Kansas House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Kansas Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 13, 2025 |
| Leadership | |
Speaker pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 125 |
 Seat display Map display | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 2 years |
| Authority | Article 2,Kansas Constitution |
| Salary | $88.66/day + per diem |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (125 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (125 seats) |
| Redistricting | Kansas Reapportionment Commission |
| Meeting place | |
| House of Representatives Chamber Kansas State Capitol Topeka, Kansas | |
| Website | |
| Kansas House of Representatives | |
| Rules | |
| Rules of the Kansas House of Representatives | |
TheKansas House of Representatives is thelower house of the legislature of the U.S. state ofKansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on legislation, helping to create a state budget, and legislative oversight over state agencies. Representatives are elected to two-year terms. The Kansas House of Representatives does not haveterm limits. The legislative session convenes at theKansas State Capitol inTopeka annually.
On January 29, 1861,President James Buchanan authorized Kansas to become the34th state of United States, a free state. The ratification of theKansas Constitution created the Kansas House of Representatives as the lower house of the state legislature.
Members of the Kansas House voted to impeachGovernorCharles L. Robinson in 1862, but the impeachment trial did not lead to his conviction and removal of office.[1] TheKansas Senate did vote to impeach thesecretary of state andstate auditor for the unlawful sale of bonds, but only three state senators voted for the governor's impeachment.[1]
In 1870, the Kansas House of Representatives first met at the Kansas State Capitol, which was not officially completed until 1903.[2]
Populists andRepublicans both claimed control of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1893, with the Populists accusing the Republican Party of election fraud.[3] The dispute led to separate Populist-led and Republican-led Houses in 1893 until theKansas Supreme Court sided with the Republicans and the Populist-led House disbanded.[3]
In 1888,Alfred B. Fairfax became the first African American elected to the House. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Immigration.[4]
In 1918,Minnie J. Grinstead became the first female elected to the House.[5]
In 1966, the state legislature began to hold annual general sessions and a constitutional amendment adopted at the 1974 general election extended the duration of the session held in the even-numbered years to 90 calendar days, subject to extension by a vote of two-thirds of the elected membership of each house.[6]
United States presidential candidateBob Dole, the 1996 Republican nominee, began his political career with a two-year term in the Kansas House of Representatives after his election in 1950.[7]
State representatives introduce a proposed law in the Kansas House of Representatives in the form of abill, which must be approved by astanding committee, the Committee of the Whole and the entire membership of the chamber.[8] Other state representatives can amend a bill in committee or on the floor of the chamber.[8]
A bill must be approved by both houses of the Kansas Legislature in order to be submitted to the governor, who can sign it into law orveto the bill.[8] State legislators can override the veto with the support of two-thirds majority of both houses.[8]
Republicans have controlled the chamber for all but six years since statehood, and without interruption since 1993. The GOP presently holds a supermajority in the chamber. The following is the official make-up for the 2025–2026 session:
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | Ind | Vacant | ||
| Begin 2021 | 86 | 38 | 1 | 125 | 0 |
| End 2022 | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2023–2024 | 85 | 40 | 0 | 125 | 0 |
| Begin 2025 | 88 | 37 | 0 | 125 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 70.4% | 29.6% | |||
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The Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives is the leader of the chamber and is elected by his fellow state representatives.[8] The speaker presides over the legislative process on the floor of the chamber or appoints a presiding officer. The speaker decides the committee structure.[8] Themajority andminority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.
| Position | Name | Party | District |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Daniel Hawkins | Republican | 100 |
| Speaker Pro Tem | Blake Carpenter | 81 | |
| Majority Leader | Chris Croft | 8 | |
| Assistant Majority Leader | Kyle Hoffman | 116 | |
| Majority Whip | Nick Hoheisel | 97 | |
| Majority Caucus Chair | Kristey Williams | 77 | |
| Minority Leader | Brandon Woodard | Democratic | 108 |
| Assistant Minority Leader | Mike Amyx | 45 | |
| Minority Whip | Jo Ella Hoye | 17 | |
| Minority Caucus Chair | Barbara Ballard | 44 | |
| Minority Agenda Chair | Jerry Stogsdill | 21 | |
| Minority Policy Chair | Dan Osman | 48 |
The Republican Party has controlled the Kansas House in most of Kansas History, with the Democratic control occurring less. Since 1992, the GOP has held most seats. The Democratic Party of Kansas had held most seats in the early 90s, but the party has never gained a trifecta in Kansas political history.
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