Kansas House of Representatives

Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas Legislature
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 13, 2025
Leadership
Speaker	Dan Hawkins (R) ; since January 9, 2023
Speaker pro tempore	Blake Carpenter (R) ; since January 9, 2023
Majority Leader	Chris Croft (R) ; since January 9, 2023
Minority Leader	Brandon Woodard (D) ; since January 10, 2025
Structure
Seats	125
Political groups	Republican (88); Democratic (37);
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article 2, Kansas Constitution
Salary	$88.66/day + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 5, 2024; (125 seats)
Next election	November 3, 2026; (125 seats)
Redistricting	Kansas Reapportionment Commission
Meeting place
	House of Representatives Chamber; Kansas State Capitol; Topeka, Kansas
Website
	Kansas House of Representatives
Rules
	Rules of the 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. Representatives are elected to two-year terms. 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]

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 1888, Alfred B. Fairfax became the first African American elected to the House. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Immigration.^[4]

In 1918, Minnie J. Grinstead became the first female elected to the House.^[5]

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.^[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 2025–2026 session:

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Republican	Democratic	Independent		Vacant

Begin 2021	86	38	1	125	0
February 8, 2021^[9]	86	39	0	125	0
Begin 2023	85	40	0	125	0
Begin 2025	88	37	0	125	0
Latest voting share	70%	30%	0%

^{[needs update]}

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. The speaker 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	Daniel Hawkins	Republican	100
Speaker Pro Tem	Blake Carpenter		81
Majority Leader	Chris Croft		8
Assistant Majority Leader	Kyle Hoffman		116
Majority Whip	Nick Hoheisel		97
Majority Caucus Chair	Kristey Williams		77
Minority Leader	Brandon Woodard	Democratic	108
Assistant Minority Leader	Mike Amyx		45
Minority Whip	Jo Ella Hoye		17
Minority Caucus Chair	Barbara Ballard		44
Minority Agenda Chair	Jerry Stogsdill		21
Minority Policy Chair	Dan Osman		48

