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. 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.
In 1870, the Kansas House of Representatives first met at the Kansas State Capitol, which was not officially completed until 1903.Kansas State Capitol, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society. (accessed July 25, 2013)
Populists and Republicans both claimed control of the Kansas House of Representatives in 1893, with the Populists accusing the Republican Party of election fraud.Cool Things – Legislative War Artifacts, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society, November 1997. (accessed July 25, 2013) 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.
In 1888, Alfred B. Fairfax became the first African American elected to the House. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Immigration.
In 1918, Minnie J. Grinstead became the first female elected to the House.
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."Kansas Legislative Research Manual Kansas Legislative Procedures," March 12, 2009.
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.Kansas Legislators Past & Present-Robert Dole
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.Legislative Procedure in Kansas , Kansas Legislative Research Department, November 2006. (accessed July 24, 2013) Other state representatives can amend a bill in committee or on the floor of the chamber.
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. State legislators can override the veto with the support of two-thirds majority of both houses.
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:
AffiliationParty (Shading indicates majority caucus)TotalVacantRepublicanDemocraticIndependentBegin 2021863811250End 20223902023–2024854001250Begin 2025883701250March 1, 2026Republican John Resman (District 121) died. 871241Latest voting share
Leadership The Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives is the leader of the chamber and is elected by his fellow state representatives. The speaker presides over the legislative process on the floor of the chamber or appoints a presiding officer. The speaker decides the committee structure. 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 Courtney Sappington Republican Baldwin City 2025 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 2022 30 Laura Williams Republican Lenexa 2022 31 Louis Ruiz Democratic Kansas City 2004 32 Pam Curtis Democratic Kansas City 2014 33 Carolyn Caiharr Republican Edwardsville 2025 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 Greg Wilson Republican Abilene 2025 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 Steven Brunk Republican Wichita 2025 86 Abi Boatman Democratic Wichita 2026 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 Mike Storm Republican Olathe 2026 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