# Kansas HB 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly, providing criminal penalties therefor and providing for a civil cause of action for damages. Kansas HB 2018, Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly, providing criminal penalties therefor and providing for a civil cause of action for damages., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Committee on Elections; status became law, last action 2026-04-10 (Will become law without Governor's signature); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2018-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kansas HB 2018 - State: Kansas - Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session - Title: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly, providing criminal penalties therefor and providing for a civil cause of action for damages. - Status: became law - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-16 - Last action: 2026-04-10, Will become law without Governor's signature - Sponsor: Committee on Elections - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: senate committee on federal and state affairs, house committee on elections - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 6 (494 yes, 64 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Worship victims gain rights to sue: mixed, high. People injured by prohibited interference with a religious assembly can sue in an appropriate Kansas state court. A winning plaintiff may recover actual damages, punitive damages up to three times actual damages, court costs, and reasonable attorney fees. Alternatively, the plaintiff may choose $5,… - New protections and penalties for worship: mixed, low. Kansas protects people exercising or seeking to exercise religious freedom at a place of worship by creating new crimes. Intentionally injuring, intimidating, or restricting them through force, threats of force, or physical obstruction is a level 10 person felony. A second or later conviction is a… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Committee on Elections - Cosponsor: Committee on Federal and State Affairs ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 106 Nay: 14 | pass | 106 | 14 | | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 34 Nay: 6 | pass | 34 | 6 | | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 107 Nay: 12 | pass | 107 | 12 | | | 2026-03-26 | House | Concurred with amendments in conference | pass | 106 | 14 | | | 2026-03-19 | Senate | Final Action - Substitute passed | pass | 34 | 6 | | | 2025-02-14 | House | Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended | pass | 107 | 12 | | ## Actions (21) - 2026-04-10: Will become law without Governor's signature (House) - 2026-04-09: Enrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, April 3, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-26: Concurred with amendments in conference; Yea 106, Nay 14, Absent 5 (House) - 2026-03-24: Motion to accede adopted; Sen. Mike Thompson, Sen. Tory Marie Blew and Sen. Oletha Faust Goudeau appointed as conferees (Senate) - 2026-03-23: Nonconcurred with amendments; Conference Committee requested; appointed Rep. Tom Kessler, Rep. Rebecca Schmoe and Rep. Heather Meyer (House) - 2026-03-19: Final Action - Substitute passed; Yea 34, Nay 6 (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted recommending substitute bill be passed (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Committee of the Whole - Substitute bill be passed (Senate) - 2026-03-17: Committee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs (Senate) - 2025-02-18: Referred to Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs (Senate) - 2025-02-17: Engrossed on Friday, February 14, 2025 (House) - 2025-02-17: Received and Introduced (Senate) - 2025-02-14: Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted (House) - 2025-02-14: Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended (House) - 2025-02-14: Motion to advance to Emergency Final Action adopted (House) - 2025-02-14: Emergency Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 107, Nay 12, Absent 6 (House) - 2025-02-06: Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Elections (House) - 2025-01-28: Hearing: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 3:30 PM — Room 218-N (House) - 2025-01-16: Introduced (House) - 2025-01-16: Referred to House Committee on Elections (House) - undated: Allowed to become law without signature; 2026 Kansas session laws, chapter 149 (Governor) ## Bill text - As Amended by House Committee on Elections: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_01_0000.pdf) - As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_00_0000.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_enrolled.pdf) - S Sub for: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_02_0000.pdf) ## Related bills - SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes in the Kansas criminal code. (signed) - SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage and the retail sale of higher ethanol blends of fuel, discontinuing the tax cred… (signed) - SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholic liquor depending on whether the taxpayer is a qualifying Kansas investor or a… (signed) - HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes. (signed) - HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts received as compensation for members of the armed forces. (failed) - HB 2530: Substitute for HB 2530 by Committee on Education - Providing for the transferability of credentials earned through ACT workkeys career readiness assessments to… (failed) ## Sources - [As Amended by House Committee on Elections (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_01_0000.pdf) - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_00_0000.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_enrolled.pdf) - [S Sub for (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2018/hb2018_02_0000.pdf) ## Related - [SB 430: Adding mitragynine to schedule I of the uniform controlled substances act and r…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB430-2025-2026) - [SB 82: Providing tax credits for expenditures for lockable gun and ammunition storage…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB82-2025-2026) - [SB 300: Providing for the apportionment of business income by manufacturers of alcoholi…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-SB300-2025-2026) - [HB 2029: Reconciling multiple amendments to certain statutes.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2029-2025-2026) - [HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts rece…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2036-2025-2026) - [HB 2530: Substitute for HB 2530 by Committee on Education - Providing for the transferab…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2530-2025-2026) - [Kansas bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/kansas/bills) - [Kansas state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/kansas) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2018-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-19).