Gov. Laura Kelly celebrated a unanimously passed bill Monday by signing legislation imposing a $75 fine for highway motorists who refused to take precautions when approaching stationary vehicles displaying hazard warning lights.
The Democratic governor completed the process of embedding Senate Bill 8 in Kansas statute after it was adopted 119-0 by the House and 39-0 by the Senate.
“Thanks to this common-sense bill, all drivers will now be required to move over or slow down if there is a vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights,” Kelly said.
Under Senate Bill 8, drivers would be required to proceed with caution and change lanes away from the stopped vehicle — if possible — depending on traffic and weather. The objective was to better protect drivers and passengers in disabled vehicles making use of flashing warning lights as well as improve safety of other motorists on the road.
Kansas previously imposed move-over mandates for emergency personnel and expanded that statute to include stopped utility, road service and tow vehicles displaying hazard lights. The latest change applied the safety edict to all vehicles operating on a highway.
The Kansas Department of Transportation reported 994 empty vehicles were struck while on the side of a state road from 2018 to 2023. Those crashes resulted in eight fatalities and 25 suspected serious injuries. KDOT reported 82 crashes occurred within that time frame with someone inside a vehicle stopped on the side of the road. Those crashes resulted in two fatalities and four suspected serious injuries.
“This bill will improve driver behavior by creating consistency with other move-over bills for law enforcement, first responders and utility vehicles among others,” said Rep. Shannon Francis, a Republican from Liberal in southwest Kansas.
School bond affirmed
Meanwhile, Kelly signed Senate Bill 2 to validate approval of the $4.6 million school bond passed by voters of USD 200 in Greeley County during May 2024. The 25-year bond issue was developed to pay for construction of a school gymnasium, locker room and playground for the 230-student district on the Colorado border.
Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, sought to nullify the decision of voters on a technicality. Kobach said the bond vote should be invalidated because the local school board didn’t comply with a law mandating the public be notified of the vote through notices on a county website. Greeley County, which has less than 1,200 residents, didn’t operate a county website and state law didn’t mandate the county do so.
The public vote on the bonds was highlight in the local newspaper in articles and letters to the editor. The school district posted to its website a 19-page summary of the bond proposal with maps, renderings and answers to 50 questions.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican and candidate for the 2026 GOP nomination for governor, said he supported the bill reversing Kobach’s interpretation. The bill was approved in the House on a vote of 121-1 and in the Senate by a margin of 39-1.
Ombudsman training
Kelly also signed Senate Bill 88 requiring the state’s long-term care ombudsman to receive training in delivery of “memory care” for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The measure was introduced by Sen. Chase Blasi, R-Wichita, at the behest of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The legislation passed unanimously in the Senate and 121-1 in the House was crafted to improve assessments of the quality of health care provided residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.
The governor also put a signature to Senate Bill 7, which increased the financial cap on general obligation bonds issued by townships with more than 5,000 residents for reconstruction, repair and equipment of buildings.
The cap would remain at 1% of the assessed tangible valuation in townships with less than 5,000 people, but rise to 5% for a township with a population ranging from 5,000 to 9,999 people and grow to 10% for a township with more than 10,000 residents. The bill also would increase the maximum maturity term of such bonds from 15 years to 20 years.
Under Senate Bill 175 signed by Kelly, Kansas would alter the definition of athletic trainer to include an exemption for trainers licensed in other states or countries so they could practice in Kansas.
The governor also signed House Bill 2261, which resolved ambiguity in state law regarding the employment status of Kansas Highway Patrol majors when a new governor assumed office and changed KHP leadership. The law means KHP majors, in addition to superintendents and assistant superintendents, would return to a rank not lower than the rank held when those officers were appointed to their respective positions.
_ _ _
Story via Kansas Reflector
