Stop House Bill (HB) 2717
House Bill (HB) 2717 was introduced in the Kansas legislature by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt shortly after the passage on February 10th by the Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners of the Safe and Welcoming City Act. The Safe and Welcoming Act will provide a municipal photo ID to the thousands of residents of Wyandotte County who have no ID and to others who would like an ID showing they live in Wyandotte County. The ordinance also strictly limits Unified Government employees including police from compromising public trust in them by cooperating with ICE unless they are presented with a judicial warrant or the public safety is at risk. HB 2717 seeks to prevent Wyandotte County from implementing the Safe and Welcoming Act fully, and represents a threat to all Kansas communities that wish to implement local policy without interference from state officials.
Can you join me and write a letter? Click here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/stophb2717
See the letter below to Ryckman. (Please write a letter to Ryckman)
Dear Rep. Ryckman,
I am writing you to appeal that you not put HB2717 on the House agenda for a vote. This bill not only aims to preempt the Safe and welcoming Act in Wyandotte County, but also will affect other cities in Kansas that have enacted policies that direct law enforcement to prioritize public safety and local and state law enforcement.
These municipalities, like the Unified Government of Kansas City and Wyandotte
County, have been working to encourage victims of crime to report them and work with the police. This bill undermines these attempts to build trust.
Also, despite the strong anti-discrimination clause, HB 2717 may initiate a new enthusiasm among local law enforcement to enforce federal law, for which law enforcement to enforce federal law, for which they are untrained and unfunded. This will put our children at risk of losing parents, our workplaces short of workers, and our municipalities at risk of false imprisonment law suits.
law enforcement to enforce federal law, for which they are untrained and unfunded. This will
Meanwhile, crimes will be unreported and communities will be less safe.
You have certainly heard from some of our business leaders who fear that HB 2717 alone will roll up the welcome mat and cause whole families of both unauthorized immigrants and citizens to leave for another state which works to welcome the. This could particularly affect our fame and cattle industry as well as meatpacking that are all so dependent on immigrant labor.
By putting HB2717 to a vote, you will also risk opening the bill to amendments that could seriously damage our economy. We respectfully ask you to leave it on the table in favor of more urgent legislation.
HB2717 Below: