---
type: "Bill"
title: "Creating a program to research the use of industrial hemp."
description: "Creating a program to research the use of industrial hemp."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ks"
legislature: "Kansas Legislature"
session: "2017-2018"
identifier: "SB 263"
citation: "Kansas SB 263 (2017-2018)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Senator Kerschen"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 28
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2018-01-08"
last_action: "2018-04-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7088338a-8531-4c11-a21c-840a27c59f72"
source_url: "http://www.kslegislature.org/li/api/v11/rev-1/bill_status/sb263"
source_hash: "04388b91dfaadb38bb586895d1405db7af6558fa6b7676361caabaf4caacdab5"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ks"]
---

# Kansas SB 263 (2017-2018) — Creating a program to research the use of industrial hemp.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **As introduced** (filed) — [source](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/sb263_00_0000.pdf)
2. **As Amended by House Committee** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/sb263_03_0000.pdf)
3. **As Amended by Senate Committee** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/sb263_01_0000.pdf)
4. **Enrolled - Law effective May 03, 2018** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/sb263_enrolled.pdf)
5. **{As Amended by Senate Committee of the Whole}** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/sb263_02_0000.pdf)

## Votes

- Final Action - Passed as amended; — **123–1** (pass) · legislature
- Final Action - Passed as amended; — **36–3** (pass) · legislature
- Concurred with amendments; — **40–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Senator Kerschen — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2018-01-08** Prefiled for Introduction on Friday, January 05, 2018 `filing`
- **2018-01-08** Introduced `introduction`
- **2018-01-09** Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2018-01-10** Hearing continuation: Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 08:30 AM Room 159-S
- **2018-01-10** Hearing: Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 08:30 AM Room 159-S
- **2018-02-01** Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Now working on
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Senator Kerschen `amendment-introduction`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Senator Kerschen was adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Senator Fitzgerald `amendment-introduction`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Senator Fitzgerald was adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Motion to Amend - Offered by Senator Rogers `amendment-introduction`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Amendment by Senator Rogers was adopted `amendment-passage`
- **2018-02-21** Committee of the Whole - Be passed as further amended `passage`
- **2018-02-22** Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea: 36 Nay: 3 `passage`
- **2018-02-22** Received and Introduced `introduction`
- **2018-02-28** Referred to Committee on Agriculture `referral-committee`
- **2018-03-07** Hearing: Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 03:30 PM Room 582-N
- **2018-03-21** Committee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by Committee on Agriculture `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2018-03-27** Committee of the Whole - Now working on
- **2018-03-27** Committee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
- **2018-03-27** Committee of the Whole - Be passed as amended `passage`
- **2018-03-28** Final Action - Passed as amended; Yea: 123 Nay: 1 `passage`
- **2018-04-07** Motion to suspend Joint Rule 4 (k) to allow consideration adopted;
- **2018-04-07** Concurred with amendments; Yea: 40 Nay: 0
- **2018-04-26** Enrolled and presented to Governor on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 `executive-receipt`
- **2018-04-26** Approved by Governor on Friday, April 20, 2018 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7088338a-8531-4c11-a21c-840a27c59f72`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kansas legislature records).