Kansas Legislature

Senate Rules

Procedural rules governing the Senate and joint rules for the 2025–2026 biennium.

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RULES OF THE SENATE 2025-2028

Time of Meetings. The Senate on the first day of a session

shall convene at 2:00 p.m., and at all other times shall convene at 2:30
p.m., unless otherwise ordered by the Senate.

Convening – Quorum – Assuming Duties of Chair. (a) The

President shall take the chair at the hour fixed for the convening of the
Senate, and the roll shall be called in order to ascertain if a quorum is
present. A majority of the Senators then elected (or appointed) and
qualified shall constitute a quorum, and, in the absence of a quorum, the
Senators present, by majority vote, may take such measures as they shall
deem necessary to secure the presence of a quorum.
  (b) In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall assume
the duties of the President. The President or Vice President may also
name any Senator to temporarily perform the duties of the chair, but the
Senator so named shall not act as President beyond adjournment, unless
by leave of the Senate. A Senator shall not lose the right of voting on any
subject while serving or acting as President.

Absence of Member. No Senator shall fail to attend when the

Senate is in session without first obtaining leave of the Senate, unless
prevented from attending by sickness or other sufficient cause.

Order of Business and Session Proforma. The order of

business, following the roll call and prayer by the Chaplain, shall be as
follows:
  1. Introduction and reference of bills and concurrent resolutions.
  2. Consideration of messages from the Governor.
  3. Communications from state officers.
  4. Consideration of messages from the House of Representatives.
  5. Consideration of motions to concur or nonconcur.
  6. Reports of select committees.
  7. Consent Calendar.
  8. Final Action on bills and concurrent resolutions.
  9. Introduction of original motions and senate resolutions.
  10. Correction and approval of the Journal.
  11. Consideration of motions and senate resolutions.
  12. Reports of standing committees.
  13. General orders.

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  The Senate may meet from time to time for the sole purpose of
processing routine business of the Senate. These sessions shall be known
as Session Proforma.
  (1) Time of Meeting. Session Proforma shall be announced at least
one legislative day in advance with the hour for meeting Proforma set on
the previous legislative day.
  (2) Order of Business. The only orders of business that may be
considered during Session Proforma are:
  (a) Introduction and reference of bills and concurrent resolutions.
  (b) Receipts of messages from the Governor.
  (c) Communications from state officers.
  (d) Receipt of messages from the House of Representatives.
  (e) Reports of select and standing committees.
  (f) Presentation of petitions.
  (3) Motions. No motion shall be in order other than the motion to
adjourn.
  (4) Objections. Any objection by any member shall require the
Session Proforma to adjourn to the next day, Saturday and Sunday
excluded, at 2:30 p.m.
  (5) Quorum and Roll. There shall be no requirement for a quorum or
taking of the roll. No demand for a roll call for a quorum shall be in order.
  (6) Effect of Certain Rules. If a legislative day referred to in Rule 11,
12, 28, 32, 33, 52, 55, 67 or 68 occurs on a legislative day which is also
the day on which a Session Proforma is held, the term "legislative day"
as used in such rule means the next legislative day subsequent to the
legislative day on which the Session Proforma is held.
  The presentation of petitions shall be a special order of business on
Friday of each week immediately preceding the regular order of
business.

Business in Order at Any Time. Messages from the Governor,

messages from the House of Representatives, introduction and reference
of bills and concurrent resolutions, reports of standing committees and
reports of select committees may be received and considered under any
order of business.

Special Order. Whenever any bill or other matter is made the

special order for a particular day, and shall not be reached or completed
on that day, it shall be returned to its place in the General Orders, unless
it shall be made the special order for another day. When any special order
is under consideration, it shall take precedence over any special order for
a subsequent hour of the same day, but such subsequent special order
shall be taken up immediately after the previous order has been disposed

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of. Notation of a special order shall be placed before the first order of
business on the calendar for that day, giving the subject to be considered
and the time fixed for its consideration. When that time arrives, other
business shall be suspended until the special order has been considered.

Standing Committees. (a) There shall be a standing

committee named the Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules,
which shall consist of five members, the chairperson of which shall be
the president of the Senate and the vice chairperson of which shall be the
majority leader of the Senate. The vice president of the Senate, the
assistant majority leader and the majority whip shall be members of the
committee. No bill or resolution, other than resolutions adopting,
amending or revoking rules of the Senate or Joint Rules of the Senate
and House of Representatives, shall be introduced by or be referred to
the Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules.
  (b) The following shall be the other standing committees:
  Number
  of members
  1. Agriculture and Natural Resources                          11
  2. Assessment and Taxation                                    9
  3. Commerce                                                   11
  4. Confirmation Oversight                                     6
  5. Education                                                  11
  6. Federal and State Affairs                                  11
  7. Financial Institutions and Insurance                       9
  8. Governmental Efficiency                                    9
  9. Interstate Cooperation                                     7
  10. Judiciary                                                 13
  11. Local Government, Transparency and Ethics                 9
  12. Public Health and Welfare                                 11
  13. Transportation                                            11
  14. Utilities                                                 11
  15. Ways and Means                                            11
  (c) The Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules shall
appoint the chairperson and vice chairperson or vice chairpersons thereof
and shall designate the ranking minority member of each committee. For
any changes to be made in the appointment of a chairperson or vice
chairperson by the committee, the president of the Senate must be voting
on the prevailing side. The president of the Senate shall appoint the
members of each standing committee of the Senate. The minority leader
shall submit recommendations for the appointment of minority members
to the standing committees of the Senate to the Committee on
Organization, Calendar and Rules. The Committee on Organization,

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Calendar and Rules shall have a standing subcommittee on calendar
which shall be the president of the Senate, the vice president of the
Senate and the majority leader of the Senate. The Majority Leader shall
be the chairperson of the subcommittee. The Committee on
Organization, Calendar and Rules may establish such other
subcommittees of the Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules
as the Committee deems appropriate.
  (d) The Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules shall have
a standing subcommittee on rules which shall be the president of the
Senate, the vice president of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate,
one member of the Senate from the majority party appointed jointly by
the president of the Senate, the vice president of the Senate and the
majority leader of the Senate and one member who shall be the minority
leader of the Senate or the designee of the minority leader. The
chairperson of the subcommittee on rules shall be the vice president of
the Senate. The subcommittee on rules shall consider rules questions
arising during a convening of the Senate.
  (e) The Committee on Organization, Calendar and Rules and all of
its subcommittees may close their meetings.
  (f) The two major political parties shall have proportional
representation on each standing committee other than the Committee on
Organization, Calendar and Rules. In the event application of the
preceding sentence results in a fraction, the party having a fraction
exceeding .5 shall receive representation as though such fraction were a
whole number.
  (g) The successor committees provided in Rule 7 of the Rules of the
Kansas Senate for the 2021-2024 term are incorporated by reference. All
successor standing committees established by Rule 7 shall inherit the
authority and duties of the standing committee that such successor
committee succeeded for purposes of reference in statutes and other
documents.

Special and Select Committees. Special and Select

committees of the Senate and the Chairperson thereof shall be appointed
by the President.

Standing Committees – Duties of Chairperson, etc. (a) The

chairperson of each committee shall preside at all meetings of the
committee. The chairperson may designate another member to preside in
the absence of the chairperson and vice chairperson.
  (b) The chairperson of each committee may call a special meeting of
the committee when necessary.
  (c) The chairperson shall have full charge of the committee.

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  (d) The chairperson of each committee shall cause minutes of each
meeting of the committee to be prepared, subject to approval of the
committee within 14 session days or by sine die adjournment, whichever
is earlier. The Senate portion of the Legislature's website and the minutes
shall show the name of the member, person, state or local agency,
organization or entity that requested a bill or resolution for introduction,
the action taken by the committee upon each bill or resolution considered
and the amendments, if any, voted upon and the disposition of each,
whether adopted or not. At the request of the author of a bill or resolution
or any amendment to a bill or resolution, or on request of any member
of the committee, the intent of the author shall be stated in the committee
minutes. At the conclusion of each legislative session, copies of all
committee minutes shall be filed with the Director of Legislative
Administrative Services.

Vote in Senate Committee. At the time of taking any action

upon any bill or resolution, any member of a committee may demand a
division of the vote and the chairperson shall be required to record the
number of votes for and against the action as a part of the minutes.