Members of the Kansas House of Representatives

District	Representative	Party	Residence	First Elected
1	Dale Helwig	Republican	Columbus	2024
2	Ken Collins	Republican	Mulberry	2018
3	Chuck Smith	Republican	Pittsburg	2014
4	Ricky James	Republican	La Cygne	2024
5	Carrie Barth	Republican	Baldwin City	2022
6	Samantha Poetter Parshall	Republican	Paola	2020
7	Dan Goddard	Republican	Parsons	2022
8	Chris Croft	Republican	Overland Park	2018
9	Fred Gardner	Republican	Garnett	2022
10	Suzanne Wikle	Democratic	Lawrence	2024
11	Ron Bryce	Republican	Coffeyville	2022
12	Doug Blex	Republican	Independence	2016
13	Duane Droge	Republican	Eureka	2022
14	Charlotte Esau	Republican	Olathe	2024
15	Lauren Bohi	Republican	Olathe	2024
16	Linda Featherston	Democratic	Overland Park	2020
17	Jo Ella Hoye	Democratic	Lenexa	2020
18	Cindy Neighbor	Democratic	Shawnee	2002
19	Stephanie Clayton	Democratic	Overland Park	2012
20	Mari-Lynn Poskin	Democratic	Leawood	2020
21	Jerry Stogsdill	Democratic	Prairie Village	2016
22	Lindsay Vaughn	Democratic	Overland Park	2020
23	Susan Ruiz	Democratic	Shawnee	2018
24	Jarrod Ousley	Democratic	Merriam	2014
25	Rui Xu	Democratic	Westwood	2018
26	Chip VanHouden	Republican	Spring Hill	2024
27	Sean Tarwater	Republican	Stilwell	2016
28	Carl Turner	Republican	Leawood	2020
29	Heather Meyer	Democratic	Overland Park	2020
30	Laura Williams	Republican	Lenexa	2022
31	Louis Ruiz	Democratic	Kansas City	2004
32	Pam Curtis	Democratic	Kansas City	2014
33	Mike Thompson	Republican	Bonner Springs	2022
34	Valdenia Winn	Democratic	Kansas City	2000
35	Wanda Brownlee Paige	Democratic	Kansas City	2024
36	Lynn Melton	Democratic	Kansas City	2022
37	Melissa Oropeza	Democratic	Kansas City	2022
38	Timothy H. Johnson	Republican	Basehor	2020
39	Angela Stiens	Republican	Shawnee	2024
40	David Buehler	Republican	Lansing	2022
41	Pat Proctor	Republican	Leavenworth	2020
42	Lance Neelly	Republican	Tonganoxie	2020
43	Bill Sutton	Republican	Gardner	2012
44	Barbara Ballard	Democratic	Lawrence	1992
45	Mike Amyx	Democratic	Lawrence	2018
46	Brooklynne Mosley	Democratic	Lawrence	2024
47	Ronald Ellis	Republican	Meriden	2016
48	Dan Osman	Democratic	Overland Park	2020
49	Nikki McDonald	Democratic	Olathe	2023
50	Kyle McNorton	Republican	Topeka	2023
51	Megan Steele	Republican	Manhattan	2024
52	Jesse Borjon	Republican	Topeka	2020
53	Kirk Haskins	Democratic	Topeka	2022
54	Ken Corbet	Republican	Topeka	2012
55	Tobias Schlingensiepen	Democratic	Topeka	2022
56	Virgil Weigel	Democratic	Topeka	2012
57	John Alcala	Democratic	Topeka	2012
58	Alexis Simmons	Democratic	Topeka	2024
59	Rebecca Schmoe	Republican	Ottawa	2022
60	Mark Schreiber	Republican	Emporia	2016
61	Francis Awerkamp	Republican	St. Marys	2016
62	Sean Willcott	Republican	Holton	2024
63	Allen Reavis	Republican	Atchison	2024
64	Lewis Bloom	Republican	Clay Center	2022
65	Shawn Chauncey	Republican	Junction City	2024
66	Sydney Carlin	Democratic	Manhattan	2002
67	Angelina Roeser	Republican	Manhattan	2024
68	Nathan Butler	Republican	Junction City	2022
69	Clarke Sanders	Republican	Salina	2020
70	Scott Hill	Republican	Abilene	2022
71	Steven Howe	Republican	Salina	2020
72	Avery Anderson	Republican	Newton	2020
73	Rick Wilborn	Republican	McPherson	2024
74	Mike King	Republican	Hesston	2024
75	Will Carpenter	Republican	El Dorado	2012
76	Bradley Barrett	Republican	Osage City	2024
77	Kristey Williams	Republican	Augusta	2014
78	Robyn Essex	Republican	Olathe	2022
79	Webster Roth	Republican	Winfield	2022
80	Bill Rhiley	Republican	Wellington	2018
81	Blake Carpenter	Republican	Derby	2014
82	Leah Howell	Republican	Derby	2022
83	Henry Helgerson	Democratic	Eastborough	1982
84	Ford Carr	Democratic	Wichita	2022
85	Patrick Penn	Republican	Wichita	2020
86	Silas Miller	Democratic	Wichita	2022
87	Susan Estes	Republican	Wichita	2020
88	Sandy Pickert	Republican	Wichita	2022
89	KC Ohaebosim	Democratic	Wichita	2018
90	Steve Huebert	Republican	Valley Center	2024
91	Emil Bergquist	Republican	Park City	2022
92	John Carmichael	Democratic	Wichita	2012
93	Brian Bergkamp	Republican	Wichita	2020
94	Leo Delperdang	Republican	Wichita	2018
95	Tom Sawyer	Democratic	Wichita	1986
96	Tom Kessler	Republican	Wichita	2020
97	Nick Hoheisel	Republican	Wichita	2018
98	Cyndi Howerton	Republican	Wichita	2020
99	Susan Humphries	Republican	Wichita	2016
100	Daniel Hawkins	Republican	Wichita	2012
101	Joe Seiwert	Republican	Pretty Prairie	2008
102	Kyler Sweely	Republican	Hutchinson	2024
103	Angela Martinez	Democratic	Wichita	2022
104	Paul Waggoner	Republican	Hutchinson	2018
105	Jill Ward	Republican	Wichita	2024
106	Lisa Moser	Republican	Wheaton	2020
107	Dawn Wolf	Republican	Bennington	2024
108	Brandon Woodard	Democratic	Lenexa	2018
109	Troy Waymaster	Republican	Bunker Hill	2012
110	Ken Rahjes	Republican	Agra	2014
111	Barb Wasinger	Republican	Hays	2018
112	Sherri Brantley	Republican	Great Bend	2024
113	Brett Fairchild	Republican	St. John	2020
114	Kevin Schwertfeger	Republican	Turon	2024
115	Gary White	Republican	Ashland	2022
116	Kyle Hoffman	Republican	Coldwater	2010
117	Adam Turk	Republican	Shawnee	2022
118	Jim Minnix	Republican	Scott City	2020
119	Jason Goetz	Republican	Dodge City	2022
120	Adam Smith	Republican	Weskan	2016
121	John Resman	Republican	Olathe	2016
122	Lon Pishny	Republican	Garden City	2024
123	Bob Lewis	Republican	Garden City	2022
124	Marty Long	Republican	Ulysses	2024
125	Shannon Francis	Republican	Liberal	2014

