The Senate chamber of the Kansas Statehouse is pictured July 23, 2014 in Topeka.

Topeka ? People involved in altercations with law enforcement officers, as well as their families and attorneys, would have greater access to video recordings from police body and video cameras under a bill the Kansas Senate passed on Thursday.

House Bill 2571 passed 40-0 but now goes back to the House because of changes the Senate made to the original House bill.

Under current law, people involved in incidents with law enforcement, as well as their heirs and attorneys, can request to view or listen to those recordings, and law enforcement agencies are required to provide them access to the recordings.

But current law does not specify how long agencies can wait before providing access to the videos.

The bill mandates that agencies provide that access within 20 days from a request.

It was introduced by a Topeka lawmaker in the wake of a fatal shooting in that city in September 2017, when police shot and killed 30-year-old Dominique White.

In its original form, the bill would have required release of those videos within 24 hours of a request, or five days if the video depicted the discharge of a firearm or the injury or death of another person.

It also would have expanded the list of people eligible to request access to a video to include anyone with written permission from a next of kin of a deceased person who is the subject of the video. It would have required agencies to redact certain material from the recordings, such as graphic images, nudity or images that would identify confidential sources.

But those provisions were stricken out in a House committee. The bill now only extends the time limit for disclosure to 20 days and clarifies that an attorney for an heir of a deceased person could also request access to the videos.

The Senate made a slight change from the House version by clarifying the procedure for requesting access. The House can either concur with the amendment or request a conference committee.

Compensation for wrongly convicted

A bill that would authorize compensation to people wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for felonies in Kansas is now on its way to a conference committee.

The Senate on Thursday gave final passage to House Bill 2579, which authorizes payments of $50,000 for each year those individuals spent behind bars, plus another $25,000 for each year they spent on parole or post-release supervision.

The bill also would authorize certain nonmonetary compensation such as tuition assistance to complete a college degree, state-funded health insurance for up to two years, counseling, housing assistance and personal financial literacy assistance.

The bill passed the Senate on a 40-0 vote. It now goes back to the House because of changes made to the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The House could vote to concur in those changes or request a conference committee.

Automatic beer dispensers

People who get impatient waiting for a waitress or bartender to bring them their next beer may soon have another option in Kansas, and they may be able to get that drink earlier in the day.

The state Senate on Thursday passed and sent to the House a bill that would allow bars, restaurants and other establishments licensed to sell alcohol to install automated, self-service beer dispensing machines that can dispense a 32-ounce glass of beer.

Under Senate Bill 433, customers would still have to pay the establishment by purchasing an access card that would be used to activate the machine. They would also have to show a photo ID to prove they are at least 21 years old.

Each card could only hold enough credit to buy one drink from the machine, but they also could be reactivated by paying for another drink.

Kansas already allows self-service machines to dispense 15-ounce glasses of wine.

The bill authorizing beer dispensing machines was requested by a group of entrepreneurs in Topeka who want to start an establishment that would showcase beers from Kansas breweries.

In addition to authorizing the self-service machines, the bill also authorizes drinking establishments to begin serving at 6 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. Supporters of that provision said it was intended for the convenience of people who work night shifts and want a drink after work, as well as people who want to drink while watching international sports events on television.

The bill passed on a vote of 37-3. Democratic Sens. Marci Francisco, of Lawrence, and Tom Holland, of Baldwin City, both voted yes.