Committee Action on Bills and Resolutions. (a) A

committee may recommend that the Senate act favorably, unfavorably or
without recommendation upon any measure or may recommend
amendments to measures referred to it which are germane to the subject
of the measure. If a committee recommends amendments to a bill or
resolution referred to it which strike out all of the material in the bill or
resolution subsequent to the enacting clause or resolving clause and
inserts new material, and the bill or resolution was sponsored by an
individual member or members, the committee becomes the sponsor of
the bill or resolution and the committee name will be printed on the bill
or resolution as the sponsor. Committee recommendations shall be made
by committee report to the Senate. Committee reports shall be signed by
the chairperson, and shall be transmitted to the Senate not later than the
second legislative day following the action of the committee.
  (b) When a committee fails to report on any bill or resolution within
seven legislative days following reference to such committee, the bill or
resolution may be withdrawn from the committee by an affirmative vote
of 24 members of the Senate on a motion made as provided in this
subsection. For the purposes of this subsection, if a bill or resolution has
been referred to a subsequent committee, a motion to withdraw such bill
or resolution from such subsequent committee may be made at any time.
Such a motion shall be made in writing, giving the reasons for
withdrawal from the committee. Such motion shall be made under the

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order of business introduction and notice of original motions and Senate
resolutions. Only one bill or resolution may be named in such a motion.
The motion shall be read by the reading clerk or the member making the
motion and shall be printed in the calendar of the next legislative day
under the order of business consideration of motions and Senate
resolutions offered on a previous day. The motion shall be considered on
the legislative day following the day it is made. If the motion prevails,
the bill or resolution shall be placed on the calendar under the order of
business General Orders.
  (c) Motions to withdraw a bill or resolution from a committee are not
subject to amendment or debate.

Adversely Reported Bills and Resolutions. All bills or

resolutions adversely reported shall go upon the Calendar for one day,
under the head of Bills Adversely Reported. A motion to place an
adversely reported bill (or resolution) under the order of business
General Orders on the Calendar shall be made when the bill (or
resolution) is upon the Calendar and shall be made when Introduction of
Original Motions and Senate Resolutions is in order, and that motion
shall then lie over until the next legislative day when the order of
business Consideration of Motions and Senate Resolutions is reached,
but if such motion is defeated once it shall not be renewed. If an
adversely reported bill or resolution has been previously referred
separately under Rule 32 (authorizing the reference of the same bill or
resolution to two or more standing committees), then the motion shall be
to return the adversely reported bill (or resolution) with the committee
report attached to the next committee to which it was referred. If the
motion to place the bill (or resolution) on the Calendar under the order
of business General Orders or to return the bill (or resolution) to the next
committee of reference shall prevail, then the words "Adversely
Reported" shall be printed in a line underneath the title of the bill or
resolution, and to prevail such motion shall require an affirmative vote
of 24 members of the Senate.

When Bill or Concurrent Resolution Placed on General

Orders. When a bill or a concurrent resolution to amend the constitution
has been reported to the Senate by a committee with the recommendation
that it pass or be adopted, it shall immediately be placed on the Calendar
under the order of business General Orders.

Address the President – To Be Recognized – Speak But

Twice on the Same Subject. Every Senator rising to debate or to present
any matter shall address the President and shall not proceed until

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recognized. When two or more Senators shall address the President at
the same time, the President shall name the Senator who is to speak first.
No Senator, except for the Senator who is carrying a bill, resolution or
report, shall speak more than twice on the same day on the same subject
without leave of the Senate.

No Senator Shall Be Interrupted. No Senator, when

speaking shall be interrupted except by a call to order by the presiding
officer, or by a Senator through the presiding officer, desiring to ask a
question. If a Senator speaking yields to a question, the interruption shall
be confined solely to such question. Senators shall be referred to as "the
Senator from _______" (naming the Senator's home county) followed by
the Senator's title and name.

Personal Privilege. Senators raising a point of personal

privilege shall confine themselves to remarks which concern themselves
personally and shall not address or debate matters under consideration
by the Senate.

Questions of Order – How Determined. A question of order

may be raised at any time and when a Senator shall be called to order the
Senator shall stop speaking until the presiding officer has determined
whether the Senator was in order. Every question of order shall be
decided by the presiding officer, subject to an appeal to the Senate by
any member. The vote on an appeal to the Senate under this rule shall not
be a roll call vote. Every appeal on a question of order shall be taken
without debate.

Explaining Votes. Senators may explain their votes only after

every Senator first has had the opportunity to vote. Thereafter, an
explanation of vote may be heard followed by the opportunity for any
Senator to change their vote before the roll is closed and the tally of the
vote is recorded. Not more than two minutes shall be allowed for any
explanation. The explanation shall be inserted in the Journal if the
Senator makes a request at the time of voting or makes a request of the
Secretary of the Senate prior to adjournment, and the written explanation
is presented to the Secretary of the Senate during or within two hours
following that day's adjournment on the same legislative day. No Senator
in explaining a vote may use the name of or otherwise identify any other
Senator as part of the explanation without the consent of the other
Senator. No written explanation shall contain more than 200 words. If
the written explanation contains more than 200 words, only the first 200
words of the explanation shall be printed in the journal.

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Vote Unless Excused – Contempt. Any Senator, who is

directly interested in a question, may be excused from voting, even
though there is a call of the Senate. The Senator, who is requesting to be
excused from voting, shall state the reasons for the request, occupying
not more than five minutes. Such statements shall be made either
immediately before or immediately after the vote is called but before the
result is announced. The question on excusing any Senator from voting
shall be taken without debate and a majority of those voting shall be
necessary to excuse the Senator. If a Senator refuses to vote, when not
excused, such refusal shall constitute contempt and the President shall,
in such case, order the offending Senator before the bar of the Senate and
all privileges of membership shall be refused such Senator until the
contempt is corrected as determined by vote of the Senate.

When Not Permitted to Vote. No Senator shall be allowed

to vote unless the Senator is seated in the Senator's assigned seat within
the Senate chamber when the vote is taken.

Filling Certain Vacancies. (a) When a vacancy occurs in the

office of President and the Legislature is adjourned to a date more than
60 days after the occurrence of the vacancy, the Senate shall meet within
30 days and elect a member to fill the vacancy. The Vice President shall
within 10 days of such occurrence issue a call for the meeting at a time
not less than 10 days and not more than 20 days after the date of the call.
  (b) When a vacancy occurs in the office of Vice President or majority
leader of the Senate, and the Legislature is adjourned to a date more than
30 days after the occurrence of the vacancy, the President shall appoint
an acting Vice President or acting majority leader to serve until the
convening of the next session of the Legislature, at which time the
vacancy shall be filled as though the acting interim appointment had not
been made.
  (c) When a vacancy occurs in the office of minority leader of the
Senate and the Legislature is adjourned to a date more than 30 days after
the occurrence of the vacancy, the assistant minority leader shall become
the acting minority leader to serve until the convening of the next session
of the Legislature, at which time the vacancy shall be filled as though the
acting minority leader had not so served.
  (d) It is the intention of this rule that any person elected, appointed
or designated to serve in accordance herewith to fill a vacancy shall
exercise all of the duties and powers of the office so filled.

Party Affiliation – Change. If any Senator changes political

party affiliation: (1) From the political party of such Senator at the time

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of the Senator's election; or (2) if the Senator was appointed, from the
political party of the district convention which elected such person to be
so appointed, the following shall apply:
  (a) Such Senator shall be removed from all memberships on standing
and other committees, from all positions of chairperson or vice
chairperson of a standing or other committee, and from any office of the
Senate held at the time of such change. The Committee on Organization,
Calendar and Rules shall appoint a Senator to fill any vacancy which
arises under this subpart (a).
  (b) The proportion of Senators from major political parties on each
standing committee originally determined under Rule 7 (providing for
proportional representation of members of political parties upon standing
committees) shall not be altered. The Committee on Organization,
Calendar and Rules shall fill each standing committee member position
vacated by such Senator by appointing a Senator of the political party
from which such Senator changed.

Open Meetings Provisions. The open meeting law (K.S.A

75-4317 et seq., and amendments thereto) shall apply to meetings of the
Senate and all of its standing committees, select committees, special
committees and subcommittees of any of such committees. Caucuses of
Senate majority and minority parties and meetings of the Committee on
Organization, Calendar and Rules and its subcommittees may be closed.

