Kansas State Senate

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Kansas State Senate
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General Information
Party control:   Republican
Session start:   January 8, 2024
Session end:   May 17, 2024
Term length:   4 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Hybrid
Salary:   $86.66/session day + per diem
Members
Total:  40
Democrats:  11
Republicans:  29
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:   Ty Masterson (R)
Maj. Leader:   Larry Alley (R)
Min. Leader:   Dinah Sykes (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 3, 2020
Next election:  November 5, 2024

The Kansas State Senate is the upper chamber of the Kansas State Legislature. Alongside the Kansas House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Kansas state government and works alongside the governor of Kansas to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Kansas State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Kansas State Senate meets at the state capitol building in Topeka, Kansas.

  • All 40 seats in the Kansas State Senate are up for election in 2024.
  • All 40 seats in the state Senate were up for election in 2020. The chamber's Republican majority remained 29-11. Click to read more »
  • Kansas has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

  • This page contains the following information on the Kansas State Senate.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Kansas State Senate as of January 2024:

    Party As of January 2024
         Democratic Party 11
         Republican Party 29
         Other 0
         Vacancies 0
    Total 40

    Members

    Leadership

    The president of the Senate is chosen from among its membership. In the absence of the president, the vice president assumes the duties of presiding officer.[1][2]

    Leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    Kansas State Senate District 1 Dennis Pyle Republican 2005
    Kansas State Senate District 2 Marci Francisco Democratic 2005
    Kansas State Senate District 3 Tom Holland Democratic 2009
    Kansas State Senate District 4 David Haley Democratic 2001
    Kansas State Senate District 5 Jeff Pittman Democratic January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 6 Pat Pettey Democratic January 14, 2013
    Kansas State Senate District 7 Ethan Corson Democratic January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 8 Cindy Holscher Democratic January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 9 Beverly Gossage Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 10 Mike Thompson Republican January 16, 2020
    Kansas State Senate District 11 Kellie Warren Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 12 Caryn Tyson Republican January 14, 2013
    Kansas State Senate District 13 Tim Shallenburger Republican January 23, 2023
    Kansas State Senate District 14 Michael Fagg Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 15 Virgil Peck, Jr. Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 16 Ty Masterson Republican 2009
    Kansas State Senate District 17 Jeff Longbine Republican 2010
    Kansas State Senate District 18 Kristen O'Shea Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 19 Rick Kloos Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 20 Brenda Dietrich Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 21 Dinah Sykes Democratic January 9, 2017
    Kansas State Senate District 22 Usha Reddi Democratic January 11, 2023
    Kansas State Senate District 23 Robert Olson Republican 2011
    Kansas State Senate District 24 J.R. Claeys Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 25 Mary Ware Democratic 2019
    Kansas State Senate District 26 Dan Kerschen Republican January 14, 2013
    Kansas State Senate District 27 Chase Blasi Republican January 9, 2023
    Kansas State Senate District 28 Mike Petersen Republican 2005
    Kansas State Senate District 29 Oletha Faust-Goudeau Democratic 2009
    Kansas State Senate District 30 Renee Erickson Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 31 Carolyn McGinn Republican 2005
    Kansas State Senate District 32 Larry Alley Republican January 9, 2017
    Kansas State Senate District 33 Alicia Straub Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 34 Mark Steffen Republican January 11, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 35 Rick Wilborn Republican January 12, 2015
    Kansas State Senate District 36 Elaine Bowers Republican January 14, 2013
    Kansas State Senate District 37 Molly Baumgardner Republican April 30, 2014
    Kansas State Senate District 38 Ronald Ryckman Republican March 10, 2021
    Kansas State Senate District 39 John Doll Republican January 9, 2017
    Kansas State Senate District 40 Rick Billinger Republican January 9, 2017


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2023
    SalaryPer diem
    $86.66/session day$157/day

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Kansas legislators assume office the second Monday of January after their election.[3]

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    Section 4 of Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution states, "During the time that any person is a candidate for nomination or election to the legislature and during the term of each legislator, such candidate or legislator shall be and remain a qualified elector who resides in his or her district."[4]

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the Kansas State Senate in 1916. In 2020, they won a 29-11 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Kansas Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Kansas State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Party 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20
    Democrats 14 13 10 10 9 9 9 11
    Republicans 26 27 30 30 31 31 31 29

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Kansas was under the following types of trifecta control:

    • Democratic trifecta: None
    • Republican trifecta: 1995-2002, 2011-2018
    • Divided government: 1992-1994, 2003-2010, 2019-2023

    Kansas Party Control: 1992-2024
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Sixteen years of Republican trifectas

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D
    Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Kansas state senators serve four-year terms, with the whole chamber up for election every four years. Kansas holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2024

    See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the Kansas State Senate will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024.

    2020

    See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Kansas State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline was June 1, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, there was no change in the partisan balance of the Kansas State Senate.