Committee leadership

2023–2024

Committee	Chairman	Vice Chairman	Ranking Minority Member
Agriculture and Natural Resources	Ken Rahjes	Lance Neelly	Sydney Carlin
Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget	Lisa Moser	Marty Long	Sydney Carlin
Appropriations	Troy Waymaster	Kristey Williams	Barbara Ballard
Calendar and Printing	Chris Croft	Daniel Hawkins	Brandon Woodard
Child Welfare and Foster Care	Cyndi Howerton	Timothy H. Johnson	Jarrod Ousley
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development	Sean Tarwater	Adam Turk	Stephanie Clayton
Corrections and Juvenile Justice	Bob Lewis	John Resman	Tobias Schlingensiepen
Education	Susan Estes	Kyle McNorton	Jerry Stogsdill
Elections	Pat Proctor	Paul Waggoner	Kirk Haskins
Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications	Leo Delperdang	Rick Wilborn	KC Ohaebosim
Federal and State Affairs	Tom Kessler	Rebecca Schmoe	Silas Miller
Financial Institutions and Pensions	Nick Hoheisel	Angela Stiens	Rui Xu
General Government Budget	Barb Wasinger	Sandy Pickert	Lynn Melton
Health and Human Services	Will Carpenter	Ron Bryce	Susan Ruiz
Higher Education Budget	Steven Howe	Clarke Sanders	Mike Amyx
Insurance	Bill Sutton	Brian Bergkamp	Cindy Neighbor
Interstate Cooperation	Daniel Hawkins	Blake Carpenter	Mike Amyx
Judiciary	Susan Humphries	Laura Williams	Dan Osman
K-12 Education Budget	Jason Goetz	Scott Hill	Valdenia Winn
Legislative Budget (House)	Troy Waymaster	Kristey Williams	Barbara Ballard
Legislative Modernization	Patrick Penn	Jesse Borjon	Alexis Simmons
Local Government	Emil Bergquist	Doug Blex	Linda Featherston
Rules and Journal	Susan Humphries	—	Stephanie Clayton
Social Services Budget	David Buehler	Will Carpenter	Melissa Oropeza
Taxation	Adam Smith	Carl Turner	Tom Sawyer
Transportation	Shannon Francis	Robyn Essex	Henry Helgerson
Transportation and Public Safety Budget	Avery Anderson	Leah Howell	Jo Ella Hoye
Veterans and Military	Mike Thompson	Nathan Butler	Mari-Lynn Poskin
Water	Jim Minnix	Gary White	Lindsay Vaughn
Welform Reform	Francis Awerkamp	Bill Rhiley	Jarrod Ousley

Past composition

The Republican Party has controlled the Kansas House in most of Kansas History, with the Democratic control occurring less. Since 1992, the GOP has held most seats. The Democratic Party of Kansas had held most seats in the early 90s, but the party has never gained a trifecta in Kansas political history.

Notes

References

^ ^a ^b Ewing, Cortez A. M (August 1932). "Early Kansas Impeachments". Kansas Historical Quarterly. 1 (4): 307–325.
^ Kansas State Capitol, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society. (accessed July 25, 2013)
^ ^a ^b Cool Things – Legislative War Artifacts, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society, November 1997. (accessed July 25, 2013)
^ "Alfred Fairfax - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
^ 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.
^ "Kansas Legislative Research Manual Kansas Legislative Procedures," Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine March 12, 2009.
^ Kansas Legislators Past & Present-Robert Dole Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Legislative Procedure in Kansas Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Kansas Legislative Research Department, November 2006. (accessed July 24, 2013)
^ "Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman rejoins Democratic Party". Associated Press. KSHB. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.

External links

39°02′54″N 95°40′41″W / 39.04833°N 95.67806°W / 39.04833; -95.67806

[impeach-1] Ewing, Cortez A. M (August 1932). "Early Kansas Impeachments". Kansas Historical Quarterly. 1 (4): 307–325.

[2] Kansas State Capitol, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society. (accessed July 25, 2013)

[legwar-3] Cool Things – Legislative War Artifacts, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society, November 1997. (accessed July 25, 2013)

[4] "Alfred Fairfax - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved November 19, 2023.

[5] 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.

[6] "Kansas Legislative Research Manual Kansas Legislative Procedures," Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine March 12, 2009.

[7] Kansas Legislators Past & Present-Robert Dole Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

[ksmanual-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Legislative Procedure in Kansas Archived May 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Kansas Legislative Research Department, November 2006. (accessed July 24, 2013)

[9] "Kansas Rep. Aaron Coleman rejoins Democratic Party". Associated Press. KSHB. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.