Motions in Writing. All motions to amend bills and

resolutions shall be made in writing, and upon request of any Senator
shall be read by the reading clerk before being voted upon. All other
motions shall be reduced to writing when desired by any Senator.

Motions Withdrawn. Any motion may be withdrawn by the

maker before amendment or decision is made thereon except as the
foregoing is modified by Rule 40 (relating to procedure in the committee
of the whole).

Motions in Order When Question Under Debate. When a

question is under debate, no motion shall be in order, except:
 Not Debatable
 1. To fix time to which to adjourn.
 2. To adjourn.
 3. To lay on the table.
 4. For the previous question.
 5. To recess to a time certain.
 Debatable

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  6. To postpone to a day certain.
  7. To commit to a standing committee.
  8. To commit to a special committee.
  9. To commit to the Committee of the Whole.
  10. To amend.
  11. To postpone indefinitely.
  The several motions specified in this rule shall have precedence in the
order named and the first five shall be decided without debate.

Division of Question. (a) If the question in debate contains

several points, any Senator may have the same divided, but a motion to
strike out and insert shall be indivisible. When a bill or resolution is
under consideration in the Senate and after debate is concluded and final
action has been announced on the bill or resolution, a request for division
of question shall not be in order.
  (b) A request for division of question shall be in writing specifying
the manner in which the question is to be divided.
  (c) The rejection of a motion to strike out and insert one proposition
shall not prevent a motion to strike out and insert another proposition,
nor prevent a subsequent motion simply to strike out; nor shall the
rejection of a motion simply to strike out prevent a subsequent motion to
strike out and insert.

Reconsideration of Pending Matters. When a question has

been once put and decided it shall be in order for any Senator who voted
with the prevailing side to move for a reconsideration thereof, but no
motion for reconsideration of any vote shall be in order after the bill,
resolution, message, report, amendment or motion, upon which the vote
was taken, shall have gone out of the possession of the Senate, nor shall
any motion for reconsideration be in order unless made on the same day
on which the vote was taken or the next legislative day. No question shall
be reconsidered more than once.

Previous Questions. Ten Senators shall have the right to

move the previous question on any bill, resolution, message, report,
amendment, or motion. If no amendment is pending the previous
question shall be as follows: "Shall the main question be now put?" If
the previous question is decided in the affirmative by a majority vote of
those present, the main question shall be put without further amendment
or debate. If amendments are pending a motion for the previous question
shall concern only the last amendment that is pending on which, if the
previous question is adopted, the debate will be closed only upon such
amendment. The previous question on other questions than the main

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question shall be as follows: "Shall the question on the (amendment,
amendment of an amendment, substitute or other motion affecting same
as the case may be) now be put?"

Endorsement on Bills, etc. Before any bill, resolution or

petition, addressed to the Senate, shall be received or read, the title of the
bill or resolution or a brief statement of the contents of the petition shall
be typed on the jacket, with the name of the Senator or committee
introducing it.

Introduction of Bills and Concurrent Resolutions. Every

bill and concurrent resolution shall be introduced by a Senator, by a
committee, on the report of a committee, by message from the House of
Representatives, or by proper prefiling as provided by law. For the
purpose of introduction, every bill and concurrent resolution shall be
placed in the possession of the secretary and the reading clerk shall read
the title, except citations of statutes amended or repealed. The reading
clerk shall also read the name of the sponsor of the bill or resolution if it
has a single sponsor. If the bill or resolution has two sponsors the reading
clerk shall read the names of both sponsors, but if the bill or resolution
has more than two sponsors the reading clerk shall read the name of the
first sponsor together with the words "and others."

Reference of Bills and Resolutions. All bills and resolutions

shall be referred or rereferred to appropriate standing committees,
special or select committees appointed under Rule 8 or the Committee
of the Whole by the President. Upon the day of its introduction or upon
the next legislative day, the President shall refer every bill and each
concurrent resolution to be referred to the appropriate standing
committee, special or select committees appointed under Rule 8 or the
Committee of the Whole. Bills or resolutions prefiled under K.S.A. 46-
801 et seq., and amendments thereto, may be referred by the President to
the appropriate standing committee, special or select committees
appointed under Rule 8 or the Committee of the Whole at any time
subsequent to the prefiling of such bill or resolution with the secretary of
the senate. Bills introduced by committees, if germane to the purpose
and scope of the committee, may be referred to the Committee of the
Whole; otherwise to the appropriate standing committee or special or
select committees appointed under Rule 8. All bills making an
appropriation shall be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
The President may refer a bill or resolution to two or more standing
committees or special or select committees appointed under Rule 8, or
any combination thereof, jointly, or separately, in such order as the

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President may direct, and such bill or resolution, when so referred, shall
be considered by the committees in joint meeting, or by each of the
committees separately in the order named in the reference, and when the
reference is made jointly, the chairperson of the committee named first
shall be chairperson of the joint committee.

Consent Calendar and Recording Reports. Whenever a

standing committee is of the opinion that a bill or resolution upon which
it is reporting is of non-controversial nature, it shall so state in its
committee report. Whenever a bill or resolution is so reported, it shall be
placed upon a separate calendar, to be known as the Consent Calendar.
Each bill or resolution appearing on the Consent Calendar shall remain
thereon for at least two full legislative days before being considered
under the order of business Final Action. At any time prior to the call for
the vote under the order of business Final Action on a bill or resolution
on the Consent Calendar, any member may object to the same as being
controversial and the same shall be stricken from the Consent Calendar
and take its place on General Orders in the usual order. If no such
objection is made prior to the call for such vote on the bill or resolution,
it shall be voted upon with other bills and resolutions under the order of
business Final Action but before consideration of other bills or
resolutions appearing on the calendar under such order of business.

Final Action on Bills and Concurrent Resolutions. On final

action on any bill or concurrent resolution, the reading clerk shall read
the title, except citations to statutes amended or repealed. If the bill is
reported for final action without debate, the question shall be at once put:
"Shall the bill pass?" No debate shall be allowed, and no motion shall be
in order except the motion for a call of the Senate, unless in case where
a bill has been ordered to be placed on final action subject to amendment,
or to amendment and debate or unless by the unanimous consent of the
Senate, amendments may be made and considered. Like procedure shall
apply to concurrent resolutions except that the question put shall be:
"Shall the resolution be adopted?" On final action, bills and resolutions
may be bulked together for roll call unless objection be made by any
Senator.

Final Passage by Yeas and Nays. The question upon the final

passage of a bill and every concurrent resolution for amendment of the
constitution of Kansas or ratification of an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States shall be taken by a roll call vote of the
yeas and nays, which shall be entered on the Journal, and unless the bill
or concurrent resolution receives the number of votes required by the

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constitution to pass it, it shall be declared lost, except in cases provided
for in Rule 36 (relating to the absence of a quorum).

No Quorum on Final Vote – Effect. If, on taking the vote on

final action on a bill or concurrent resolution, it shall appear that a
quorum is not present, then the bill or concurrent resolution shall retain
its place on the Calendar and shall again be considered for final action
when that order of business is again taken up by the Senate.

Roll Call Vote. A roll call vote shall be taken upon all

questions upon the demand of five Senators.

Call of Senate – When Made – How Enforced. (a) A call of

the Senate may be had upon the demand of five Senators, pending a roll
call on the final passage of any bill or resolution, or on any motion to
strike the enacting clause of a bill or the resolving clause of a resolution,
or indefinitely postpone any bill or resolution, and before the result is
announced. When a call is demanded, the President shall order the doors
of the Senate to be closed and all members to be in their seats unless
excused by the President. The President shall direct the Secretary to call
the roll of the Senators and note the absentees, after which the names of
the absentees shall be again called, and those for whose absence no
sufficient excuse is given may be sent for and taken into custody by the
Sergeant at Arms, or by Assistant Sergeants at Arms appointed for the
purpose, and brought before the bar of the Senate, where unless excused
by a majority of the Senators present, they shall be reproved by the
President for the neglect of duty.
  (b) No motion to dispense with further proceedings under the call of
the Senate shall be entertained until the President shall be satisfied that
the Sergeant at Arms has made diligent effort to secure the attendance of
the absentees.

