SESSION OF 2020
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON SENATE BILL NO. 269
As Amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary

Brief*
SB 269, as amended, would increase the mandatory
retirement age for judges from age 75 to age 79 and would
remove a provision allowing a judge who reaches the
mandatory retirement age to finish serving the term during
which the judge reaches that age.
For purposes of this provision, under continuing law,
“judge” includes any duly elected or appointed justice of the
Supreme Court, judge of the Court of Appeals, judge of any
Kansas district court, and district magistrate judge.
The bill would be in effect upon publication in the
Kansas Register.

Background
The bill was introduced by Senators Miller, Doll,
Francisco, Haley, Hardy, Longbine, Masterson, Pettey,
Rucker, and Wilborn. As introduced, the bill would have
raised the mandatory retirement age to age 80, removed the
provision allowing for completion of a term, and been
effective upon publication in the statute book.
In the Senate Committee on Judiciary hearing, Senator
Miller and a district judge testified in support of the bill, stating
generally that the bill would increase fairness by
standardizing the mandatory retirement age for judges and
allow some current experienced judges to continue serving. A
____________________
*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
representative of the Kansas Bar Association submitted
written-only testimony supporting the bill. No neutral or
opponent testimony was provided.
The Senate Committee amended the bill to change the
mandatory retirement age to age 79 and make the bill
effective upon its publication in the Kansas Register.
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, the Kansas Public
Employees Retirement System (KPERS) indicates enactment
of the bill would have a negligible actuarial cost to the Judges
Retirement System because of the small number of members
affected. The cost of updating printed materials and the
KPERS database would be negligible. Any fiscal effect
associated with enactment of the bill is not reflected in The
FY 2021 Governor’s Budget Report.


2- 269


Statutes affected:
As introduced: 20-2608
As Amended by Senate Committee: 20-2608