# Kansas HB 2378: Establishing the removal of squatters act, providing a procedure to remove a squatter from a dwelling unit, requiring owners or agents of dwelling units to provide an affidavit to the county sheriff department or police department , requiring notice to vacate by the sheriff, establishing the crime of providing a false affidavit and establishing a civil cause of action for wrongful removal of a person from a dwelling unit, allowing attorney fees and punitive damages. Kansas HB 2378, Establishing the removal of squatters act, providing a procedure to remove a squatter from a dwelling unit, requiring owners or agents of dwelling units to provide an affidavit to the county sheriff department or police department , requiring notice to vacate by the sheriff, establishing the crime of providing a false affidavit and establishing a civil cause of action for wrongful removal of a person from a dwelling unit, allowing attorney fees and punitive damages., is a 2025–2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Committee on Federal and State Affairs; status signed, last action 2026-04-06 (Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2378-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Kansas HB 2378 - State: Kansas - Session: 2025–2026 Regular Session - Title: Establishing the removal of squatters act, providing a procedure to remove a squatter from a dwelling unit, requiring owners or agents of dwelling units to provide an affidavit to the county sheriff department or police department , requiring notice to vacate by the sheriff, establishing the crime of providing a false affidavit and establishing a civil cause of action for wrongful removal of a person from a dwelling unit, allowing attorney fees and punitive damages. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-11 - Last action: 2026-04-06, Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026 - Sponsor: Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: senate committee on judiciary, house committee on federal and state affairs - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (306 yes, 18 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Wrongfully removed occupants can seek compensation: benefit, medium. People harmed by wrongful removal under this act can sue the owner or agent who filed the affidavit. They can ask to regain possession and recover actual costs and damages. They can also seek punitive damages equal to three times the property's fair market rent, plus court costs and reasonable atto… - False removal claims carry criminal penalties: cost, low. Anyone who knowingly files a false affidavit with law enforcement under this removal process can face criminal charges. The offense is a class A nonperson misdemeanor. - Removal claims against police face limits: cost, low. Law enforcement agencies, their deputies and employees, and local governments are shielded from liability for good-faith actions or omissions under this act. Officers are also shielded from liability to unauthorized occupants or others for property loss, destruction, or damage. These protections li… - Owners gain removal process with fees: mixed, medium. Kansas owners and authorized agents can seek removal of squatters without using the residential landlord-tenant eviction process. The process covers homes, mobile homes, and commercial property, but excludes tenants, holdover tenants, and people authorized by tenants. Owners must first deliver noti… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Committee on Federal and State Affairs ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 114 Nay: 8 | pass | 114 | 8 | | | 2026-04-23 | House | Yea: 39 Nay: 1 | pass | 39 | 1 | | | 2026-03-19 | Senate | Final Action - Passed | pass | 39 | 1 | | | 2025-03-06 | House | Final Action - Passed as amended | pass | 114 | 8 | | ## Actions (18) - 2026-04-06: Approved by Governor on Monday, April 6, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-26: Enrolled and presented to Governor on Friday, March 27, 2026 (House) - 2026-03-19: Final Action - Passed; Yea 39, Nay 1 (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Committee of the Whole - Be passed (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Committee Report recommending bill be passed by Senate Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Hearing: Monday, March 17, 2025, 10:30 AM — Room 346-S (Senate) - 2025-03-07: Referred to Senate Committee on Judiciary (Senate) - 2025-03-06: Engrossed on Thursday, March 6, 2025 (House) - 2025-03-06: Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea 114, Nay 8, Absent 3 (House) - 2025-03-06: Received and Introduced (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted (House) - 2025-03-05: Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Rep. Will Carpenter (House) - 2025-03-05: Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Rep. Will Carpenter was adopted (House) - 2025-03-05: Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended (House) - 2025-02-27: Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs (House) - 2025-02-17: Hearing: Monday, February 17, 2025, 9:00 AM — Room 346-S (House) - 2025-02-11: Introduced (House) - 2025-02-11: Referred to House Committee on Federal and State Affairs (House) ## Bill text - As Amended by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_01_0000.pdf) - As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_00_0000.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_enrolled.pdf) - {As Amended by House Committee of the Whole}: [PDF](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_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 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, providin… (became law) - HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts received as compensation for members of the armed forces. (failed) ## Sources - [As Amended by House Committee on Federal and State Affairs (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_01_0000.pdf) - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_00_0000.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_enrolled.pdf) - [{As Amended by House Committee of the Whole} (PDF)](https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/download/?apn=b2025_26/year2/ready_for_publication/hb_2378/hb2378_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 2018: Senate Substitute for HB 2018 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Creat…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2018-2025-2026) - [HB 2036: Providing a Kansas income tax subtraction modification for certain amounts rece…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/KS-HB2036-2025-2026) - [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-HB2378-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-17).