The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas expands critical infrastructure laws to include telecommunication lines, cables, and wires under trespass and criminal damage statutes
Last action · April 10, 2025: Approved by Governor on Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Does
Kansas HB 2061 expands the legal definition of a critical infrastructure facility to cover aboveground and belowground telecommunications and video services lines, cables, wires, and associated equipment, increasing legal protections and potential criminal penalties for trespassing and property damage.
The law alters criminal liability for individuals who unlawfully access or damage telecommunication and video service infrastructure, subjecting violators to specific misdemeanor and felony charges depending on intent and action.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Telecommunications and video service providers
Their physical network assets, including lines, cables, and wires, receive enhanced legal protections under state trespassing and criminal damage laws.
Individuals and the general public
Anyone accessing utility or telecommunications properties without authorization faces updated misdemeanor and felony penalties.
Key Facts
- Expands the definition of critical infrastructure for telecommunications and video services to include aboveground and belowground lines, cables, wires, and related equipment.
- Defines trespassing on a critical infrastructure facility without consent as a class A nonperson misdemeanor.
- Defines aggravated trespassing on a critical infrastructure facility with intent to damage or impede operations as a severity level 7 nonperson felony.
- Defines criminal damage to a critical infrastructure facility as knowingly damaging or tampering with the facility, classified as a severity level 6 nonperson felony.
Show all 7 facts
- Defines aggravated criminal damage with intent to impede or inhibit operations as a severity level 5 nonperson felony.
- Clarifies that facility owners may pursue other remedies in law or equity and offenders can be prosecuted for other related offenses.
- Repeals the existing version of K.S.A. 21-5818.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new items are added to the critical infrastructure definition for telecommunications?
What is the penalty for simply trespassing on a critical infrastructure facility?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
21 actions- Apr 10, 2025HouseEnrolledApproved by Governor on Tuesday, April 1, 2025
- Mar 27, 2025HouseEnrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, March 28, 2025
- Mar 26, 2025HouseReengrossed on Wednesday, March 26, 2025
- Mar 24, 2025HouseConcurred with amendments
- Mar 18, 2025SenateFloorFinal Action - Passed as amended
- Mar 17, 2025SenateCommittee of the Whole - Now working on
Show 15 earlier actions
- Mar 17, 2025SenateFloorCommittee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
- Mar 17, 2025SenateFloorCommittee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
- Mar 11, 2025SenateFloorCommittee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
- Feb 26, 2025SenateHearing: Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 10:30 AM — Room 346-S
- Feb 18, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
- Feb 17, 2025SenateIntroducedReceived and Introduced
- Feb 14, 2025HouseEngrossed on Friday, February 14, 2025
- Feb 14, 2025HouseFloorFinal Action - Passed as amended
- Feb 13, 2025HouseCommittee of the Whole - Now working on
- Feb 13, 2025HouseFloorCommittee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
- Feb 13, 2025HouseFloorCommittee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
- Feb 5, 2025HouseFloorCommittee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
- Jan 28, 2025HouseHearing: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 3:30 PM — Room 582-N
- Jan 22, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Jan 22, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Judiciary
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.
Broadening of Telecommunications Security Laws
The state has systematically updated its critical infrastructure statute to keep pace with modern wireline, broadband, and wireless networks.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools