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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas Bill Adds Minor Child Custody Status as Sentencing and Diversion Consideration
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
HB 2326 amends Kansas sentencing and criminal procedure laws to include whether a defendant has physical custody of a minor child as a mitigating factor in sentencing departure and prosecutorial decisions. The measure applies to criminal proceedings and sentencing determinations in Kansas courts.
The change alters the legal factors judges and prosecutors must weigh, potentially impacting prison sentences and eligibility for defendants who are primary caregivers or legal custodians of minor children.
- HB 2326 was introduced during the 2025-2026 legislative session in the Kansas House of Representatives. 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.
Criminal defendants with minor children
Defendants who have physical custody of a minor child gain a statutory mitigating factor that judges and prosecutors must be able to consider during sentencing departures and diversion evaluations.
Sentencing judges
Judges are explicitly authorized to consider a defendant's child custody status when evaluating whether substantial and compelling reasons exist for a departure sentence.
County and district attorneys
Prosecutors are required to include child custody status among the factors evaluated when determining whether to offer a diversion agreement.
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
What does HB 2326 change about Kansas sentencing laws?
How does this bill affect criminal diversion agreements?
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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, 2026HouseDied in Committee
- Feb 7, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Feb 7, 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.
Integration of Caregiver Status into Criminal Procedure
The bill explicitly integrates parental and guardian physical custody status into both post-conviction sentencing departures and pre-trial prosecutorial diversion assessments.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 55)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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