    Kansas State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 11 11
         Republican Party 29 29
    Total 40 40

    2016

    See also: Kansas State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the Kansas State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016. All 40 seats in the Kansas State Senate were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 32-8 majority. Republicans lost one seat in the election, giving them a 31-9 majority.

    Kansas State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 8 9
         Republican Party 32 31
    Total 40 40

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Kansas State Legislature, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement, and a special election is held if the vacancy occurs before May 1 of the second year of the officeholder's term. If the vacancy occurs after or on May 1 of the officeholder's second year, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement, and that person serves out the rest of the term.[9][10]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Kansas Stat. Ann. §25-3903 and Kansas Stat. Ann. §25-312

    District map

    See also: Kansas state legislative districts

    The state of Kansas has 165 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 40 districts and the state House has 125 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.



    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Kansas

    In Kansas, the state legislature draws both congressional and state legislative district lines. Redistricting plans are subject to veto by the governor. State legislative district maps must be submitted for final approval to the Kansas Supreme Court, which must determine whether the maps are constitutional. If the court rules that the maps violate the law, the state legislature may attempt to draw the lines again. There are no such provisions in place for congressional redistricting.[11]

    In 2002, Kansas adopted guidelines for congressional and state legislative redistricting. These guidelines ask that "both congressional and state legislative districts be contiguous, as compact as possible, and recognize and consider communities of common 'social, cultural, racial, ethnic, and economic' interests." In addition, these guidelines stipulate that state legislative districts should "preserve existing political subdivisions and avoid contests between incumbents to the extent possible." Congressional districts should "preserve whole counties and maintain the core of existing districts where possible." The state legislature may amend these guidelines at its discretion.[11]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Kansas after the 2020 census

    Kansas enacted legislative district boundaries on May 18, 2022, when the Kansas Supreme Court unanimously upheld the validity of the legislative districts that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed into law on April 15, 2022.[12][13] Both chambers of the legislature passed the redistricting legislation on March 30, 2022, after a joint House-Senate conference committee had developed it.[14] The Kansas House of Representatives approved the legislative boundaries, 83-40, and the State Senate approved them, 29-11.[14]After Kelly signed the maps, Andrew Bahl and Rafael Garcia of the Topeka Capital-Journal wrote, "The state Senate and House maps were mildly contested in the Legislature, particularly in the Senate where the map will create a fourth, Democrat-leaning district in Topeka and Lawrence."[15]

    2010

    Kansas received its local census data on March 3, 2012. The state grew by 6.1 percent to over 2.58 million, with growth concentrated in the northeast corner of the state and the remainder largely showing slight declines.[16] Wichita grew by 11.1 percent, Overland Park grew by 16.3 percent, Kansas City decreased by 0.7 percent, Topeka grew by 4.2 percent, and Olathe grew by 35.4 percent.[17]

    The Legislature attempted redistricting in its 2012 session. Traditionally, the chambers passed their own maps. In 2012, the Senate passed revisions to a new House map, and the House passed a map for the Senate; neither chamber was amenable to the other's actions. On May 20, the Legislature adjourned amid deadlock, asking the United States District Court for the District of Kansas to intervene and draw congressional and state legislative district lines. On June 7, 2012, the court approved the new district maps.[11][18]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Kansas State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Kansas by year

    2024

    See also: 2024 Kansas legislative session and Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions

    In 2024, the legislature is scheduled to convene on January 8, 2024, and adjourn on May 17, 2024.

    2023

    See also: 2023 Kansas legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions

    In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 9, 2023, and adjourn on April 28, 2023.



    About legislative sessions in Kansas

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[30] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution establishes when the Kansas State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 8 of Article 2 states that the Legislature is to convene on the second Monday of January of each year. Section 8 also limits the length of regular sessions in even-numbered years to ninety calendar days, but it allows these sessions to be extended by a two-thirds affirmative vote of both houses. In 2010, this kind of extension occurred, moving the session's adjournment date from March 30th to May 28th.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-Republican Party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Kansas are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 84 of the 125 members in the Kansas House of Representatives and 27 of the 40 members in the Kansas State Senate. Kansas is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    Authority: Article 2, Section 14 of the Kansas Constitution.

    "If the governor approves a bill, he shall sign it. If the governor does not approve a bill, the governor shall veto it by returning the bill, with a veto message of the objections, to the house of origin of the bill. Whenever a veto message is so received, the message shall be entered in the journal and in not more than thirty calendar days (excluding the day received), the house of origin shall reconsider the bill. If two-thirds of the members then elected (or appointed) and qualified shall vote to pass the bill, it shall be sent, with the veto message, to the other house, which shall in not more than thirty calendar days (excluding the day received) also reconsider the bill, and if approved by two-thirds of the members then elected (or appointed) and qualified, it shall become a law, notwithstanding the governor's veto."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Kansas state budget and finances
    Kansas on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    BudgetsCivil libertiesEducationElectionsEnergyEnvironmentHealthcarePensions

    The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[31]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in June.
    2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in January.
    4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in May. A simple majority is required to adopt a budget. The fiscal year begins in July.