Roll Call Votes. Every Senator in the Senate chamber when

a roll call is taken shall respond clearly and audibly when the Senator's
name is called. If there is a call of the Senate, the Senator must vote Yea
or Nay, except as provided in Rule 19 (Senators excused from voting if
directly interested in the question). When there is no call of the Senate,
the Senator may pass and shall be recorded in the Journal as present and
passing. After the roll is completed and before the roll is closed, a Senator
may change such Senator's vote. No vote shall be recorded and no change
in vote may be made without unanimous consent of the Senate after
announcement by the presiding officer that the roll is closed. No motion
shall be in order during a roll call vote except as provided under Rule 34

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for final action on bills and concurrent resolutions and except for a call
of the Senate.

Committee of the Whole. On motion the Senate may go into

Committee of the Whole. The President shall appoint a chairperson to
preside over the Committee of the Whole. The rules of the Senate shall
be observed in the Committee of the Whole, so far as applicable except
that there shall be no limit on the number of times of speaking and Rule
38 (authorizing a call of the senate) shall not apply. A motion to lay on
the table or a call for the previous question shall not be in order. No
substitute motion to amend a bill or resolution shall be in order. A
substitute motion to report a bill or resolution to the full Senate once
made shall be decided subject only to debate and Rule 50 (motion to
strike the enacting or resolving clause). A roll call shall be had on any
question subject to the requirements of Rule 37.

No Quorum in Committee of the Whole – Procedure. If at

any time, when in Committee of the Whole, it be ascertained that there
is no quorum present, the chairperson shall immediately vacate the chair
and report the fact to the President.

How Bills or Resolutions Considered – Committee of the

Whole. Bills or resolutions shall be considered in Committee of the
Whole in the following manner: The standing committee report shall first
be considered and if it is adopted the bill or resolution as amended by the
committee report shall be considered section by section, and as each
section is considered, amendments from the floor are in order to that
section. If the committee report is not adopted, the bill or resolution,
without committee amendments, shall be considered section by section,
and as each section is considered amendments from the floor are in order
to that section. After a section has been considered, no amendment
thereto shall be in order until the whole bill or resolution has been read
through. After the original bill or resolution, together with standing
committee amendments, has been considered section by section the
chairperson shall announce "Amendments to the bill (or resolution)
generally are in order," and amendments not before offered may be made
to any part of the bill or resolution. A motion to amend the bill or
resolution shall not be in order while a motion to strike the enacting
clause or resolving clause is pending.

Amendments. (1) Amendments to bills shall be germane to

the subject of the bill being amended, and the fact that an amendment is
to a section in the same chapter of the Kansas Statutes Annotated as an

20


existing section in the bill shall not automatically render the amendment
germane. Amendments to concurrent resolutions for amendments of the
constitution of Kansas or ratification of an amendment to the
Constitution of the United States shall be germane to the subject of the
resolution being amended.
  (2) All amendments to bills or resolutions shall be submitted in
writing on a form provided by the Senate or on a form substantially
similar. All amendments to printed bills or resolutions shall specify the
page and line number as shown on the printed bill or resolution. If a bill
or resolution has not been printed, amendments must refer to the typed
bill or resolution. All amendments adopted shall be recorded in the
Journal. The action taken on all amendments, whether adopted or
rejected, shall be recorded in the Journal. When a bill or resolution has
been amended, it shall be engrossed before it is enrolled.
  (3) In the case of amendment by substitute bill or by substitute
concurrent resolution, motion shall be made to substitute a written bill or
concurrent resolution for the bill or concurrent resolution under
consideration.
  (4) A motion to amend a motion to amend a bill or resolution shall
not be in order.
  (5) Unless by majority consent to correct an error in drafting, no
amendment to increase the amount of expenditures that would be
authorized in a provision of an appropriations bill shall be in order unless
the amendment contains a provision reducing, by a like or greater
amount, expenditures that would be authorized in another provision of
such appropriations bill. Those portions of a motion to amend a bill as
described in this subsection shall be indivisible.

Report of Committee of the Whole Subject to Amendment

– Time for. The report of the Committee of the Whole is subject to
amendment to correctly reflect what has occurred in the Committee of
the Whole by motions made at the time the report is offered for adoption
by the Senate. When a bill is reported with the recommendation that the
enacting clause be stricken, and the report is agreed to by the Senate, the
bill shall be considered killed.

Motion for Committee of the Whole to Rise and Report

Progress. A motion that the Committee of the Whole shall rise and report
progress on any bill shall always be in order and shall be decided without
debate, and the matter being considered shall be the first order of
business at the next session of the committee, subject to such
postponement as the subsequent Committee of the Whole may
determine. After a motion to rise and report progress has been adopted,

                                                                          21


the Subcommittee on Calendar of the Committee on Organization,
Calendar and Rules may change for the resumption of the current session
of the Committee of the Whole the order of consideration of bills and
resolutions.

Division of the Senate. Whenever a voice vote has been taken

upon any question in either the Senate or the Committee of the Whole,
any Senator may call for a division of the Senate or Committee of the
Whole.

Bills and Resolutions to Final Action. When the Committee

of the Whole shall favorably report a bill or resolution, and the report is
adopted by the Senate, the bill or resolution shall be considered as
ordered to the order of business Final Action. The vote upon the final
passage of the bill shall not be taken on the same day on which the bill
is placed on Final Action. Bills and resolutions to be sent to the House
shall be properly corrected under the supervision of the Secretary of the
Senate. The Secretary of the Senate is authorized to correct misspelled
words, punctuation and "doublets" or repeated words when preparing
bills, resolutions or other documents for signature by officers of the
Senate and House.

Bills and Resolutions – Inclusion of Amendments. When a

bill or resolution is amended, the Secretary of the Senate shall attach to
the original copy all amendments made in the Senate. Substitute bills and
substitute concurrent resolutions shall accompany the bill or concurrent
resolution for which each is substituted. Upon passage, Senate bills or
resolutions, including the original copy and amendments, shall be
transmitted to the House.

Reports of Transmittals in Journal – Committee –

Reports. Report of transmittal of bills and resolutions to the House shall
be immediately entered upon the Journal.

Motion to Strike Enacting or Resolving Clause – Debate

Limited. No Senator may speak more than twice on a motion to strike
the enacting clause of a bill or the resolving clause of a resolution, and
no other motion, except a motion to adjourn, shall be in order until the
motion to strike the enacting clause or resolving clause has been decided
by roll call vote.

Two-thirds Vote Not Necessary Except on Final Passage

of Resolution. When a resolution requiring a vote of 2/3 of the Senate

22


for adoption is under consideration, a vote of 2/3 shall not be needed to
decide any question short of its final passage, except as provided by these
rules.

Bills and Resolutions Considered in Regular Order. The

Subcommittee on Calendar of the Committee on Organization, Calendar
and Rules shall designate from day to day and from time to time the bills
and resolutions to be considered that day and on the next legislative day,
and the order of consideration fixed by this subcommittee shall not be
changed, except by unanimous consent or by a 2/3 vote of all the
members of the Senate then elected (or appointed) and qualified, if
unanimous consent is refused, or as provided in Rule 45.

Changing Order on Calendar. Not more than one bill or

resolution may be named in a motion to change the order of the Calendar,
and on each motion no Senator except the Senator making the motion
shall speak more than once, nor longer than two minutes.

Resolutions – Classes – Procedures Thereon. Resolutions

shall be of the following classes: (1) Senate resolutions; and (2) Senate
concurrent resolutions. In acting on them, the Senate shall observe the
following procedure:
   (1) Senate resolutions shall be in writing, shall be read and shall lie
over one day. Senate resolutions other than resolutions for the
amendment of rules of the Senate shall not be printed unless ordered by
the Senate. There shall be no roll call unless ordered. With the consent
of the majority of Senators present and voting, either the requirement to
read Senate resolutions or the requirement to lie over one day, or both,
may be dispensed with.
   (2) Senate concurrent resolutions shall be in writing, shall be read by
title, and shall lie over one day. All Senate concurrent resolutions shall
be printed, and shall require a roll call on motion to adopt. Propositions
to amend the constitution shall be made by concurrent resolution and
referred to the proper committee. Other concurrent resolutions may be
referred to a proper committee by the President.
   (3) Notwithstanding any other rule of the Senate to the contrary, no
Senator shall request and be the primary sponsor of more than three
Senate resolutions or concurrent resolutions which congratulate,
commemorate, commend, honor or are in memory of any individual,
entity or event during a legislative session of the Senate, except upon
approval of the President.
   All House concurrent resolutions, when in the Senate, shall follow the
same procedure as Senate concurrent resolutions.

