Kansas House of Representatives

The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on legislation, helping to create a state budget, and legislative oversight over state agencies.

Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas State Legislature
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 14, 2019
Leadership
Speaker of the House	Ron Ryckman Jr. (R) since January 14, 2019
Speaker pro Tempore	Blaine Finch (R) since January 14, 2019
Majority Leader	Daniel Hawkins (R) since January 14, 2019
Minority Leader	Tom Sawyer (D) since January 14, 2019
Structure
Seats	125
Political groups	Republican (84)   Democratic (41)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article 2, Kansas Constitution
Salary	$88.66/day + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 6, 2018 (125 seats)
Next election	November 3, 2020 (125 seats)
Redistricting	Kansas Reapportionment Commission
Meeting place
House of Representatives Chamber Kansas State Capitol Topeka, Kansas
Website
Kansas House of Representatives

Representatives are elected to a two-year term. The Kansas House of Representatives does not have term limits. The legislative session convenes at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka annually.

History

On January 29, 1861, President James Buchanan authorized Kansas to become the 34th state of United States, a free state. The ratification of the Kansas Constitution created the Kansas House of Representatives as the lower house of the state legislature.

Members of the Kansas House voted to impeach Governor Charles L. Robinson in 1862, but the impeachment trial did not lead to his conviction and removal of office.[1] The Kansas Senate did vote to impeach the secretary of state and state auditor for the unlawful sale of bonds, but only three state senators voted for the governor's impeachment.[1]

The Kansas House of Representatives in 1905

In 1870, the Kansas House of Representatives first met at the Kansas State Capitol, which was not officially completed until 1903.[2]

Populists and Republicans both claimed control of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1893, with the Populists accusing the Republican Party of election fraud.[3] The dispute led to separate Populist-led and Republican-led Houses in 1893 until the Kansas Supreme Court sided with the Republicans and the Populist-led House disbanded.[3]

In 1918, Minnie J. Grinstead became the first female elected to the House.[4]

In 1966, the state legislature began to hold annual general sessions and a constitutional amendment adopted at the 1974 general election extended the duration of the session held in the even-numbered years to 90 calendar days, subject to extension by a vote of two-thirds of the elected membership of each house.[5]

An early legislator who served from 1875 to 1883, Robert M. Wright, was also one of the founders of Dodge City and later its mayor as well.[6]

United States presidential candidate Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican nominee, began his political career with a two-year term in the Kansas House of Representatives after his election in 1950.[7]

Legislative procedure

State representatives introduce a proposed law in the Kansas House of Representatives in the form of a bill, which must be approved by a standing committee, the Committee of the Whole and the entire membership of the chamber.[8] Other state representatives can amend a bill in committee or on the floor of the chamber.[8]

A bill must be approved by both houses of the Kansas Legislature in order to be submitted to the governor, who can sign it into law or veto the bill.[8] State legislators can override the veto with the support of two-thirds majority of both houses.[8]

Party composition

Republicans have controlled the chamber for all but six years since statehood, and without interruption since 1993. The GOP presently holds a supermajority in the chamber. The following is the official make-up for the 2017-2019 session:

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
2009–2011 legislature	77	48	125	0
2011–2013 Legislature	92	33	125	0
Begin 2013	92	33	125	0
End 2015	93	32
2015–2017 Legislature	97	28	125	0
Begin 2017	85	40	125	0
End 2018	84	41	125	0
2019-2020 Legislature	84	41	125	0
Latest voting share	67.2%	32.8%

Leadership

The Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives is the leader of the chamber and is elected by his fellow state representatives.[8] The speaker presides over the legislative process on the floor of the chamber or appoints a presiding officer in his or her place. He or she also decides the committee structure.[8] The majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber.

