POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofMunicipal Courts →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
HB 2655KANSASSession 2025-2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Kansas Municipal Courts Bill Authorizes Specialty Programs and Expungement Rules

Original title: AN ACT concerning municipal courts; providing for expungement of convictions and related arrest records when a person has completed the requirements of a specialty court program; authorizing judges to waive the fee in expungement cases by reviewing and granting a poverty affidavit; requiring judges to waive the fee for petitions for expungement of municipal arrest records in certain cases; authorizing the chief judge of each municipal court to establish a specialty court program in accordance with supreme court rules; amending K.S.A. 12-4516, 12-4516a and 20-173 and repealing the existing sections.

Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Senate Committee

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

This legislation allows municipal court chief judges to establish s and grants individuals the right to petition for the of convictions and arrest records upon successfully completing such a program. The bill also authorizes judges to waive expungement filing fees for individuals who submit a or meet specific statutory criteria.

Why it matters

clears qualifying convictions and arrest records from public background checks, altering employment, licensing, and housing eligibility for individuals who complete designated diversion or specialty court requirements.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Municipal Court Defendants

Individuals with municipal ordinance violations gain the ability to petition for expungement after completing specialty court programs and may qualify for fee waivers.

Directly affected

Municipal Courts

Courts are authorized to establish specialty court programs, hear expungement petitions, review poverty affidavits, and process record clearances.

Directly affected

Law Enforcement Agencies

Agencies receive notices regarding expungement hearings and must restrict access to expunged arrest and conviction records.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get my municipal court conviction expunged if I complete a specialty court program?
Yes, any person who has completed the requirements of a established pursuant to K.S.A. 20-173 may petition the municipal court for the of the conviction and related arrest records.
Are expungement fees always required in municipal court?
No, municipal judges may waive the fee by reviewing and granting a , and certain arrest s for victims of identity theft or dismissed charges are exempt from fees.
Does an expunged record completely disappear from all background checks?
No, expunged records must still be disclosed for specific sensitive positions such as law enforcement, private detective work, gaming employment, and state lottery jobs, and can be used as prior convictions in subsequent criminal prosecutions.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died in committee.

Procedural history

12 actions
  1. Apr 10, 2026Senate
    Died in Senate Committee
  2. Feb 26, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
  3. Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Received and Introduced
  4. Feb 19, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  5. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  6. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
Show 6 earlier actions
  1. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted
  2. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended
  3. Feb 16, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  4. Feb 11, 2026House
    Hearing: Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 546-S
  5. Feb 3, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced
  6. Feb 3, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Connected Entities

House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Secretary of Corrections, Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission and 6 more
OrganizationHouse Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice“Legislative committee that sponsored HB 2655.”Map →
PersonSecretary of Corrections“Maintains records and receives notifications regarding expungements.”Map →
OrganizationKansas Racing and Gaming Commission“Exempted from full expungement concealment for licensing and employment backgrou”Map →
OrganizationKansas Bureau of Investigation“Receives certified copies of expungement orders to notify other criminal justice”Map →
locationKansas“State where the legislation was introduced.”Map →
OrganizationFederal Bureau of Investigation“Notified by the Kansas bureau of investigation regarding expungement orders.”Map →
OrganizationKansas Sentencing Commission“Appoints a drug and alcohol addiction treatment provider to the specialty court ”Map →
OrganizationKansas Department for Aging and Disability Services“Receives notifications and accesses records for specific employment checks.”Map →
OrganizationKansas Lottery“Exempted from full expungement concealment for employment qualification checks i”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.kslegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record