                                                                            23


 This rule shall not apply to resolutions relating to the business of the
day, nor to resolutions for organization or adjournment.

Confirmation of Appointments by Governor or Other

State Official. All nominations or appointments made by the governor
or other state official, which are subject to Senate confirmation, may be
considered and acted upon by the Senate in either executive or regular
session except that no final action thereon may be taken in executive
session. When nominations or appointments are made by the governor
or other state official for confirmation by the Senate, they shall, unless
otherwise ordered by the President, be referred to appropriate
committees by the President. Nominations or appointments referred to
committees shall be returned to the Senate within 20 legislative days
after the same are referred, together with a report thereon, unless
additional time be granted by a majority vote of senators present. If the
nomination or appointment is not returned to the Senate within the period
of time specified for its return and additional time has not been granted,
the nomination or appointment shall be considered to be returned to the
Senate without recommendation on the next legislative day following the
last day of the period of time specified for its return. Any such
appointment may be considered and acted upon by the Senate at any time
after the nomination or appointment is returned to the Senate. The
chairperson of the committee which recommends for confirmation a
nomination or appointment may speak more than twice on the same day
on the subject of the nomination or appointment. No motion to confirm
any such appointment or nomination shall be in order without the
unanimous consent of the Senate until the nomination or appointment is
returned to the Senate, unless one day's previous notice thereof is given
in open session or by posting the appointments or nominations to be
considered near the entrance to the Senate chamber. Appointments shall
be confirmed by the Senate only by an affirmative vote of a majority of
all members of the Senate then elected (or appointed) and qualified.

Admittance to Floor – Lobbying on Floor – Galleries. No

person shall be admitted to the floor of the Senate except elective state
officers; members of the Legislature; friends of the members of the
Senate, upon invitation signed by the President and the Senator
extending the invitation; former members of the Senate, officers and
employees of the legislative branch, and members of the news media
who are actually employed, and who have a card of admission from the
President. The Senate by resolution, may issue such invitations as it
desires. Persons so admitted must stay in the perimeter of the Senate
chamber except with the express permission of a member of the Senate.

24


No one registered with the Secretary of State as an agent or lobbyist may
be on the floor of the Senate during the hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
nor at the time the Senate is in session. No person, other than a state
officer or employee of the legislative branch or legislator, shall discuss
any measure with any Senator on the floor of the Senate during the time
the Senate is in session. Any person who violates this rule or any person
who shall gain admission to the floor of the Senate by false
representation shall be forthwith ejected from the Senate chamber and
thereafter be denied admission. No employee shall lobby for or against
any measure pending in the Senate, and any employee violating this rule
shall be forthwith discharged. Former members of the Senate may be
introduced when on the floor, but no other introductions shall be made
during the session of the Senate, except the President may announce the
attendance of school students or other groups visiting the Senate.
  Visitors shall be allowed in one or both galleries of the Senate in
accordance with directions to the Sergeant at Arms from the President.

Electronic Devices; Food and Drink; Photographic

Record of Vote; President's Gallery. (a) The making of telephone calls
in the galleries of the Senate is prohibited. Except for security personnel,
the use of wireless electronic telecommunications devices emitting an
audible sound or tone to announce or initiate communications in a
committee room during any time when a committee or subcommittee is
in session in the room, in the galleries during any time when the Senate
is in session and in the Senate Chamber during any time the Senate is in
session is prohibited. The use of video recorders, cellular devices used
as a video recording device or other video equipment in the galleries is
prohibited, except for the official live feed of Senate proceedings or as
granted by permission of the President. Flash photography and the
possession of food or drink in the galleries is prohibited.
  (b) No photographic or similar record shall be made of the vote of any
member upon any measure on which a division of the Senate has been
called, except that any photographic or similar record made by the
official live video feed of Senate proceedings, the credentialed media or
as granted permission by the President shall be permitted.
  (c) The gallery located above the offices of the President and the
Majority Leader shall be considered the President's gallery. Enforcement
of this rule in the President's gallery shall be subject to the discretion of
the President.

Chairs of Senators. No person except a member of the

Senate, shall occupy the chair of any Senator at any time except with the
approval of and in the presence of a member of the Senate.

                                                                              25

The News Media. Employees of the news media displaying

a card of admission from the President may only occupy space
designated for them in the Senate chamber. They shall be subject to all
the rules of the Senate and shall conduct themselves with proper decorum
while in the Senate chamber. They shall not lobby, directly or indirectly,
for or against any measure pending before the legislature.

Secretary of Senate – Duties. The Secretary of the Senate

shall be appointed by the President. It shall be the duty of the Secretary
to call the roll; report correctly the result of all votes; correct the Journal
as may be directed by the Senate; read all bills, resolutions, petitions or
other papers which the Senate may require; deliver all messages to the
House of Representatives; certify all enrolled bills and present same to
the President or Vice President of the Senate for signature; endorse upon
every paper presented in the Senate the successive stages of action had
thereon, and see that proper records are made of the transmission of
every paper from one house to the other, or from one office to another;
and attend generally to such other matters as the office may require. The
Secretary of the Senate shall deliver to the printer all bills and other
documents ordered to be printed and take the receipt of the printer
therefor. In order to secure a uniform and systematic procedure, the
following clerks and their assistants shall be under the supervision of the
Secretary: Assistant Secretary of the Senate, Journal Clerks, Calendar
Clerks, Enrolling Clerks, Bill Status Clerk, Reading Clerk and Bill Clerk.

Impeachment. The provisions of this rule shall apply to

impeachment, and nothing in the rules of the Senate or in any statute
shall impair or limit the powers of the Senate with respect to
impeachment. In addition to other powers, the President shall possess the
powers and perform the duties in this rule.
  (1) The President shall call the Senate into session within 30 days of
the receipt by the President of any request by a board of managers of the
House of Representatives to lay articles of impeachment before the
Senate.
  (2) The Senate by a majority vote of the members then elected (or
appointed) and qualified may adopt, amend or suspend rules applicable
to trial of any impeachment.
  (3) The President and any officer or committee acting under authority
of this rule may follow any statutory procedure to the extent the same is
not in conflict with the provisions of this rule, but nothing in this rule nor
in any statute shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of any inherent
powers of the Senate.

26

Sergeant at Arms – Duties. The Sergeant at Arms shall be

appointed by the President, and shall serve under the President's
direction, control and supervision and at the President's pleasure and
shall execute all orders of the President or Senate. The Sergeant at Arms
shall have the general supervision of the Senate Chamber, the cloak
rooms, gallery and lobby, and shall preserve order within the chamber at
all times. The Sergeant at Arms may arrest and take into custody any
person gaining admission to the floor of the Senate through false
representations or violation of Rule 56 (listing persons authorized to be
admitted to the floor of the Senate). All violations shall be immediately
reported to the President for action by the Senate. No person except those
entitled to admittance on the floor of the Senate pursuant to Rule 56
(listing persons authorized to be admitted to the floor of the Senate) shall
lounge or loaf in the Senate chamber when the Senate is not in session,
and the Sergeant at Arms shall detail at least one assistant to remain in
the chamber at all times when the same is open. The President may
appoint and remove Assistant Sergeants at Arms to serve under the
supervision of the Sergeant at Arms. All doorkeepers and night
watchmen shall be Assistant Sergeants at Arms.

Requisitions for Printing. All requisitions upon the Director

of Printing for calendars, bills, documents, and printed matter of any
nature whatsoever, must be approved by the Director of Legislative
Administrative Services.

Employees – Duties. All employees shall report each day to

their respective supervisors. The Director of Legislative Administrative
Services or some person designated by the director shall keep a record
of the attendance of each employee. The supervisor of an employee may
discharge the employee at any time. The word "employee" as used in this
section shall include all persons employed by the Senate, except the
secretaries of each of the members of the Senate and except the Secretary
of the Senate and Sergeant at Arms, which officers may be removed by
the President of the Senate.