Officers

Position	Name	Party	District
Speaker of the House	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Republican	78
Republican Leadership[9]
Speaker Pro Tem	Blaine Finch	Republican	59
Majority Leader	Daniel Hawkins	Republican	100
Assistant Majority Leader	Les Mason	Republican	73
Majority Whip	Blake Carpenter	Republican	81
Caucus Chair	Susan Humphries	Republican	99
Democratic Leadership[9]
Minority Leader	Tom Sawyer	Democratic	95
Assistant Minority Leader	Valdenia Winn	Democratic	34
Minority Whip	Jim Gartner	Democratic	53
Caucus Chair	Barbara Ballard	Democratic	44
Agenda Chair	Brett Parker	Democratic	29
Policy Chair	Eileen Horn	Democratic	10

Members of the Kansas House of Representatives

District	Representative	Party	Residence
1	Michael Houser	Republican	Columbus
2	Ken Collins	Republican	Mulberry
3	Monica Murnan	Democratic	Pittsburg
4	Trevor Jacobs	Republican	Fort Scott
5	Mark Samsel	Republican	Wellsville
6	Clifford Blackmore	Republican	Louisburg
7	Richard Proehl	Republican	Parsons
8	Chris Croft	Republican	Overland Park
9	Kent Thompson	Republican	Iola
10	Eileen Horn	Democratic	Lawrence
11	Jim Kelly	Republican	Independence
12	Doug Blex	Republican	Independence
13	Joe Newland	Republican	Neodesha
14	Charlotte Esau	Republican	Olathe
15	John Toplikar	Republican	Olathe
16	Cindy Holscher	Democratic	Overland Park
17	Tom Cox	Republican	Shawnee
18	Cindy Neighbor	Democratic	Shawnee
19	Stephanie Clayton	Democratic	Overland Park
20	Jan Kessinger	Republican	Overland Park
21	Jerry Stogsdill	Democratic	Prairie Village
22	Nancy Lusk	Democratic	Overland Park
23	Susan Ruiz	Democratic	Shawnee
24	Jarrod Ousley	Democratic	Merriam
25	Rui Xu	Democratic	Westwood
26	Adam Thomas	Republican	Olathe
27	Sean Tarwater	Republican	Stilwell
28	Kellie Warren	Republican	Leawood
29	Brett Parker	Democratic	Overland Park
30	Brandon Woodard	Democratic	Lenexa
31	Louis Ruiz	Democratic	Kansas City
32	Pam Curtis	Democratic	Kansas City
33	Tom Burroughs	Democratic	Kansas City
34	Valdenia Winn	Democratic	Kansas City
35	Broderick Henderson	Democratic	Kansas City
36	Kathy Wolfe Moore	Democratic	Kansas City
37	Stan Frownfelter	Democratic	Kansas City
38	Willie Dove	Republican	Bonner Springs
39	Owen Donohoe	Republican	Shawnee
40	David French	Republican	Lansing
41	Jeff Pittman	Democratic	Leavenworth
42	Jim Karleskint	Republican	Tonganoxie
43	William Sutton	Republican	Gardner
44	Barbara Ballard	Democratic	Lawrence
45	Mike Amyx	Democratic	Lawrence
46	Dennis Highberger	Democratic	Lawrence
47	Ronald Ellis	Republican	Meriden
48	Jennifer Day	Democratic	Overland Park
49	Megan Lynn	Republican	Olathe
50	Fred Patton	Republican	Topeka
51	Ron Highland	Republican	Wamego
52	Brenda Dietrich	Republican	Topeka
53	Jim Gartner	Democratic	Topeka
54	Ken Corbet	Republican	Topeka
55	Annie Kuether	Democratic	Topeka
56	Virgil Weigel	Democratic	Topeka
57	John Alcala	Democratic	Topeka
58	Freda Warfield	Democratic	Topeka
59	Blaine Finch	Republican	Ottawa
60	Mark Schreiber	Republican	Emporia
61	Francis Awerkamp	Republican	St. Marys
62	Randy Garber	Republican	Sabetha
63	John Eplee	Republican	Atchison
64	Suzi Carlson	Republican	Clay Center
65	Lonnie Clark	Republican	Junction City
66	Sydney Carlin	Democratic	Manhattan
67	Tom Phillips	Republican	Manhattan
68	Dave Baker	Republican	Council Grove
69	J. R. Claeys	Republican	Salina
70	John Barker	Republican	Abilene
71	Diana Dierks	Republican	Salina
72	Tim Hodge	Democratic	North Newton
73	Les Mason	Republican	McPherson
74	Stephen Owens	Republican	Hesston
75	Will Carpenter	Republican	El Dorado
76	Eric Smith	Republican	Burlington
77	Kristey Williams	Republican	Augusta
78	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Republican	Olathe
79	Cheryl Helmer	Republican	Mulvane
80	Bill Rhiley	Republican	Wellington
81	Blake Carpenter	Republican	Derby
82	Jesse Burris	Republican	Mulvane
83	Henry Helgerson	Democratic	Eastborough
84	Gail Finney	Democratic	Wichita
85	Michael Capps	Republican	Wichita
86	Jim Ward	Democratic	Wichita
87	Renee Erickson	Republican	Wichita
88	Elizabeth Bishop	Democratic	Wichita
89	KC Ohaebosim	Democratic	Wichita
90	Steve Huebert	Republican	Valley Center
91	Emil Bergquist	Republican	Park City
92	John Carmichael	Democratic	Wichita
93	J.C. Moore	Republican	Haysville
94	Leo Delperdang	Republican	Wichita
95	Tom Sawyer	Democratic	Wichita
96	Stephanie Yeager	Democratic	Wichita
97	Nick Hoheisel	Republican	Wichita
98	Ron Howard	Republican	Wichita
99	Susan Humphries	Republican	Wichita
100	Daniel Hawkins	Republican	Wichita
101	Joe Seiwert	Republican	Pretty Prairie
102	Jason Probst	Democratic	Hutchinson
103	Ponka-We Victors	Democratic	Wichita
104	Paul Waggoner	Republican	Hutchinson
105	Brenda Landwehr	Republican	Wichita
106	Bill Pannbacker	Republican	Washington
107	Susan Concannon	Republican	Beloit
108	Steven C. Johnson	Republican	Assaria
109	Troy Waymaster	Republican	Luray
110	Ken Rahjes	Republican	Agra
111	Barbara Wasinger	Republican	Hays
112	Tory Marie Arnberger	Republican	Great Bend
113	Alicia Straub	Republican	Ellinwood
114	Jack Thimesch	Republican	Cunningham
115	Boyd Orr	Republican	Fowler
116	Kyle Hoffman	Republican	Coldwater
117	Leonard Mastroni	Republican	LaCrosse
118	Don Hineman	Republican	Dighton
119	Bradley Ralph	Republican	Dodge City
120	Adam Smith	Republican	Weskan
121	John Resman	Republican	Olathe
122	Russell Jennings	Republican	Lakin
123	John Wheeler	Republican	Garden City
124	Marty Long	Republican	Ulysses
125	Shannon Francis	Republican	Liberal

