Kansas SB 478: Defining benefit year, temporary unemployment and other terms in the employment security law, requiring electronic filing for certain employers, establishing qualifications for employment security board of review candidates, extending the deadline for new accounts following business acquisitions, making certain changes to the employer rate schedules, enabling employers to report claimant work search issues, confirming legislative coordinating council oversight for the new unemployment insurance information technology system implementation, authorizing the secretary to grant temporary unemployment, requiring the secretary to annually publish certain data and abolishing the employment security interest assessment fund.

Bill Text

As Amended by Senate Committee
Session of 2026
SENATE BILL No. 478
By Senators Corson and Claeys
2-4
AN ACT concerning crimes, punishment and criminal procedure; relating
to crimes against persons utilities; relating to utility facilities and
employees; increasing the criminal penalties for assault or battery of a
utility or communications employee; creating a maximum length of
time for agreements authorizing law enforcement agencies to install
certain equipment on utility poles or other structures and providing
certain exceptions thereto; providing that evidence collected by such
equipment is not admissible in legal proceedings under certain
circumstances; amending K.S.A. 21-5412 and 60-5402 and K.S.A.
2025 Supp. 21-5413 and repealing the existing sections.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. K.S.A. 21-5412 is hereby amended to read as follows: 21-
5412. (a) Assault is knowingly placing another person in reasonable
apprehension of immediate bodily harm;
(b) Aggravated assault is assault, as defined in subsection (a),
committed:
(1) With a deadly weapon;
(2) while disguised in any manner designed to conceal identity; or
(3) with intent to commit any felony.
(c) Assault of a law enforcement officer is assault, as defined in
subsection (a), committed against:
(1) A uniformed or properly identified state, county or city law
enforcement officer while such officer is engaged in the performance of
such officer's duty;
(2) a uniformed or properly identified university or campus police
officer while such officer is engaged in the performance of such officer's
duty; or
(3) a uniformed or properly identified federal law enforcement officer
as defined in K.S.A. 21-5413, and amendments thereto, while such officer
is engaged in the performance of such officer's duty.
(d) Aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer is assault of a law
enforcement officer, as defined in subsection (c), committed:
(1) With a deadly weapon;
(2) while disguised in any manner designed to conceal identity; or
(3) with intent to commit any felony.
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SB 478—Am. by SC 2
(e) Assault of a utility or communications employee is assault, as
defined in subsection (a), committed against a utility or communications
employee, contractor or subcontractor of an entity that provides
electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater, telecommunications services or
internet access services while such employee, contractor or subcontractor
is engaged in such employee's, contractor's or subcontractor's duties.
(f) (1) Assault is a class C person misdemeanor.
(2) Aggravated assault is a severity level 7, person felony.
(3) Assault of a law enforcement officer is a class A person
misdemeanor.
(4) Aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer is a severity level
6, person felony. A person convicted of aggravated assault of a law
enforcement officer shall be subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 21-
6804(g), and amendments thereto.
(5) Assault of a utility or communications employee is a class B
person misdemeanor.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 21-5413 is hereby amended to read as
follows: 21-5413. (a) Battery is:
(1) Knowingly or recklessly causing bodily harm to another person;
or
(2) knowingly causing physical contact with another person when
done in a rude, insulting or angry manner.
(b) Aggravated battery is:
(1) (A) Knowingly causing great bodily harm to another person or
disfigurement of another person;
(B) knowingly causing bodily harm to another person with a deadly
weapon, or in any manner whereby great bodily harm, disfigurement or
death can be inflicted; or
(C) knowingly causing physical contact with another person when
done in a rude, insulting or angry manner with a deadly weapon, or in any
manner whereby great bodily harm, disfigurement or death can be
inflicted;
(2) (A) recklessly causing great bodily harm to another person or
disfigurement of another person;
(B) recklessly causing bodily harm to another person with a deadly
weapon, or in any manner whereby great bodily harm, disfigurement or
death can be inflicted; or
(3) (A) committing an act described in K.S.A. 8-1567, and
amendments thereto, when great bodily harm to another person or
disfigurement of another person results from such act; or
(B) committing an act described in K.S.A. 8-1567, and amendments
thereto, when bodily harm to another person results from such act under
circumstances whereby great bodily harm, disfigurement or death can
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SB 478—Am. by SC 3
result from such act; or
(4) committing an act described in K.S.A. 8-1567, and amendments
thereto, when great bodily harm to another person or disfigurement of
another person results from such act while:
(A) In violation of any restriction imposed on such person's driving
privileges pursuant to artic