Legislative Update - 2025, Special Session

By Otto Fajen, Director of Legislative Policy

SPECIAL SESSION CONCLUDES
The second special session concluded on September 12th. Senate majority party members used the previous question motion to force final votes on both House measures related to the call of the session.

INITIATIVE PETITION RESTRICTIONS
The Senate approved HCS/HJR 3 (Ed Lewis) on September 12th by a vote of 21-11. The joint resolution raises the initiative petition approval standard to require majority approval in each Congressional district. The Association opposes HJR 3. HJR 3 creates an added barrier for initiative petition ballot measures that reduces meaningful participation in the political process by eligible citizens.

The joint resolution will be placed on a statewide ballot. The default election date would be the November 2026 general election. However, the Constitution allows the Governor to place ballot issues on an earlier election, and Governor Kehoe is expected to place this measure on the August 2026 primary election ballot.

REDISTRICTING
The Senate approved HB 1 (Dirk Deaton) on September 12th by a vote of 21-11. HB 1 would redistrict as requested by President Trump and as contained in the map accompanying Governor Kehoe's call. The bill divides Congressional District 5 in the Kansas City area. Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat, currently represents CD 5.

The Association believes that a redistricting plan should avoid political gerrymandering and observe consistent redistricting principles, including population equity, respect for political subdivisions, communities of interest, contiguity, compactness, natural boundaries, and interrelationship of districts. The Association believes that HB 1 fails to meet these principles and opposes the bill.

Like other bills sent to the Governor, HB 1 is subject to a statewide referendum if sufficient signatures are gathered to call for the referendum within 90 days following the end of the session.

^{Read past issues of the Legislative Update at mnea.org/legupdate.}