Pages. Not more than 20 pages shall serve during any

legislative day. Appointments shall be restricted to boys and girls of
middle school, junior high or high school age.

Secretaries to Members. Each Senator shall be entitled to

select a secretary and shall inform the Director of Legislative
Administrative Services of the selection. The secretaries shall not be paid
for time they are not in attendance unless excused by their respective

                                                                           27


Senators. From the convening of the Senate until adjournment on any
day, except during recesses, no Senator's secretary shall be stationed at
the Senator's desk, except that this provision shall not apply to the
administrative assistant designated by the President.

Suspension of Rules. (a) A motion to suspend the rules may

be made and considered under any order of business. A 2/3 affirmative
vote of all Senators then elected (or appointed) and qualified shall be
required for its adoption. The motion shall be decided without debate.
  (b) A motion to declare an emergency, suspend the rules, and advance
a bill to Final Action shall be considered as one motion. It may be made
and considered immediately under any order of business, and be
debatable on the question of the emergency. A 2/3 affirmative vote of all
Senators then elected (or appointed) and qualified shall be required for
its adoption.
  (c) A bill advanced to Final Action under subsection (b) which is not
considered during the legislative day on which it is advanced to Final
Action shall be placed on the next legislative day on the Calendar under
the order of business General Orders.

Amendments to Rules. No rule of the Senate shall be

adopted, amended or revoked without a 2/3 affirmative vote of all
members of the Senate then elected (or appointed) and qualified, and no
motion to adopt, amend or revoke any rule of the Senate shall be in order
without the unanimous consent of the Senate, unless one day's previous
notice thereof shall be given in open session.
  Notwithstanding any provision of the rules of the Senate to the
contrary, no notice shall be required for the adoption of a resolution
adopting, amending or revoking any one or more rules of the Senate at
the commencement of a legislative session, and adoption of any such
resolution shall require only the affirmative vote of not less than a
majority of the Senators then elected (or appointed) and qualified,
subject to the following conditions: (1) The resolution is sponsored by
the President or any three Senators, and (2) either (a) a copy thereof is e-
mailed to each Senator not later than 11:00 p.m. on the Thursday
preceding the Monday on which the legislative session is to commence
or (b) in lieu of e-mailing copies of the resolution are made available to
Senators on the first day of the legislative session and Final Action is
taken on the second legislative day.

Robert's Rules of Order. In all cases where these rules or

the joint rules of the Senate and House of Representatives do not apply,

28


the rules of parliamentary law in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised,
11th edition, shall govern.

Number Designation of Substitute Bills and Substitute

Concurrent Resolutions. (a) Whenever a substitute bill is
recommended by a committee report, and whenever a substitute bill is
approved by amendment from the floor, the substitute bill shall be
printed as provided for bills introduced, and the bill number designation
shall be substantially as follows:
  (1) In the case of bills substituted for Senate bills, "Substitute for
Senate Bill No. _______," and the blank shall be filled with the number
of the bill for which substitution is made or recommended.
  (2) In the case of bills substituted for House bills, "Senate Substitute
for House Bill No. _______," and the blank shall be filled with the
number of the bill for which substitution is made or recommended.
  (b) Whenever a substitute concurrent resolution is recommended by
a committee report, and whenever a substitute concurrent resolution is
approved by amendment from the floor, the substitute concurrent
resolution shall be printed as provided for concurrent resolutions
introduced, and the resolution number designation shall be substantially
as follows:
  (1) In the case of concurrent resolutions substituted for Senate
concurrent resolutions, "Substitute for Senate Concurrent Resolution No.
______," and the blank shall be filled with the number of the concurrent
resolution for which substitution is made or recommended.
  (2) In the case of concurrent resolutions substituted for House
concurrent resolutions, "Senate Substitute for House Concurrent
Resolution No. ______," and the blank shall be filled with the number of
the concurrent resolution for which substitution is made or
recommended.

General Rule Not to Read Amendments. Amendments to

bills or resolutions shall not require readings as for bills introduced or
resolutions introduced, except as otherwise provided in Rule 72 (subject
matter of bill or resolution materially changed by senate amendment) or
Rule 73 (subject matter of senate bill or resolution materially changed by
house amendment).

Subject Change by Senate. Whenever an amendment

adopted by the Senate has materially changed the subject of a bill or
resolution, the title of the bill or resolution so amended shall be read in
the manner prescribed for the introduction of bills or resolutions, and
take its place upon the Calendar under the order of business Final Action.

                                                                           29

Subject Change by House. Whenever the House adopts

amendments to a Senate bill or senate concurrent resolution which
materially changes its subject, upon return of such bill or resolution to
the Senate, the title of such bill or resolution shall be read in the manner
prescribed for the introduction of bills or resolutions and such bill or
resolution shall be referred as provided in Rule 32 (reference of bills and
resolutions).

Determination of When Subject of Bill or Resolution

Materially Changed. The President may determine when a bill or
resolution is subject to Rule 72 (subject matter of bill or resolution
materially changed by senate amendment) or Rule 73 (subject matter of
senate bill or senate concurrent resolution materially changed by house
amendment). The President's determination under this rule, that a bill or
resolution has been materially changed is subject to an appeal to the
Senate by any member. A 2/3 vote of the members of the Senate present
and voting shall be required to overturn the ruling of the chair. The vote
on an appeal to the Senate under this rule shall not be a roll call vote.
Every appeal under this rule shall be taken without debate.

Executive Reorganization Orders. When an executive

reorganization order is received from the Governor, it shall be referred
to an appropriate committee by the President. The committee to which
an executive reorganization order is referred shall report its
recommendations thereon, by recommending adoption of a Senate
resolution, not later than the 60th calendar day of any regular session and
not later than 30 calendar days after it has received such referral
whichever occurs first. If a committee fails to report upon an executive
reorganization order within the time specified in this rule, such
committee shall be deemed to have returned the same to the Senate
without recommendation. When a report or return of an executive
reorganization is made, it and all resolutions for approval or disapproval
thereof shall be made the special order of business in accordance with
Rule 6 (special order of business) at a time not later than the last day the
executive reorganization order may be disapproved under section 6 of
article 1 of the Constitution of Kansas. The Senate shall act to approve
or reject every reorganization order unless at the time set for such action
the House of Representatives shall have already rejected such executive
reorganization order.

Censure or Expulsion. Whenever three or more Senators

desire to lodge a complaint against any other Senator requesting that the
Senator be censured or expelled for misconduct, the complaining

30


Senators shall sign and file a written statement of such complaint with
the Secretary of the Senate. In such event, the President shall appoint a
select committee for consideration thereof composed of five Senators,
no more than three of whom shall be members of the same political party,
and none of whom shall have signed the complaint to be considered. The
select committee may dismiss the complaint after inquiry or may set the
matter for hearing. Reasonable notice and an opportunity to appear shall
be afforded the Senator against whom a complaint has been filed. Select
committees meeting under authority of this section shall be authorized to
meet and exercise compulsory process without further authorization,
subject only to the limitations and conditions prescribed in article 10 of
chapter 46 of Kansas Statutes Annotated. Upon completing its hearing
and deliberations thereon the select committee may dismiss the
complaint or may submit a recommendation to the full Senate for censure
or expulsion, and upon receiving such report the Senate may without
further hearing or investigation censure or expel the member against
whom the complaint was filed. Censure or expulsion of a Senator under
this rule shall require a 2/3 majority vote of those members elected (or
appointed) and qualified.

Taking from the Table. The affirmative vote of a 2/3

majority of all Senators then elected (or appointed) and qualified shall
be required for the adoption of a motion to take any question or
proposition from the table after the adoption of a motion to table or lay
such question or proposition on the table. The provisions of this rule shall
apply to motions both in standing committees and the Senate.

Placing Material on Members' Desks. No items or material

shall be placed upon the desk of any member of the Senate unless any
such item or material bears the signature or name of the Senator
responsible for its distribution. This Rule 78 shall not apply to items or
material provided by legislative staff, the Governor or state agencies.

