Kansas Bill Tracking And State Guide

1. Introduction: A bill can be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. 2. Committee Review: The bill is referred to a committee where it undergoes hearings, deliberation, and may be approved with amendments. 3. House of Origin: The bill is reviewed again by the House of Origin (the initial house). 4. Committee of the Whole: The entire House deliberates and votes on the bill, which may include further amendments. 5. Final Passage: A vote is taken in the House of Origin for final approval of the bill. 6. Messaging to Second House: Once passed, the bill is messaged to the second house (the other chamber) for consideration. 7. Second House Process: The second house repeats steps 1-5. 8. Concurrence: If the second house passes the bill in the same form, it is sent back to the House of Origin for concurrence on any amendments made. 9. Conference Committee: If there is a disagreement on amendments, a conference committee is requested to resolve the differences. Both houses must adopt the committee's report. 10. Governor Approval: The final bill is sent to the Governor, who can either sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. 11. Veto Override: If the Governor vetoes the bill, the legislature can override the veto with a 2/3 vote in each chamber. If successful, the bill becomes law. 12. Filing: Once a bill becomes law, it is filed with the Secretary of State.

To get involved in the legislative process in Kansas, a member of the public can take several actions: 1. Contact Your Representatives: Reach out to your local state representatives or senators to express your opinions on specific bills or legislative issues. 2. Attend Committee Hearings: Participate in or attend committee hearings where bills are discussed. This is an opportunity to provide testimony or learn more about the legislative process. 3. Provide Written Testimony: If you're unable to attend hearings in person, you may submit written testimony regarding specific legislation that interests you. 4. Engage in Advocacy: Join advocacy groups or organizations that align with your interests to stay informed and engaged in lobbying for specific legislative changes. 5. Follow Legislation: Monitor bills as they progress through both houses of the legislature. 6. Participate in Town Halls or Public Meetings: Attend local meetings held by legislators where they discuss ongoing legislative issues and gather public input. 7. Vote: Exercise your right to vote in state elections, which influence who represents you in the legislature and the policies that are prioritized.

Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Kansas every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.

FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.

FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features

• real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
• automated reporting
• team collaboration
• bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
• bill similarity detection
• ...and much more

1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.

2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.

3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.

4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.

5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.

6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.

7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.

You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.