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HB 2527KANSASSession 2025-2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Kansas HB 2527 Restricts Sex Offenders on School Property and Limits Release Programs

Original title: AN ACT concerning sex offenders; making it unlawful for certain adult sex offenders to enter onto certain school property or attend certain school activities and creating criminal penalties for violation thereof; relating to release from confinement; prohibiting courts from assigning a defendant to work release if the defendant is required to register as a sex offender for certain crimes; prohibiting the secretary of corrections from granting an inmate leave from confinement except for specified purposes if the inmate is required to register as a sex offender for certain crimes or is serving a sentence for certain crimes that require registration as a sex offender; amending K.S.A. 22-4901, 22-4902 and 75-5267 and K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 21-6604 and repealing the existing sections.

Last action · March 26, 2026: Substitute motion to not adopt and appoint a conference committee failed

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

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What This Bill Proposed

This bill makes it a felony for adult sex offenders whose crimes involved victims under 18 to enter school property or attend school activities, with an exception for religious services. It also prohibits courts from assigning certain registered sex offenders to and restricts the secretary of corrections from granting them confinement leave.

Why it matters

Changes criminal sentencing and correctional policies by barring specific sex offenders from and educational leave programs, while imposing new felony charges ranging from severity level 7 to severity level 3 for unauthorized presence on school grounds.

Background
  • Kansas law maintains comprehensive registration requirements and community notification rules for individuals convicted of sex offenses, violent crimes, and certain drug offenses under the Kansas Offender Registration Act. context
  • HB 2527 was introduced in the 2025-2026 legislative session by the House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice but ultimately failed to pass. context

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

Registered sex offenders

Adult sex offenders face new criminal prohibitions and felony penalties for entering school property and are disqualified from work release and educational leave programs.

Directly affected

Secretary of Corrections

The secretary is restricted from granting inmate leave from confinement for work or educational release programs based on specific offender and crime classifications.

Directly affected

Schools and educational institutions

School properties and activities are subject to statutory prohibitions regarding the presence of specific adult sex offenders.

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

Are sex offenders completely banned from stepping foot on school property under any circumstance?
No. The restriction does not apply to a person who enters school property for the sole purpose of attending a religious service when the property is being used for that purpose, provided they leave immediately afterward.
What penalties does an offender face for entering school property illegally?
A first conviction is a severity level 7 person felony, a second conviction is a severity level 5 person felony, and a third or subsequent conviction is a severity level 3 person felony.
Does the bill prevent inmates from leaving confinement for family medical emergencies?
No. The restrictions on correctional leave do not apply to leaves granted to visit an immediate family member in danger of death, attend family funeral services, or obtain health services otherwise unavailable at state institutions.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died in committee.

Procedural history

27 actions
  1. Mar 26, 2026House
    Substitute motion to not adopt and appoint a conference committee failed
  2. Mar 26, 2026HouseFloor
    Conference Committee Report not adopted
  3. Mar 25, 2026Senate
    Conference committee report now available
  4. Mar 25, 2026SenateFloor
    Conference Committee Report was adopted
  5. Mar 24, 2026SenateFloor
    Motion to accede adopted; Senator Warren, Senator Titus, Senator Corson, , appointed as conferees
  6. Mar 23, 2026House
    Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed , and
Show 21 earlier actions
  1. Mar 19, 2026Senate
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  2. Mar 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  3. Mar 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
  4. Mar 19, 2026Senate
    fa_fabc_912
  5. Mar 19, 2026SenateFloor
    Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended
  6. Mar 17, 2026SenateFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  7. Mar 16, 2026Senate
    Hearing: Monday, March 16, 2026, 10:30 AM — Room 346-S
  8. Feb 26, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
  9. Feb 25, 2026House
    Engrossed on Monday, February 23, 2026
  10. Feb 25, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Received and Introduced
  11. Feb 19, 2026HouseFloor
    Final Action - Passed as amended
  12. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee of the Whole - Now working on
  13. Feb 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
  14. Feb 18, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
  15. Feb 17, 2026HouseFloor
    Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
  16. Feb 12, 2026House
    Hearing continuation: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 546-S
  17. Feb 4, 2026House
    Hearing continuation: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 546-S
  18. Feb 2, 2026House
    Hearing: Monday, February 2, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 546-S
  19. Jan 28, 2026House
    Hearing: Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 546-S — CANCELED
  20. Jan 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced
  21. Jan 23, 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.

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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

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expanded Restrictions on Correctional Leave

The measure systematically tightens eligibility rules across multiple statutes (K.S.A. 21-6604 and 75-5267) to exclude qualifying sex offenders from work release and confinement leave.

Secretary of CorrectionsKansas offender registration act

Connected Entities

House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Secretary of Corrections, Kansas offender registration act
OrganizationHouse Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice“Legislative committee that sponsored HB 2527”Map →
PersonSecretary of Corrections“State official responsible for the custody and confinement of inmates”Map →
otherKansas offender registration act“Statutory framework governing offender registration in Kansas”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.kslegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz35
    Current news / social attention level

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