Decorum. During the time the Senate is in session

professional dress is required on the floor of the Senate, which shall
include a coat, tie and slacks or other dress pants for men and equivalent
professional dress for women.
JOINT RULES OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2025-2026

Joint rules; application and date of expiration;

adoption, amendment, suspension and revocation.
   (a) Joint rules; expiration, adoption, amendment, suspension and
revocation; vote required.
    Joint rules are adopted under the authority of section 8 of article 2 of
the Constitution of the State of Kansas and shall govern matters made
subject thereto except when otherwise specifically provided by joint
rule. Joint rules shall expire at the conclusion of the terms of
representatives. Joint rules shall be adopted, amended, suspended and
revoked by concurrent resolution of the two houses of the legislature.
Concurrent resolutions adopting joint rules shall receive the affirmative
vote of not less than a majority of the members then elected (or
appointed) and qualified in each house.
    (b) Amendment, suspension or revocation of joint rules; previous
notice; vote required.
    After one day's previous notice, joint rules may be amended,
suspended or revoked by the affirmative vote of not less than a majority
of the members then elected (or appointed) and qualified in each house.
Upon the filing of such notice in either house, a message shall be sent to
the other house advising of the filing of such notice and the reading of
the message shall constitute notice to the members of such house. If
such previous notice is not given, the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the
members then elected (or appointed) and qualified in each house shall
be required for the amendment, suspension or revocation of a joint rule.
   (c) Amendment, suspension or revocation of joint rules at
commencement of legislative session; vote required; conditions.
   Notwithstanding any provision of this rule to the contrary, no notice
shall be required for the adoption of a concurrent resolution amending,
suspending or revoking any one or more joint rules at the
commencement of a legislative session, and adoption of any such
concurrent resolution shall require only the affirmative vote of not less
than a majority of the members then elected (or appointed) and
qualified in each house, subject to the following conditions: (1) The

                                     3

4                JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE

concurrent resolution is sponsored by the speaker or the president; and
(2) either: (a) A copy thereof is mailed to each member of the
legislature by deposit in the United States mails not later than 11:00
p.m. on the Thursday preceding the Monday on which the legislative
session is to commence; or (b) in lieu of mailing, copies of the
concurrent resolution are made available to members on the first day
of the legislative session and final action is taken on a subsequent
legislative day.

Joint sessions

   (a) Joint session called by concurrent resolution; vote required;
time, place and subject matter.
    A joint session of the senate and house of representatives may be
called by concurrent resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of not
less than a majority of the members elected (or appointed) and
qualified in each house of the legislature or as may otherwise be
prescribed by law. Any such resolution shall fix the time and place of
the joint session, and the subject matter to be considered at the joint
session. Joint sessions shall consider only such matters as are
prescribed by law or by the concurrent resolution calling such joint
session.
    (b) Presiding officer at joint sessions; record of joint session;
rules applicable.
    The speaker of the house of representatives shall preside at all joint
sessions of the senate and house of representatives, and the clerk of the
house of representatives shall keep a record of the proceedings thereof
and shall enter the record of each such session in the journal of the
house of representatives. The rules of the house of representatives and
the joint rules of the two houses, insofar as the same may be applicable
shall be the rules for joint sessions of the two houses.
    (c)   Votes in joint session; taking; requirements.
    All votes in a joint session shall be taken by yeas and nays, and in
taking the same it shall be the duty of the secretary of the senate first to
call the names of the members of the senate, and after which the clerk
of the house of representatives shall in like manner call the names of
the members of the house. Each member of the senate and the house of

                JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE                   5

representatives present shall be required to vote on all matters
considered in joint session, unless excused by a vote of a majority of
the members of both houses present.

Conference committee procedure

   (a) Action by house of origin of bill or concurrent resolution
amended by other house.
    When a bill or concurrent resolution is returned to the house of
origin with amendments by the other house, the house of origin may:
(1) Concur in such amendments; (2) refuse to concur in such
amendments; or (3) refuse to concur in such amendments and request a
conference on the bill or concurrent resolution.
    (b) Concurrence by house of origin; concurrence prior to taking
action on conference committee report by other house; final action;
effect of failure of motion to concur.
    The house of origin of any bill or concurrent resolution may concur
in any amendments made by the other house, except that if the bill or
concurrent resolution has been referred to a conference committee
such action may only be taken prior to the taking of final action upon
the conference committee report upon such bill or concurrent
resolution by the other house. A vote in the house of origin of any bill
or concurrent resolution on a motion to concur in amendments to such
bill or concurrent resolution by the other house shall be considered
action on the final passage of the bill or concurrent resolution and the
affirmative and negative votes thereon shall be entered in the journal.
If the motion to concur is upon amendments to a bill or concurrent
resolution for which a conference committee has been appointed and
action has not been taken upon the report of such committee by the
other house and such motion fails, the bill or concurrent resolution
shall not be deemed to have been killed thereby and the motion to
concur may be renewed but not on the same legislative day. If the
motion to concur is upon amendments to a bill or concurrent resolution
for which a conference committee has not been appointed and such
motion fails, the bill or concurrent resolution shall be deemed to be
killed.

6                JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE

   (c) Motion to nonconcur; when considered final action; effect of
adoption of motion.
    A vote in the house of origin of any bill or concurrent resolution on
a motion to nonconcur or to refuse to concur in amendments to such
bill or concurrent resolution by the other house which is not coupled
with a request for the appointment of a conference committee shall be
considered action on final passage of the bill or concurrent resolution
and the affirmative and negative votes thereon shall be entered in the
journal, and the bill or concurrent resolution shall be deemed killed on
the adoption thereof.
   (d) House of origin refusal to concur or nonconcur; request for
conference; procedure.
    When a bill or concurrent resolution is returned by either house to
the house of origin with amendments, and the house of origin refuses
to concur or to nonconcur therein, a conference may be requested by a
majority vote of the members present and voting. Such request shall be
transmitted to the other house by message which shall include the
names of the conferees on the part of the requesting house. Upon
receipt of any such message, the receiving house may, in like manner,
approve such conference, and shall thereupon notify the requesting
house by message stating the names of its conferees.
   (e) Membership; appointment; chairperson; house of origin of
substitute or materially changed bill or concurrent resolution;
meetings of conference committee.
    Each conference committee shall consist of three members of the
senate and three members of the house of representatives, unless
otherwise fixed by agreement of the president of the senate and
speaker of the house. Senate members shall be appointed by the
president of the senate and house members shall be appointed by the
speaker of the house of representatives. The president or the speaker
may replace any conferee previously appointed by such person. Not
fewer than one member appointed from each house shall be a member
of the minority political party of such house except when such
representation for such house is waived by the minority leader of such
house. In all cases, the first-named member of the house of origin of
the bill or concurrent resolution assigned to the committee shall be

                 JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE                   7

chairperson of the conference committee. The house of origin of a
substitute bill or substitute concurrent resolution shall be the house in
which the bill or concurrent resolution in its original form was
introduced. The chairperson of a conference committee on a bill or
concurrent resolution the subject matter of which has been ruled to be
materially changed shall be a member of the house which amended the
bill or concurrent resolution to materially change the subject matter.
Each conference committee shall meet on the call of its chairperson.
All meetings of conference committees shall be open to the public and
no meeting shall be adjourned to another time or place in order to
subvert such policy.
    (f) Conference committee reports; matters which may be
included; report not subject to amendment; house which acts first on
report; copies of reports; reports considered under any order of
business.
    Only subject matters which are or have been included in the bill or
concurrent resolution in conference or in bills or concurrent resolutions
which have been passed or adopted in either one or both houses during
the current biennium of the legislature may be included in the report of
the conference committee on any bill or concurrent resolution except
in any appropriations bill there may be included a proviso relating to
any such item of appropriation.
    Subject to any limitations imposed under the constitution of the
state of Kansas, no more than a total of four additional bills or
concurrent resolutions or parts of bills or concurrent resolutions in
conference or bills or concurrent resolutions or parts of bills or
concurrent resolutions which have passed in either one or both houses
during the current biennium of the legislature may be included in the
report of the conference committee on any bill or concurrent
resolution.
    A conference committee report shall not be subject to amendment.
    The original signed conference committee report shall be submitted
to and acted upon first by the house other than the house of origin of
the bill or concurrent resolution. Except when a conference committee
report is an agree to disagree coupled with a request that a new
conference committee be appointed or is a recommendation to accede
to or recede from all amendments of the second house, electronic and

