HB 2172 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Senate Substitute for HB 2172 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources - Establishing the water program task force to evaluate the state's water program and funding for such program and requiring the task force to establish a water planning work group and submit a report the legislature and the governor.

HB 2172 establishes a 29-member task force to evaluate Kansas' state water program, including its funding and infrastructure needs, and submit recommendations to the legislature and governor by January 31, 2026. The task force must assess risks to water quality/quantity, evaluate current funding adequacy, and develop long-term structural recommendations for water management across state, municipal, and regional entities. It includes diverse stakeholders such as agricultural groups, municipal utilities, conservation districts, and tribal representatives to ensure broad input. The bill directly affects state water planning by requiring a comprehensive review to address current and future water challenges.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 30, 2025 Signed Apr 10, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources → {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended by the House Committee of the Whole to correct a clerical error in the task force composition and update the spelling of a Native American tribe's name. The committee removed a duplicate appointment category for the vice president of the senate and renumbered the list of voting members to maintain logical order. Additionally, the spelling of the 'Pottawatomie' tribe was changed to the standard 'Potawatomi'. These changes ensure the task force roster is accurate and legally consistent without altering the bill's core purpose or operational requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed a duplicate line item that incorrectly listed a second appointment for the vice president of the senate, which had already been covered by a previous entry.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the spelling of the tribe name from 'Pottawatomie' to 'Potawatomi' to ensure accurate representation of Native American stakeholders.

Reordered and renumbered the list of voting task force members to eliminate gaps and ensure the list flows logically from the senate president to the chamber of commerce representatives.

Enrolled → As Amended by House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly expanded to include 23 voting members (up from 13) and 10 nonvoting ex officio members (up from 3), adding representatives from key committees like Appropriations and Ways and Means, as well as industry leaders from agriculture, groundwater management, and commerce. The composition now ensures broader stakeholder representation by including specific appointees from the Kansas Farm Bureau, municipal utilities, and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, while also updating tribal names to reflect current legal designations. These changes matter because they shift the task force from a smaller, legislature-focused group to a larger, more diverse body that includes direct industry voices and additional legislative oversight.

Scope change

The scope of the task force was expanded to include a wider range of stakeholders and legislative committees, increasing the total number of voting members from 13 to 23 and adding ex officio members from various state agencies and industry associations.

ELIGIBILITY

The number of voting members increased from 13 to 23, adding chairs and ranking members from the Appropriations and Ways and Means committees, plus additional legislators appointed by the Speaker Pro Tem and House Minority Leader.

The number of nonvoting ex officio members increased from 3 to 10, adding representatives from the Department of Revenue, Kansas Geological Survey, State Corporation Commission, Kansas Water Institute, Wildlife and Parks, and Biological Survey.

New voting members were added to represent specific industries and organizations, including the Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Groundwater Management Districts Association, Kansas Municipal Utilities, Kansas Association of Counties, Kansas Rural Water District Association, Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Kansans for Conservation, and the Secretary of Agriculture.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for geographic diversity was updated to ensure at least two members are selected from each of the five conservation regions of the state.

The stakeholder representation list was updated to include 'groundwater management district' and 'water assurance district' under local water management entities.

DEFINITION

Tribal names were updated to use current legal designations, such as changing 'Potawatomi' to 'Pottawatomie' and 'Sac and Fox' to 'Sac and Fox'.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 10, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by Governor on Monday, April 7, 2025

lower

Mar 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 116, Nay 8, Absent 1

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Conference Committee Report was adopted; Yea 40, Nay 0

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Conference committee report now available

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Motion to accede adopted; Sen. Virgil Peck, Sen. Larry Alley and Sen. Mary Ware appointed as conferees

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Lower · Passed

Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Rep. Ken Rahjes, Rep. Jim Minnix and Rep. Lindsay Vaughn

lower

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Emergency Final Action - Substitute passed; Yea 40, Nay 0

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Substitute bill be passed

upper

Mar 20, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill be passed

upper

Mar 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Committee

Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Introduced

Received and Introduced

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 109, Nay 12, Absent 4

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Ken Rahjes was adopted

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Ken Rahjes

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources

lower

Jan 30, 2025

Committee

Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources

lower

Jan 30, 2025

Introduced

lower

0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

What changed between versions

How they voted

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