Sign Up
HB 2595 Kansas House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Substitute for HB 2595 by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources - Enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act, providing stipends to law students who meet certain requirements and agree to practice law in rural areas and providing loan forgiveness to lawyers who meet certain requirements and practice law in rural areas, coordination between the department of commerce and the office of judicial administration.

HB 2595 establishes a program offering financial assistance to Kansas-resident law students at the University of Kansas and Washburn University who commit to practicing law in rural Kansas counties (excluding Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte). It provides stipends of up to $3,000 per school year for up to three years to cover tuition and school expenses, contingent on recipients practicing full-time in rural Kansas for 12 consecutive months per year of stipend received. The program is funded through $45,000 to $135,000 annual transfers from the state general fund over five years, with repayment required if the practice commitment is not met, including prorated amounts plus interest. The law schools administer the program, with annual reports to legislative committees.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state funds via 'transferring moneys' to establish a stipend program for rural law students, directly funding a specific initiative within state budget appropriations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides financial assistance (stipends) to law students at KU/Washburn for tuition, advancing higher education access and rural legal services.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 29, 2026 Signed Apr 9, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary → Enrolled · 7 edits · Apr 9, 2026
MODERATE
The bill was reorganized to remove a separate advisory committee and instead place program administration directly with the Department of Commerce. This change streamlines oversight by eliminating the need for seven appointed committee members and their associated administrative costs. The bill also expanded the definition of 'rural' to explicitly exclude five major urban counties, clarifying exactly where the incentives apply.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from a dual-administration model (advisory committee and department) to a single-administration model (department only). The definition of eligible rural areas was modified to explicitly list excluded urban counties.
REQUIREMENT

The requirement to establish a seven-member advisory committee appointed by the chief justice was removed entirely.

New clauses were added to allow for postponement of service obligations due to medical disability, family leave, or other agreed-upon reasons.

ENFORCEMENT

Provisions for reimbursing advisory committee members for travel and subsistence expenses were removed.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'rural' was updated to explicitly exclude Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte counties.

The definition of 'practice of law' was expanded to include teaching at law schools and serving as judges or judicial law clerks.

FISCAL

Administrative oversight was transferred from the advisory committee to the Department of Commerce, which now coordinates directly with the law schools.

A new loan repayment program was added for practicing attorneys, offering up to $20,000 per year with a $100,000 lifetime cap.

Floor votes

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
17
Key actions
10
Committee
5
Apr 9, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Concurred with amendments; Yea 119, Nay 3, Absent 3
lower
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 34, Nay 6
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
upper
Mar 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Introduced
Received and Introduced
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Lower · Passed
Final Action - Substitute passed; Yea 118, Nay 4, Absent 3
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
Withdrawn from House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources; Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Committee
Referred to House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
lower
Jan 29, 2026
Introduced
Introduced
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.