SESSION OF 2024
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2490
As Amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary

Brief*
HB 2490, as amended, would amend law in the Revised
Kansas Juvenile Justice Code concerning juvenile offender
overall case length limits and tools available to courts to
assess the educational needs of juvenile offenders.

Extension of Overall Case Length Limits
Current law allows for the court to extend a juvenile’s
overall case length limit incrementally when failure to
complete an evidence-based program is due to the repeated,
intentional effort to delay by the juvenile as reported by the
evidence-based services provider.
The bill would remove the requirement that overall case
length limits be granted incrementally, and would provide that
the court could only extend the overall case length limit two
times, for no more than 60 days per extension, when the
extension is granted due to the juvenile’s intentional efforts to
delay.

Educational Assessments
The bill would also establish two additional tools that
would be available to assist the court regarding juvenile
offenders’ educational needs. Additional tools available to the
court would include the following:

____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
http://www.kslegislature.org
 ● An evaluation of the juvenile’s academic record by
a Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) Kansas
administrator; and
● A reading level assessment and a dyslexia
screening by a member from the Center for
Reading at Pittsburg State University or the Phillips
Fundamental Learning Center.
Background
The bill was introduced by the J. Russell (Russ)
Jennings Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile
Justice Oversight.
[Note: The Joint Committee met in October 2023 and
recommended the introduction of this legislation in its report
to the 2024 Legislature.]

House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice
In the House Committee hearing, written-only proponent
testimony was provided by a representative of the Kansas
Association of Court Services Officers.
A representative of Kansas Appleseed Center for Law
and Justice provided neutral testimony stating the spirit of the
bill, to ensure there are “legal guardrails” in place to prevent
indefinite sentences, is appreciated, but 90 days is too long
A private citizen presented opponent testimony on the
bill stating extending case length limits exacerbate the
problem of juveniles receiving drug convictions.

Senate Committee on Judiciary
In the Senate Committee hearing, a representative of
Kansas Association of Court Services Officers provided
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proponent testimony stating that the bill would provide
clarification and guidance regarding extensions which would
ensure that juvenile cases do not unintentionally linger in the
juvenile justice system.
Written-only proponent testimony was provided by a
representative of the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee.
A representative of Kansas Appleseed Center for Law
and Justice provided neutral testimony stating that research
shows additional time in the juvenile justice system does not
always result in better outcomes and that consideration
should be given regarding the length of extensions.
A private citizen provided opponent testimony on the
bill, stating extending case length limits exacerbates the
problem of juveniles receiving drug convictions.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to include
additional tools for use by the court in evaluating the
educational needs of juvenile offenders and to modify
language concerning overall case length limits so that the
court could only extend the overall case length limit two
times, for no more than 60 days per extension,.
[Note: The bill, as introduced, would have allowed each
incremental extension of an overall case length limit to be
made for a period of no more than 90 days.]

Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, the Judicial Branch,
Board of Indigents Defense Services, Department of
Corrections, Sentencing Commission, and the Attorney
General indicate that enactment of the bill would have no
fiscal effect.
Juvenile Offender; literacy; case length limit; extension

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Statutes affected:
As introduced: 38-2391
As Amended by Senate Committee: 38-2360, 38-2391