    Kansas is one of 43 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[31]

    The governor is legally required to submit a balanced proposed budget. Likewise, the legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.[31]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Kansas state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Kansas State Senate has 16 standing committees:


    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the Kansas Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Kansas
    Kansas Constitution
    Flag of Kansas.png
    Articles
    OrdinancePreambleBill of Rights
    123456789101112131415

    Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution governs the ways in which the state's constitution can be changed over time.

    • One path is the legislatively referred constitutional amendment. Either house of the Kansas State Legislature can propose an amendment to the state's constitution. Two-thirds of the members of each chamber must approve the resolution. If they do, the proposed amendment goes on either the next statewide ballot during which members of the state legislature are elected or on a special election ballot if the legislature agrees to have a special election for this purpose.
    • If a simple majority of the electors of the state who vote on the proposition agree with it, it becomes part of the constitution.
    • The legislature must say what the measure's ballot title will be in their resolution authorizing it.
    • If there is more than one proposed amendment, voters must be able to vote on them separately.
    • At most, five amendments can be proposed for one election.
    • An amendment is allowed to revise one entire article of the constitution "except the article on general provisions."
    • Another path to amend the state constitution is through a constitutional convention. If two-thirds of the members of each house of the state legislature vote in favor, the question "Shall there be a convention to amend or revise the constitution of the state of Kansas?" or "Shall there be a convention limited to revision of article(s) ________ of the constitution of the state of Kansas?" shall be placed on a statewide ballot.
    • If a simple majority of those voting on that question say "yes," a convention is held.
    • Any amendments or revisions that come out of the convention must go before the state's voters.

    Kansas does not feature the power of citizen initiative for either initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes.



    2025 measures:

    See also: 2025 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2025.

    No measures to list

    2024 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2024 ballot by the legislature or that have made it approximately halfway through the process in the legislature for referral to the ballot in 2024.

    See also: 2024 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2024.

    No measures to list

    See also

    Elections Kansas State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Kansas State Flag-Close Up.jpg
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. Kansas Senate, "Rules of the Kansas Senate," accessed February 19, 2021
    2. Kansas Senate, "Senate Leadership," accessed February 10, 2021
    3. Kansas Constitution, "Article Two, Section 2", accessed February 10, 2021
    4. Kansas Secretary of State, "Kansas Constitution," accessed February 10, 2023
    5. fec.gov, "2012 Primary Dates and Candidate Filing Deadlines," accessed August 19, 2014
    6. Follow the Money, "Kansas 2008 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    7. Follow the Money, "Kansas 2004 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    8. Follow the Money, "Kansas 2000 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    9. Kansas Legislature, "2022 Statute," accessed August 9, 2023 (Statute 25-3903, Kansas Statutes)
    10. Kansas Legislature, "2022 Statute," accessed August 9, 2023 (Statute 25-312, Kansas Statutes)
    11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 All About Redistricting, "Kansas," accessed April 28, 2015
    12. Kansas Supreme Court, "In the Matter of the Petition of DEREK SCHMIDT, Attorney General, to Determine the Validity of Substitute for Senate Bill 563," May 18, 2022
    13. Kansas, Office of the Governor, "Governor Laura Kelly Signs Redistricting Maps for State House, Senate, Board of Education," April 15, 2022
    14. 14.0 14.1 Kansas Legislature, "Sub SB563," accessed April 19, 2022
    15. Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kansas governor signs new legislative, board of education maps, with legal challenge possible," April 16, 2022
    16. The adjusted total was about 14,000 less than the federal figure.
    17. U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Kansas' 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," March 3, 2011
    18. Barone, M. & McCutcheon, C., "The almanac of American politics 2014 : the senators, the representatives and the governors : their records and election results, their states and districts," 2013
    19. The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kansas Legislature adopts budget, highway bill before adjourning until late April," March 19, 2020
    20. MultiState, "2020 Legislative Session Dates," last updated April 27, 2020
    21. The Wichita Eagle, "Kansas Gov. Kelly’s pandemic powers may be on the agenda when Legislature returns," May 6, 2020
    22. Associated Press, "Fiscal issues to drive Kansas lawmakers' session," December 28, 2014
    23. Lawrence Journal-World, "Issues that will dominate the 2014 legislative session," January 12, 2014
    24. Lawrence Journal World, "Key issues expected during the 2013 legislative session," January 13, 2013
    25. Kansas City Star, "Republican infighting forces Kansas Legislature to extend session," May 12, 2012 (Archived)
    26. Topeka Capital Journal, "Legislative session to start Monday," January 8, 2012
    27. Stateline.org, "States balance budgets with cuts, not taxes," June 15, 2011(Archived)
    28. The Wichita Eagle, "Kansas legislature delays hard choices on state budget," April 1, 2010 (dead link) (dead link)
    29. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislative Session Calendar," October 30, 2010 (Archived)
    30. Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023