Committee Leadership

2019-2020

Committee	Chairman	Vice Chairman	Ranking Minority Member
Agriculture	Ron Highland	Eric Smith	Sydney Carlin
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget	Willie Dove	Larry Hibbard 2019 Lonnie Clark 2020	Sydney Carlin
Appropriations	Troy Waymaster	Kyle Hoffman	Kathy Wolfe-Moore
Calendar and Printing	Daniel Hawkins	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Brett Parker
Children and Seniors	Susan Concannon	Susan Humphries	Jarrod Ousley
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development	Sean Tarwater	Ken Corbet	Stan Frownfelter
Corrections and Juvenile Justice	Russell Jennings	Leo Delperdang	Dennis Highberger
Education	Steve Huebert	Brenda Dietrich	Jim Ward Jan. 2019 - March 2020 Stephanie Clayton March 2020 - present
Elections	Bill Sutton	Blake Carpenter	Brett Parker
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications	Joe Seiwert	Mark Schreiber	Annie Kuether
Federal and State Affairs	John Barker	Francis Awerkamp	Louis Ruiz
Financial Institutions and Pensions	Jim Kelly	Boyd Orr	Gail Finney
General Government Budget	J. R. Claeys	Tory Marie Arnberger	Tom Burroughs
Health and Human Services	Brenda Landwehr	John Eplee	Monica Murnan
Higher Education Budget	Ken Rahjes	Tom Phillips	Brandon Whipple 2019 Brandon Woodard 2020
Insurance	Jene Vickrey	Tom Cox	Cindy Neighbor
Interstate Cooperation	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Blaine Finch	Valdenia Winn
Judiciary	Fred Patton	Bradley Ralph	John Carmichael
K-12 Education Budget	Kristey Williams	Kyle Hoffman	Valdenia Winn
Legislative Budget	Troy Waymaster	Kyle Hoffman	Kathy Wolfe-Moore
Local Government	Kent Thompson	Emil Bergquist	Pam Curtis
Rules and Journal	Blaine Finch	Tom Sawyer	No Rules and Journal Committee RMM
Rural Revitalization	Don Hineman 2019 Adam Smith 2020	Ron Highland	Jason Probst
Social Services Budget	Will Carpenter	Leonard Mastroni	Barbara Ballard
Taxation	Steven C. Johnson	Les Mason	Jim Gartner
Transportation	Richard Proehl	Jack Thimesch	Henry Helgerson
Transportation and Public Safety Budget	Shannon Francis	John Resman	Jeff Pittman
Veterans and Military	Lonnie Clark	Ronald Ellis	Virgil Weigel

