Permitting a municipal judge to initiate a psychiatric or psychological examination to determine competence, setting forth relevant procedures and requiring further consideration of evaluation and treatment during the course of competency proceedings for defendants charged with the most serious offenses.

The bill was renumbered and amended to apply to the District Court (K.S.A. 22-3303) rather than Municipal Courts, changing the jurisdiction handling competency hearings.

New requirements mandate that felony defendants be evaluated and treated inpatient at state security hospitals unless they meet specific outpatient screening criteria.

A new requirement was added to notify the prosecuting attorney at the start of outpatient treatment to ensure victims are informed.

Strict deadlines were added: medical officers must certify competency probability within 90 days, and courts must hold competency hearings within 21 days of that certification.

The effective date for the new provisions was updated to July 1, 2026.

The bill now explicitly distinguishes between misdemeanor and felony offenses, applying stricter inpatient evaluation rules to felony defendants.

Municipal judges are now authorized to order psychiatric or psychological examinations for defendants who may be incompetent to stand trial in city ordinance cases.

A new 60-day deadline was established for completing competency examinations ordered by municipal courts.

The costs for municipal court competency examinations must be paid from municipal court funds or the municipality's general fund.

City attorneys are authorized to refile dismissed charges against a defendant if the defendant regains competency within the applicable statute of limitations.

New definitions were added to the Kansas Code of Procedure for Municipal Courts to clarify terms like 'accused person,' 'appearance bond,' and 'incompetent to stand trial' in the context of city ordinances.

Removed the placeholder 'Session of 2026' and updated the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026, replacing previous references to 2025.