SESSION OF 2020
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON SENATE BILL NO. 256
As Amended by Senate Committee on Ethics,
Elections and Local Government

Brief*
SB 256, as amended, would add and amend law related
to data used in adopting senatorial and representative district
boundaries. It also would repeal law related to data used in
adopting senatorial and representative district boundaries,
election-related contributions by certain corporations and
stockholders, and a presidential preference primary.

Population Data
The bill would add law to specify the population data
used in adopting Kansas legislative districts must be identical
to the data collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census
(Census) and used for the apportionment of the U.S. House
of Representatives. The bill would prohibit use of any other
Census counts, including the use of statistical sampling, to
add or subtract population.

Statutes To Be Repealed
The bill would repeal provisions in KSA Chapter 11,
Census, and in Chapter 25, Elections.
State census. The bill would repeal provisions related
to an enumeration of Kansas residents as of January 1, 1988.
The bill also would repeal a requirement for the Secretary of
State to adjust the Census numbers for military personnel
____________________
*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
and postsecondary students for purposes of reapportioning
senatorial and representative districts and provisions related
to obtaining and using data for that adjustment.
Elections. The bill would repeal a prohibition on political
contributions from certain types of government-regulated
corporations, such as banks and railroads, and the penalties
for violating that prohibition. The bill also would repeal
statutes related to the presidential preference primary, on the
topics of the state canvass of the votes, certification of
results, payment of election expenses, eligibility to vote, the
form of the ballot, county canvasses of votes, and
transmitting results to the Secretary of State.

Amendments
The bill would amend law to remove references to the
1988 state census; in law regarding data used for grant
applications and for certain credit union field-of-membership
determinations, refer to the law added by the bill rather than
to a section to be repealed; and remove a reference to a
section that would be repealed by the bill from exceptions to
the Kansas Open Records Act.

Background
The bill was introduced by Senator Denning.
In the Senate Committee on Ethics, Elections and Local
Government hearing, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State,
Assistant Legal Counsel, provided proponent testimony. He
stated the bill would remove statutes that no longer serve any
purpose related to the presidential preference primary and
campaign contributions from certain government-regulated
entities. No other testimony was provided.


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 A requirement to hold a presidential preference primary
in Kansas (formerly in KSA 25-4501) was repealed by 2015
HB 2104.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to add the
contents of SB 257.
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the budget on the bill, as introduced, the Secretary of State
and the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission reported
enactment of SB 256 would have no fiscal effects on their
budgets.

SB 257 (Census and Redistricting)
The bill was introduced by Senator Denning.
In the Senate Committee on Ethics, Elections and Local
Government hearing, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Communications and Policy testified as a proponent,
stating the bill would remove from the statutes language
made outdated by the 2019 amendment to the Kansas
Constitution, clarify which Census numbers would be used,
and delete statutes pertaining to a one-time state-conducted
census. No other testimony was provided.
In 2019, Kansas voters approved an amendment to the
Kansas Constitution to remove a census adjustment for
military personnel and postsecondary students for purposes
of reapportionment of senatorial and representative districts.
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on HB 257, the Secretary of State indicates
enactment of the bill would have no fiscal effect on agency
operations.


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Statutes affected:
As introduced: 25-1709, 25-1710, 25-4506, 25-4507, 25-4508, 25-4502, 25-4503, 25-4505
As Amended by Senate Committee: 25-1709, 25-1710, 25-4506, 25-4507, 25-4508, 25-4502, 25-4503, 25-4505, 11-201, 11-204, 11-210, 17-2205, 45-229