2017-2018

[10]

Committee	Chairman	Vice Chairman	Ranking Minority Member
Agriculture	Kyle Hoffman	Kent Thompson	Sydney Carlin
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget	Don Schroeder	Larry Hibbard	Sydney Carlin
Appropriations	Troy Waymaster	Erin Davis 2017 Larry Campbell January 2018-February 2018 Richard Proehl 2018	Kathy Wolfe-Moore
Calendar and Printing	Don Hineman	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Jim Ward
Children and Seniors	Steve Alford 2017 Erin Davis 2018	Linda Gallagher	Jarrod Ousley
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development	Les Mason	Ken Corbet	Brandon Whipple
Corrections and Juvenle Justice	Russell Jennings	John Whitmer	Dennis Highberger
Education	Clay Aurand	Diana Dierks	Valdenia Winn
Elections	Keith Esau	Blake Carpenter	Vic Miller
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications	Joe Seiwert	Randy Garber	Annie Kuether
Federal and State Affairs	John Barker	Ron Highland	Louis Ruiz
Financial Institutions and Pensions	Jim Kelly	Randy Powell	Gail Finney
General Government Budget	Bill Sutton	Chuck Webber	Tom Burroughs
Government Technology and Security	Pete DeGraaf 2017 Tom Sloan2018	Greg Lewis	Pam Curtis
Health and Human Services	Daniel Hawkins	Susan Concannon	John Wilson 2017 Monica Murnan 2018
Higher Education Budget	Kevin Jones	Susie Swanson	Eber Phelps
Insurance	Jene Vickrey	Willie Dove	Cindy Neighbor
Interstate Cooperation	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Scott Schwab	Jim Ward
Judiciary	Blaine Finch	Bradley Ralph	John Carmichael
K-12 Education Budget	Larry Campbell 2017 Fred Patton 2018	Steve Huebert	Ed Trimmer
Legislative Budget	Troy Waymaster	Richard Proehl	Jim Ward
Local Government	Kristey Williams	Jack Thimesch	John Alcala
Rules and Journal	Blaine Finch	Tom Sawyer	No Rules and Journal Committee RMM
Social Services Budget	Brenda Landwehr	Stephanie Clayton	Barbara Ballard
Taxation	Steven C. Johnson	Tom Phillips	Tom Sawyer
Transportation	Richard Proehl	Shannon Francis	Adam Lusker
Transportation and Public Safety Budget	J. R. Claeys	Michael Houser	Henry Helgerson 2017-March 2018 Brett Parker March 2018-January 2019
Veterans and Military	Les Osterman	Lonnie Clark	Virgil Weigel
Water and Environment	Tom Sloan	Ken Rahjes	Ponka-We Victors

2015-2016

[11]

