Substitute for HB 2357 by Committee on Judiciary - Providing for expungement of certain court records and consideration of mediation in eviction actions in which the underlying rental agreement is governed by the residential landlord and tenant act.

Updated the document header from 'Amended by House Committee' to 'Amended by House Committee of the Whole'.

Added the phrase 'for expungement of certain' to the act title to clarify that the sealing process is a step toward removing eviction records from public access.

Removed redundant headers and formatting artifacts from the Senate Committee of the Whole version to clean up the text.

Added a new requirement prohibiting consumer reporting agencies, tenant screening agencies, property management companies, and landlords from collecting, disseminating, or requesting disclosure of eviction information that is subject to automatic sealing.

Changed the mechanism from a defendant-initiated expungement request to an automatic court order that seals the entire eviction file immediately upon filing.

Added specific restrictions on who can access sealed files, limiting access to parties, attorneys, and those with court orders, while prohibiting commercial access.

Added provisions requiring courts to consider mediation in eviction cases unless mediation is found to be impracticable.

Expanded the bill's scope to include amendments to consumer protection statutes (K.S.A. 60-2617, 61-3804) to define certain eviction-related violations as unconscionable acts.

Removed the three-year waiting period and monetary satisfaction requirements for clearing records, replacing them with immediate sealing that may be unsealed only under specific conditions like a judgment for the defendant or mutual agreement.

Removed the automatic sealing of eviction court files upon filing, which previously protected records without tenant action.

Added a new requirement for courts to consider mediation in eviction cases under the residential landlord and tenant act.

Added a requirement for tenants to file a specific expungement request and serve the landlord, rather than having records sealed automatically.

Clarified that expungement is denied if the monetary judgment is unsatisfied unless both the landlord and tenant agree to it.

Extended the waiting period for expungement of unsatisfied judgments from two years to three years.

Added a provision allowing public housing authorities to request access to eviction history for the past three years for federal housing applicants.