SESSION OF 2025
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTE ON HOUSE BILL NO. 2192
As Amended by House Committee of the Whole
Brief*
HB 2192, as amended, would amend criminal laws
related to domestic battery to require a domestic violence
offender assessment for first-time domestic battery offenders,
redefine the availability of work release for persons convicted
of a second domestic battery offense, and remove the
possibility of work release for persons convicted of a third or
subsequent offense of domestic battery.
Domestic Violence Offender Assessment
Continuing law requires a person convicted of a second
or consecutive offense of domestic battery within five years to
undergo a domestic violence offender assessment as a
condition of probation, suspension of sentence, parole, or any
other release. The bill would require the same assessment as
a condition of any similar release for a person convicted of a
first offense.
Domestic Battery—Second Offense
The bill would extend the time a person convicted of a
second domestic battery offense within five years must be
imprisoned before being permitted to participate in certain
work release programs.
Under current law, the minimum time served is five days’
imprisonment, with a possibility that the person serve the
____________________
*Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research
Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental
note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at
https://klrd.gov/ remainder of the sentence (at least 90 days) on work release.
The bill would raise the mandatory minimum imprisonment
time to 20 days’ imprisonment, allowing for work release for
the remainder of the sentence. [Note: Continuing law allows a
court to sentence a second-time offender to a sentence of
imprisonment of between 90 days and 1 year.]
Domestic Battery—Third Offense
The bill would remove a provision allowing a person
convicted of a third or subsequent domestic battery offense
within five years to serve their sentence in a work release
program after serving 48 consecutive hours of imprisonment.
Technical Amendments
The bill would also make technical and conforming
amendments to ensure consistency in statutory phrasing.
Background
The bill was introduced by the House Committee on
Corrections and Juvenile Justice at the request of
Representative Thompson.
House Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice
In the House Committee hearing, proponent testimony
was presented by Representative Thompson; representatives
of the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office and the
Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence; and
two private citizens. The proponents generally stated this bill
would give victims of domestic battery more time to make
adjustments to their lives before their batterer is potentially
put in a position to commit further offenses and that this
legislation could save lives.
2- 2192 Written-only neutral testimony was submitted by a
representative of the City of Topeka.
A representative of the Board of Indigents’ Defense
Services presented opponent testimony, stating that the bill’s
use of the word “consecutive” in defining days in confinement
could lead to individuals’ loss of employment, which could
cause the victim and their family to share the punishment
meant for the perpetrator.
No other testimony was provided.
The House Committee amended the bill to:
●Require the domestic violence offender
assessment be conducted on first-time offenders;
and
●Remove the word “consecutive” from provisions of
the bill specifying the time an offender must serve.
House Committee of the Whole
The House Committee of the Whole amended the bill to
lower the mandatory imprisonment length before work
release or other release may be granted for second-time
offenders to 20 days from 45 days.
Fiscal Information
According to the fiscal note prepared by the Division of
the Budget on the bill, as introduced, the Judicial Branch
indicates the bill would have no fiscal effect on its operations.
The Kansas Association of Counties indicates that the
bill has the potential to increase county government
expenditures on offender supervision and confinement;
however, a precise estimate of this effect cannot be
determined.
3- 2192 According to the Prison Bed Impact Assessment
prepared by the Kansas Sentencing Commission, the bill, as
introduced, would have no impact on prison admissions or
beds, as non-grid penalties are served in county jails, rather
than state prisons.
Domestic battery; domestic violence assessment; work release
4- 2192