Calm before the storm: Kansas Legislature prepares for launch of 2025 session
by Tim Carpenter
The Kansas House chamber sits empty Monday morning ahead of the 2 p.m. start of the 2025 session of the Kansas Legislature. Republicans dominate the House and Senate with larger supermajorities as Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly enters the final two years of her governorship. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature convenes the 2025 session Monday with new-found enthusiasm following November elections that brought three dozen new lawmakers to the Capitol and expanded Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate.
The agendas of House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson would be familiar to statehouse observers, but the larger numerical advantage over Democratic legislators and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly promised to amplify opportunities to take up conservative bills on taxation, education, transgender rights, elections and judicial selection and budgeting.
Republicans gained three seats in the House to take an 88-37 advantage. In the Senate, Republicans claimed two additional seats for a 31-9 margin. Two-thirds majorities — 84 in the House, 27 in the Senate — are necessary to override vetoes by the governor. There are a dozen new senators and 25 incoming representatives.
In an interview, Hawkins said GOP candidates appealed to voters during last year’s elections to core economic issues, such as inflation and property taxes.
“Both of our caucuses in the House and Senate are ready to work together to solve these problems,” Hawkins said.
The House and Senate plan to start the session at 2 p.m. during ceremonies that bring families of lawmakers into the Capitol.
House Republicans gathered in the morning across the street from the statehouse for a closed-door meeting to discuss policy goals. On Sunday, Senate Republicans took part in a similar session outline legislative priorities.
Kelly is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the House chamber. Kelly, who is halfway through her second term, would be making her seven State of the State speech to the Legislature.
Meanwhile, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice plans to present the State of the Kansas Judiciary to senators and representatives om a speech scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, also in the House chamber.