8                JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE

paper copies of the report shall be made available to all members of
the house considering the report not later than 30 minutes before the
time of its consideration, except that if the report is more than six
pages in length no paper copies will be required to be distributed to
individual members provided that at least 10 paper copies of the report
are made available to members at the clerk's or secretary's desk at the
front of the respective house. By written notice, the majority leader
may direct the clerk or secretary to increase from six pages to some
greater number of pages the size of conference committee reports that
need not be distributed by paper copies to individual members
pursuant to this rule. The affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members
present in the house at the time of consideration of the report shall be
sufficient to dispense with distribution of copies of the conference
committee report to all members of that house. Reports of conference
committees may be received and considered under any order of
business.
    (g) Signatures required on conference committee reports.
    All initial conference committee reports other than an agreement to
disagree coupled with a request that a new conference committee be
appointed shall be signed by all of the conferees. All initial conference
committee reports which are an agreement to disagree coupled with a
request that a new conference committee be appointed shall be signed
by a majority of the conferees appointed in each house. If a conference
committee report which is an agreement to disagree coupled with a
request that a new conference committee be appointed is not adopted,
a subsequent conference committee report shall be signed by all
conferees unless a subsequent conference committee report which is an
agreement to disagree coupled with a request that a new conference
committee be appointed is adopted, in which case a conference
committee report subsequent to the adoption of such report shall be
signed by a majority of the conferees appointed in each house. All
other conference committee reports shall be signed by a majority of the
conferees appointed in each house.
    (h) Vote to adopt conference committee report final action; effect
of failure of motion to adopt conference committee report.
   The vote to adopt the report of a conference committee, other than
a report of failure to agree coupled with a recommendation for

                 JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE                   9

appointment of a new conference committee, shall be considered final
action on the bill or concurrent resolution and the affirmative and
negative votes thereon shall be entered in the journal. If the motion
fails, the bill or concurrent resolution shall be deemed to be killed. If
the motion on a conference committee report which is an agreement to
disagree coupled with a request that a new conference committee be
appointed fails, the bill or concurrent resolution shall not be deemed to
have been killed thereby and remains in conference.
    (i) Report of conference committee unable to agree; effect of
failure to request new conference committee; effect of failure of motion
to adopt report requesting new conference committee.
    If a conference committee upon any bill or concurrent resolution is
unable to agree, it shall report that fact to both houses. Such report
may request that a new conference committee be appointed thereon. If
the committee so reports but fails to request the appointment of a new
conference committee thereon, the bill or concurrent resolution shall
be deemed to have been killed upon the adoption by either house of
such report. If the motion to adopt a report requesting the appointment
of a new conference committee fails, the bill or concurrent resolution
shall be deemed to be killed.
   (j) Bills or concurrent resolutions under consideration by
conference committees and reports thereof; carryover from odd-
numbered to even-numbered year.
    Bills or concurrent resolutions under consideration by a conference
committee, or a report of which has been filed but no action taken
thereon in either house, at the time of adjournment of a regular session
of the legislature held in an odd-numbered year shall remain alive
during the interim and may be considered by the committee and
legislature as the case may be at the regular session held in the
following even-numbered year.

Deadlines for introduction and consideration of bills

    The senate and house of representatives shall observe the following
schedule of deadlines in making requests for drafting and in the
introduction and consideration of bills.

10                JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE

     (a)   Bill request deadline for individual members.
    Except for bills introduced pursuant to (i) of this rule, no request to
draft bills, except those made by committees, through their respective
chairpersons, shall be made to, or accepted by, the office of the revisor
of statutes after the hour of 5:00 p.m. on January 27, 2025, during the
2025 regular session and on January 26, 2026, during the 2026 regular
session.
     (b) Bill introduction deadline for individual members.
    Except as provided in (i) of this rule, no bill sponsored by a
member or members shall be introduced in either house of the
legislature after the hour of adjournment on February 5, 2025, during
the 2025 regular session and on February 4, 2026, during the 2026
regular session. Such deadline for the introduction of bills by
individual members may be changed to an earlier date in either house
at any time by resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not
less than a majority of the members then elected (or appointed) and
qualified in such house.
     (c)   Bill request deadline for certain committees.
    Except for bills to be introduced pursuant to (i) of this rule, no
committee except the committee on ways and means of the senate, the
committee on assessment and taxation of the senate, select committees
of either house when so authorized, the committee on federal and state
affairs of either house or the house committees on calendar and
printing, appropriations and taxation shall make a request to the office
of the revisor of statutes for any bill to be drafted for sponsorship by
such committee after the hour of 5:00 p.m. on February 3, 2025,
during the 2025 regular session and on February 2, 2026, during the
2026 regular session.
     (d) Bill introduction deadline for certain committees.
    Except as provided in (i) of this rule, no bill sponsored by any
committee of either house of the legislature, except the committee on
ways and means of the senate, the committee on assessment and
taxation of the senate, select committees of either house when so
authorized, the committee on federal and state affairs of either house or
the house committees on calendar and printing, appropriations and
taxation shall be introduced in either house after the hour of

                 JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE                   11

adjournment on February 7, 2025, during the 2025 regular session and
on February 6, 2026, during the 2026 regular session.
   (e)   House of origin bill consideration deadline.
    No bill, except bills sponsored by, referred to or acted upon by the
committee on ways and means of the senate, the committee on
assessment and taxation of the senate, select committees of either
house when so authorized, the committee on federal and state affairs of
either house or the house committees on calendar and printing,
appropriations and taxation shall be considered in the house in which
such bill originated after the hour of adjournment on February 20,
2025, during the 2025 regular session and on February 19, 2026,
during the 2026 regular session.
   (f)   Second house bill consideration deadline.
    No bill, except bills sponsored by, referred to or acted upon by the
committee on ways and means of the senate, the committee on
assessment and taxation of the senate, select committees of either
house when so authorized, the committee on federal and state affairs of
either house or the house committees on calendar and printing,
appropriations and taxation shall be considered by either house, not the
house of origin of such bill, after the hour of adjournment on March
21, 2025, during the 2025 regular session and on March 20, 2026,
during the 2026 regular session.
   (g) Exceptions to limitation of (d), (e) and (f); procedure.
    Specific exceptions to the limitations prescribed in subsections (d),
(e) and (f) may be made in either house by resolution adopted by the
affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the members of such
house then elected (or appointed) and qualified.
   (h) Deadline which falls on day neither house in session; effect.
    In the event that any deadline prescribed in this rule falls on a day
that neither house of the legislature is in session, such deadline shall be
observed on the next following day that either house is in session.
    (i) Bills introduced in odd-numbered years after deadlines;
effect.
    Bills may be introduced by members and committees in regular
sessions occurring in an odd-numbered year after the times prescribed

12               JOINT RULES OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE

in (b) and (d) of this rule, but there shall be no final action thereon by
either house during the session when introduced. Such bills shall be
held over for consideration at the next succeeding regular session held
in an even-numbered year.
   (j) Modification of schedule of deadlines for introduction and
consideration of bills; procedure.
    In any regular session a concurrent resolution may be adopted by
the affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the members then
elected (or appointed) and qualified in each house setting forth a
different schedule of deadlines for introduction and consideration of
bills for that session and the provisions of such concurrent resolution
shall apply to such session notwithstanding provisions of this rule to
the contrary.
     (k) Bill consideration deadline; exceptions.
    No bills shall be considered by the Legislature after March 28,
2025, during the 2025 regular session and after March 27, 2026,
during the 2026 regular session except bills vetoed by the governor,
the omnibus appropriation act and the omnibus reconciliation spending
limit bill provided for under K.S.A. 75-6702, and amendments thereto.
This subsection (k) may be suspended for the consideration of a
specific bill or bills not otherwise exempt under this subsection by the
affirmative vote of a majority of the members then elected (or
appointed) and qualified in the house in which the bill is to be
considered.

Closure of meetings to consider matters relating to

security.
    Any standing committee of the house of representatives, any
standing committee of the senate, the legislative coordinating council,
any joint committee of both houses of the legislature, any special or
select committee of the house of representatives or the senate, the
house of representatives in session, the senate in session or a joint
session of the house of representatives and the senate may meet in
closed, executive session for the purpose of receiving information and
considering matters relating to the security of state officers or
employees, or both, or the security of buildings and property under the
ownership or control of the state of Kansas.