Senate Judiciary committee advances bill to revoke bond after certain felony convictions

The Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday moved SB 358 forward after hearing emotional testimony from prosecutors and survivors who said the bill would prevent convicted felons from returning home on bond before sentencing.

The bill, described by the legislative reviser as an amendment to statutes governing release after conviction (KSA 22-2804 and the bond statute KSA 22-2802), would require that defendants convicted of off-grid felonies, severity level 1–4 felonies or certain drug felonies who had previously been released on bond be remanded immediately and held without bond in the county jail until sentencing. If a defendant was in custody without having posted bond prior to trial, the reviser said the post-conviction bond would be modified so the person remains without bond until sentencing.

Supporters included Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson, who described his decades as a prosecutor and said he provided written testimony. “Victims sat in the courtroom and watched the defendant walk out a free man after he was convicted,” Wilkerson said, arguing remand after conviction helps victims begin the healing process. Cathy Ray, executive director of Crisis Center Incorporated, said SB 358 aligns post-conviction bond decisions with legislative intent and cited the long trauma survivors endure: “Only about 1 in 4 [sexual] assaults are reported,” she said.

Multiple survivors who testified described the Clark Peterson trial and the shock of seeing a convicted defendant allowed to go home. Elizabeth Jankard said she heard the jury read “51” guilty verdicts and called the defendant’s release a threat to community safety and victims’ recovery.

Opposition to the bill was limited to written-only testimony, the chair said. With no opponents on the floor and no questions from committee members, Senator Titus moved to recommend SB 358 favorably; Senator Argebrecht seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and the chair announced the bill will advance favorably out of committee.

The committee’s action was procedural: the vote sends SB 358 to the next step in the legislative process; it does not change statutory text beyond what the reviser described. The hearing record includes extensive survivor testimony and written support from local advocacy groups and some prosecutors.

The committee made the recommendation during the same meeting that it heard the bill; the action was recorded as a voice vote with the chair stating the motion carried. The bill will proceed through the legislative process according to Senate rules.