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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas Senate Bill 446 Creates Mandatory Reporting Exemptions for Social Workers Supervised by Attorneys
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill exempts licensed social workers working under an attorney's supervision from mandatory child and adult abuse reporting requirements if the information arises solely during legal representation or prospective representation. Additionally, the measure permits supervising attorneys to require social workers to maintain .
Licensed social workers face criminal misdemeanor penalties for failing to report suspected abuse, making this exemption change potential legal liability for social workers operating within legal defense or civil representation teams.
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.
Licensed social workers
Licensed social workers operating under attorney supervision gain an exception from mandatory abuse reporting and potential misdemeanor penalties when information arises solely from legal representation.
Attorneys
Attorneys supervising licensed social workers are granted the authority to require those social workers to maintain information confidentiality under professional conduct rules.
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
Does this bill remove all mandatory reporting requirements for social workers?
Can an attorney force a social worker to keep information confidential?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026SenateDied in Committee
- Feb 3, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
- Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
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.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Harmonization of Social Work Privilege and Attorney Privilege
The legislation resolves conflicts between mandatory abuse reporting statutes and professional confidentiality by carving out explicit exceptions for social workers operating inside legal representation teams.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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