Committee	Chairman	Vice Chairman	Ranking Minority Member
Agriculture and Natural Resources	Sharon Schwartz	Sue Boldra	Ponka-We Victors
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget	Kyle Hoffman	Don Schroeder	Sydney Carlin
Appropriations	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Sharon Schwartz	Jerry Henry
Calendar and Printing	Jene Vickrey	Ray Merrick	Tom Burroughs
Children and Seniors	Connie O'Brien	Erin Davis	Ponka-We Victors
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development	Mark Hutton	Les Mason	Stan Frownfelter
Corrections and Juvenile Justice	John Rubin Jan. 2015 - March 2016 Ramon Gonzalez March 2016 - Jan. 2017	Ramon Gonzalez Jan. 2015 - March 2016 Janice Pauls March 2016 - Jan. 2017	Dennis Highberger
Education	Ron Highland	Jerry Lunn	Valdenia Winn
Education Budget	Amanda Grosserode	Bill Sutton	Valdenia Winn
Elections	Mark Kahrs	Keith Esau	Tom Sawyer
Energy and Environment	Dennis Hedke	Ken Corbet	Annie Kuether
Federal and State Affairs	Steve Brunk 2015 Janice Pauls 2016	Travis Couture-Lovelady 2015 James Todd 2016	Louis Ruiz
General Government Budget	Troy Waymaster	Craig McPherson	Kathy Wolfe Moore
Health and Human Services	Daniel Hawkins	Willie Dove	Jim Ward
Insurance and Financial Institutions	Scott Schwab	Jim Kelly	Roderick Houston
Interstate Cooperation	Ray Merrick	Peggy Mast	Tom Burroughs
Judiciary	John Barker	Charles Macheers	John Carmichael
Legislative Budget	Ron Ryckman Jr.	Sharon Schwartz	Tom Burroughs
Local Government	Steve Huebert	Tom Phillips	John Alcala
Pensions and Benefits	Steven C. Johnson	Kent Thompson	Ed Trimmer
Rules and Journal	John Barker Jan. 2015 - March 2016 Janice Pauls March 2016 - Jan. 2017	Tom Sawyer	No Rules and Journal Committee RMM
Social Services Budget	Will Carpenter	Peggy Mast	Barbara Ballard
Taxation	Marvin Kleeb	Gene Sullentrop	Tom Sawyer
Transportation	Richard Proehl	Ron Ryckman	Adam Lusker
Transportation and Public Safety Budget	J. R. Claeys	Russell Jennings	Gail Finney
Utilities and Telecommunications	Joe Seiwart	Steve Alford	Annie Kuether
Veterans, Military and Homeland Security	Mario Goico	Les Osterman	Adam Lusker
Vision 2020	Tom Sloan 2015 Larry Campbell 2016	Larry Campbell 2015 Tom Sloan 2016	Pam Curtis

Past composition of the House of Representatives

Main article: Political party strength in Kansas

See also

• List of Kansas state legislatures

References

1. Ewing, Cortez A. M. "Early Kansas Impeachments," Kansas Historical Quarterly, August 1932 (Vol. 1, No. 4), p. 307-325, digitized with permission of the Kansas Historical Society. (accessed July 25, 2013)
2. Kansas State Capitol, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society. (accessed July 25, 2013)
3. Cool Things – Legislative War Artifacts, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society, November 1997. (accessed July 25, 2013)
4. Enicks-Knissr, Lori Lynn (April 2014). "The Lady from Seward" – Minnie J. Grinstead, the First Woman Elected to the Kansas House of Representatives (PDF) (M.A. thesis). Emporia State University.
5. "Kansas Legislative Research Manual Kansas Legislative Procedures," Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine March 12, 2009.
6. "George Laughhead, Robert M. Wright (1840–1915), Dodge City, Kansas: Town President, founder, pioneer, September 23, 2009". kansashistory.us. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
7. Kansas Legislators Past & Present-Robert Dole Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
8. Legislative Procedure in Kansas Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Kansas Legislative Research Department, November 2006. (accessed July 24, 2013)
9. "Leadership - House - Kansas State Legislature". www.kslegislature.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
10. "Kansas Legislative Committees". Kslegislature.org. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
11. "Kansas Legislative Committees". Kslegislature.org. Retrieved December 8, 2019.

External links

• Kansas House of Representatives
• Interactive Map of Kansas House and Senate Districts
• Search Kansas Legislators Past & Present