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Minutes for HB2132 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Substitute for Substitute for HB 2132 by Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care - Determining when a law enforcement officer may or shall take a child into custody.
Minutes Content for Thu, Mar 5, 2026
Chairperson Gossage opened the hearing on HB2132. Jenna Moyer, Assistant Revisor, briefed the committee on the bill. (Attachment1)
Chairperson Gossage introduced Representative Cyndi Howerton, 98th District, who testified in support of this bill. (Attachment2) She urged the committee to support this bill and pass favorably. Representative Howerton stated changing the word "shall" to "may" gives police officers discretion when removing a child from a home. Representative Howerton stood for questions from the committee.
Written only testimony was provided by:
Tanya Keys, Deputy Secretary, Department for Children and Families (Attachment3)
Brenna Visocsky, Kansas Appleseed (Attachment4)
Chairperson Gossage introduced Donald Hymer, Jr., who presented testimony in opposition of the bill. (Attachment5) He testified that police officers are the only entity that can remove a child from a home without a court order. My Hymer stated by changing the word "shall" to "may" is counter intuitive and extremely dangerous for the children of Kansas to have a police officer receive mixed signals when not to remove a child at risk.
Chairperson Gossage introduced Nick Reinecker who testified in opposition to the bill. (Attachment6)
The opponent conferees stood for questions from the committee.
Written testimony in opposition to the bill was submitted by Morgan Hall, Senior Deputy District Attorney, for Shawnee County Kansas. (Attachment7)
Chairperson Gossage closed the hearing on HB2132.
