Legislature advances bills on distracted driving, professional licenses, open records
Both chambers passed a slate of bills with broad bipartisan support, moving forward on issues ranging from banning cellphone use in school zones to joining interstate compacts for health care professionals.
TOPEKA, Kan. — While high-profile debates captured headlines, the Kansas House and Senate on Tuesday advanced a wide array of less controversial legislation with overwhelming support. The bills address public safety, professional licensing and government transparency, demonstrating areas of broad consensus in the Statehouse.
The House gave final approval to several Senate bills, including SB 366, a substitute bill prohibiting mobile phone use in school and construction zones and permitting certain lighting for vehicles in road construction zones, which passed 116-7. Lawmakers also passed SB 358, requiring individuals convicted of certain felonies to be held without bond until sentencing, on a 109-14 vote.
Meanwhile, the Senate passed a series of House bills with little to no opposition. HB 2519, continuing certain exceptions to the Kansas Open Records Act, and HB 2615, designating a portion of U.S. Highway 75 as the Brig. Gen. George H. Wark Memorial Highway, both passed unanimously, 40-0. The Senate also approved HB 2533, entering Kansas into an interstate occupational therapy licensure compact, and HB 2761, creating a licensure framework for speech-language pathology assistants.
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