A few hot-button issues will come to the forefront as Kansas lawmakers head into Week 3 of the 2016 session.

First up will be a bill to reform marijuana laws. The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee is set to take final action on a bill that would lower the penalties for first and second time possession charges; allow for the medical use of hemp oil to treat certain seizure disorders; and authorize the Kansas Department of Agriculture to research industrial uses of hemp.

That bill passed the House last year. An affirmative vote Tuesday would send it to the full Senate for consideration.

That may be the closest thing to measurable action that happens in the Statehouse this week as the 2016 session continues to get off to a rather slow start. The big issues that will make headlines later – the budget; taxes; school finance; and what, if anything, to do about the state’s mental hospitals – are still the subject of informational hearings in which lawmakers are still gathering information.

In addition, two Senate committees plan to get briefings this week on a couple of the more high profile judicial decisions that have been handed down recently.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will review the Kansas Supreme Court’s recent decision in Solomon vs. Kansas, in which the court said lawmakers violated the separation of powers doctrine by passing a bill that changes the way chief judges in district courts are selected.

Already, whenever that case has been mentioned, a few conservatives have commented aloud that they hope the Supreme Court keeps that separation of powers doctrine in mind when they consider other cases – a not-so-subtle reference to the ongoing school finance lawsuit, in which plaintiffs are seeking a court order for lawmakers to appropriate more money for public schools.

Also on Thursday, the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee will review the current status of the death penalty cases against Jonathan and Reginald Carr, two brothers convicted and condemned for a gruesome quadruple homicide in Wichita in December 2000.

In 2014, the Kansas Supreme Court vacated their death sentences, igniting a political firestorm that nearly resulted in two justices not being retained for another term. But last week, the U.S. Supreme Court, in an 8-1 ruling, reversed the Kansas court and remanded the case back for further proceedings.

Meanwhile, lawmakers do plan to debate a couple of gun bills that are sure to stir controversy. Around the same time the Senate panel is voting on the marijuana bill, the House Federal and State Affairs Committee will open a hearing on a bill authorizing the possession of air guns on school property.

That would be the low-power BB and pellet guns typically used by youngsters for target practice and basic gun safety training.

House Bill 2468 would prohibit school districts from adopting policies that ban organizations from conducting activities in school that involve the use of air guns. Nor could they prohibit students who are members of those organizations from possessing an air gun at school.

On Thursday, meanwhile, the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee will conduct a hearing on Senate Bill 331, the “Kansas Firearms Industry Nondiscrimination Act.” It would make it unlawful for any person or business to refuse to provide goods or services to anyone solely because they are a federally licensed firearms dealer.

That bill, by the way, does not contain a “religious freedom” exception.

Another somewhat peculiar bill is coming up Wednesday in the House Elections Committee. It would change the way ballots are designed by removing the name of the city in which candidates for state offices reside.