Legislation targeting the prosecution of stalking cases still has a chance to make it through the Kansas Legislature this session, although the original House bill remains stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I”m very hopeful for it,” Rep. Kasha Kelley, R-Arkansas City, said Friday morning.
Kelley introduced the original bill (HB 2850) which received unanimous support by the House. The bill then went to the Senate Judiciary Committee and was still there when the deadline passed Wednesday to move bills out of committees.
The anti-stalking proposal, called “Jodi’s Law,” was added by Kelley on Wednesday to Senate Bill 414, and approved unanimously by the House on Thursday.
“This is not an uncommon process,” she said. “You’ve got to learn the different ways around the barn when you’re up here.”
The Senate can now concur or not concur. If the Senate approves the House substitute for SB 414, it would go to a conference committee comprised of both House and Senate members. If the Senate does not concur, “then this attempt fails also,” Kelley said.
She did not know if the Senate would vote on SB 414 Friday or not.
“There will be a number of bills go through the conference committee process,” Kelley said.
There is a third way to try and get the legislation through this session. Since HB 2850 is now SB 414, and 414 has passed one chamber, it could go to a conference committee as well, according to Kelley.
She is confident there is still time to get the legislation into law before the 2008 Legislature adjourns.
“I’m the eternal optimist,” she said.
The conference committee has six members. On the House side, Mike O’Neal is chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Lance Kinzer is vice chair and the ranking minority member is Jan Pauls. On the Senate side, John Vratil is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Terry Bruce is vice chair and the ranking minority member is Greta Goodwin.
Conference committees will meet the first three days of next week, Kelley said.
