.