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v t e Members of the Kansas House of Representatives
Speaker of the House Daniel Hawkins (R) Speaker pro tempore Blake Carpenter (R) Majority Leader Chris Croft (R) Minority Leader Brandon Woodard (D)
▌Dale Helwig (R) ▌Kenneth Collins (R) ▌Chuck Smith (R) ▌Ricky James (R) ▌Carrie Barth (R) ▌Samantha Poetter Parshall (R) ▌Dan Goddard (R) ▌Chris Croft (R) ▌Fred Gardner (R) ▌Suzanne Wikle (D) ▌Ron Bryce (R) ▌Doug Blex (R) ▌Duane Droge (R) ▌Charlotte Esau (R) ▌Lauren Bohi (R) ▌Linda Featherston (D) ▌Jo Ella Hoye (D) ▌Cindy Neighbor (D) ▌Stephanie Clayton (D) ▌Mari-Lynn Poskin (D) ▌Jerry Stogsdill (D) ▌Lindsay Vaughn (D) ▌Susan Ruiz (D) ▌Jarrod Ousley (D) ▌Rui Xu (D) ▌Chip VanHouden (R) ▌Sean Tarwater (R) ▌Carl Turner (R) ▌Heather Meyer (D) ▌Laura Williams (R) ▌Louis Ruiz (D) ▌Pam Curtis (D) ▌Mike Thompson (R) ▌Valdenia Winn (D) ▌Wanda Brownlee Paige (D) ▌Lynn Melton (D) ▌Melissa Oropeza (D) ▌Timothy H. Johnson (R) ▌Angela Stiens (R) ▌David Buehler (R) ▌Pat Proctor (R) ▌Lance Neelly (R) ▌Bill Sutton (R) ▌Barbara Ballard (D) ▌Mike Amyx (D) ▌Brooklynne Mosley (D) ▌Ronald Ellis (R) ▌Dan Osman (D) ▌Nikki McDonald (D) ▌Kyle McNorton (R) ▌Megan Steele (R) ▌Jesse Borjon (R) ▌Kirk Haskins (D) ▌Ken Corbet (R) ▌Tobias Schlingensiepen (D) ▌Virgil Weigel (D) ▌John Alcala (D) ▌Alexis Simmons (D) ▌Rebecca Schmoe (R) ▌Mark Schreiber (R) ▌Francis Awerkamp (R) ▌Sean Willcott (R) ▌Allen Reavis (R) ▌Lewis Bloom (R) ▌Shawn Chauncey (R) ▌Sydney Carlin (D) ▌Angelina Roeser (R) ▌Nathan Butler (R) ▌Clarke Sanders (R) ▌Scott Hill (R) ▌Steven Howe (R) ▌Avery Anderson (R) ▌Rick Wilborn (R) ▌Mike King (R) ▌Will Carpenter (R) ▌Bradley Barrett (R) ▌Kristey Williams (R) ▌Robyn Essex (R) ▌Webster Roth (R) ▌Bill Rhiley (R) ▌Blake Carpenter (R) ▌Leah Howell (R) ▌Henry Helgerson (D) ▌Ford Carr (D) ▌Patrick Penn (R) ▌Silas Miller (D) ▌Susan Estes (R) ▌Sandy Pickert (R) ▌KC Ohaebosim (D) ▌Steve Huebert (R) ▌Emil Bergquist (R) ▌John Carmichael (D) ▌Brian Bergkamp (R) ▌Leo Delperdang (R) ▌Tom Sawyer (D) ▌Tom Kessler (R) ▌Nick Hoheisel (R) ▌Cyndi Howerton (R) ▌Susan Humphries (R) ▌Daniel Hawkins (R) ▌Joe Seiwert (R) ▌Kyler Sweely (R) ▌Angela Martinez (D) ▌Paul Waggoner (R) ▌Jill Ward (R) ▌Lisa Moser (R) ▌Dawn Wolf (R) ▌Brandon Woodard (D) ▌Troy Waymaster (R) ▌Ken Rahjes (R) ▌Barb Wasinger (R) ▌Sherri Brantley (R) ▌Brett Fairchild (R) ▌Kevin Schwertfeger (R) ▌Gary White (R) ▌Kyle Hoffman (R) ▌Adam Turk (R) ▌Jim Minnix (R) ▌Jason Goetz (R) ▌Adam Smith (R) ▌John Resman (R) ▌Lon Pishny (R) ▌Bob Lewis (R) ▌Marty Long (R) ▌Shannon Francis (R)
▌Republican (88) ▌Democratic (37) Kansas Legislature House Senate List of past legislatures

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