Kansas House committee hears complaint after on‑floor confrontation between two members

A Kansas House investigative committee on Feb. 21 heard testimony in a formal complaint filed by Representative Ford Carr alleging that Representative Nick Hoheisel approached Carr on the House floor during debate, pointed a finger in Carr’s face, used a profane word and created a threatening environment.

The complaint, the committee chair said at the start of the hearing, included a written complaint from Representative Carr, a written response from Representative Hoheisel, a Kansas Highway Patrol incident narrative dated Feb. 21, 2025, and written testimony from multiple members. The chair said hard copies of those documents would be made available to the public after the hearing and that each party would be allowed five minutes of oral testimony followed by committee questioning.

Representative Ford Carr, the complainant, told the committee he was seated in his assigned chair during debate when he observed Hoheisel walk down the aisle, stop near another member and then approach Carr. Carr said Hoheisel “began yelling” a profane word several times and that, when Hoheisel leaned down toward Carr’s seat, “he raises his hand and points his finger in my face, clearly violating what I would consider to be personal space.” Carr said that the incident left him concerned for safety in the chamber and that he filed a report with the Capitol Police. “I filed a report with the Capitol Police,” Carr said in his testimony.

Carr told the panel he later consulted counsel and filed a formal complaint under provisions of Mason’s Manual, which he cited in the complaint. During questioning he identified Mason’s Manual Chapter 12, sections 121 and 122 (use of disorderly words; conduct that disrupts proceedings) and said he had also cited related provisions in filing the complaint.

Representative Nick Hoheisel — who submitted written testimony and spoke to the committee — said the exchange lasted “less than 12 seconds” as he walked past Carr’s seat and that he was addressing Carr’s comments at the well, not Carr personally. Hoheisel told the committee he does not carry a firearm in the Capitol and said, “I have never once carried a gun in the capital.” He also said that the line he used on the floor was intended to prompt a later, off‑floor discussion and that he did not intend the remark as a threat. In his written testimony Hoheisel apologized “to the Kansas House for any inconvenience or distraction this has caused” and told the committee he could have chosen a better word.

Members of the committee questioned both men about whether the exchange violated chamber rules and whether the chair’s response on the floor (including a subsequent point of order raised by Representative Haskins) had been sufficient to restore decorum. Carr told the committee that the initial intervention was not heard by the body and that the yelling repeated the profane word before decorum was restored. Committee members asked both witnesses about the meaning of Carr’s remark at the well (which Carr said referenced the historical Quindaro Ruins and was not an accusation directed at a person) and about whether “take it outside” was intended as a threat; Carr said his use of that phrase meant to continue the discussion away from the well to avoid disruption.

The chair told members the committee will consider whether additional evidence is needed and then deliberate. “We will be having another meeting. It will very likely occur on Monday morning,” the chair said, adding the next meeting will consider outstanding evidence and then move to deliberations and a decision. The committee did not take a formal vote or issue a finding at the hearing.

Documentary evidence listed by the chair and entered into the record included the complaint filed by Representative Carr, Representative Hoheisel’s written response, the Kansas Highway Patrol incident narrative dated Feb. 21, 2025, and written witness statements from multiple representatives; the chair said hard copies would be made public after the hearing. Carr told the panel he also filed a report with the Capitol Police after the incident because he feared the behavior signaled a partisan division and could present a safety risk to members.

The hearing transcript records multiple committee members asking clarifying questions, including about which sections of Mason’s Manual apply to off‑well behavior, whether a point of order should have resolved the situation on the floor, and whether either member had a history of similar complaints. No final determination was made during the session and the committee adjourned pending further review and deliberation.