Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB155

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Adding harboring or concealing a person who has violated terms of probation to the crime of obstructing apprehension or prosecution.

Impact

If enacted, SB155 would significantly impact legal accountability regarding probation violations in the State of Kansas. It would enable law enforcement to charge individuals who knowingly assist those violating their probation terms with a felony, thus holding them accountable for obstructing justice. The implications of this bill may lead to stricter enforcement actions and enhanced prosecution of individuals concealing probation violators, further intertwining law enforcement efforts with community awareness regarding criminal activities.

Summary

Senate Bill 155 seeks to amend existing laws concerning criminal procedures related to obstructing apprehension or prosecution. Specifically, the bill adds the harboring or concealing of individuals who have violated the terms of probation to the existing definitions included in the crime of obstructing apprehension or prosecution. This addition aims to enhance law enforcement's ability to deal with individuals who evade accountability for their criminal behavior. By broadening the scope of obstructing apprehension, the bill seeks to deter similar future actions.

Contention

While supporters may argue that SB155 strengthens law enforcement's efforts to ensure public safety by tackling the issue of probation violations, there may also be opposition regarding the implications for civil liberties and potential overreach in penalizing individuals who assist their friends or family members. Concerns may arise about the balance between enforcing the law and preserving the rights of citizens, particularly regarding the definition and boundaries of 'harboring' individuals accused of probation violations. Hence, there may be a call for clarity around the application of this law to avoid unintended consequences.

Companion Bills

No companion bills found.

Previously Filed As

KS SB415

Creating the crime of organized retail crime, providing criminal penalties for violation thereof, increasing the criminal penalties for theft of certain property, including organized retail crime in the definition of racketeering activity under the Kansas racketeer influenced and corrupt organization act and authorizing the attorney general to prosecute crimes that are part of an alleged course of criminal conduct that occurred in two or more counties.

KS SB414

Requiring certain persons on a third or subsequent conviction of driving under the influence to participate in a multidisciplinary model of services for substance use disorders, removing the requirement that municipal courts collect fingerprints from persons convicted of violating certain municipal ordinance provisions, amending the crime of aggravated endangering a child to increase the criminal penalties when bodily harm to the child results and when a child is in certain environments associated with fentanyl-related controlled substances, increasing the criminal penalties for unlawful distribution of fentanyl-related controlled substances, eliminating the element of concealment from the crime of breach of privacy related to installing or using a device to photograph or record another identifiable person under or through the clothing being worn by that other person or another identifiable person who is nude or in a state of undress, excluding certain types of incarceration time from being included in the allowance for time spent incarcerated when calculating a criminal defendant's sentence and updating the general terms of supervision for offenders on probation and postrelease supervision.

KS SB216

Adding possession or using a firearm during the commission of certain drug crimes to the crime of criminal use of weapons and creating a special sentencing rule of presumptive imprisonment for violations thereof.

KS HB2144

Senate Substitute for HB 2144 by Committee on Judiciary - Creating the crimes of encouraging suicide and organized retail crime, providing criminal penalties for violation thereof, including organized retail crime in the definition of racketeering activity under the Kansas racketeer influenced and corrupt organization act and authorizing the attorney general to prosecute specified crimes that are part of an alleged course of criminal conduct that occurred in two or more counties.

KS SB174

Increasing the criminal penalties for battery of a healthcare provider, adding the placing of controlled substances into pills into the definition of manufacture, increasing the criminal penalties for manufacturing fentanyl and for manufacturing or distributing any controlled substances that are likely to be attractive to minors because of their appearance or packaging, creating a special sentencing rule to make sentences for distributing fentanyl presumptive imprisonment, excluding materials used to detect the presence of fentanyl, ketamine or gamma hydroxybutyric acid from the definition of drug paraphernalia, adding domestic battery and violation of a protection order to the crimes that a person can have the intent to commit when committing burglary or aggravated burglary, increasing criminal penalties for the crime of interference with law enforcement when the violation involves fleeing from a law enforcement officer and authorizing the attorney general to prosecute certain crimes that are part of an alleged course of criminal conduct that occurred in two or more counties.

KS HB2741

Updating the general terms of supervision for offenders on probation and postrelease supervision.

KS SB190

House Substitute for SB 190 by Committee on Judiciary - Requiring persons who file lawsuits for wrongful conviction compensation to prove additional information, changing the compensation rates to daily rates instead of yearly rates and limiting housing assistance to such persons.

KS HB2012

Requiring offenders on probation, parole or postrelease supervision to complete a citizenship curriculum.

KS HB2028

Requiring certain records to be automatically expunged from a person's criminal record.

KS HB2655

Requiring automated expungement of certain records from a person's criminal record to seal such records from public view and limit disclosure thereof.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.