Kansas legislation banning DeepSeek passes to state Senate after swell of support in House
March 11, 2025 | Allison Muzzy
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association.
TOPEKA — A bill seeking to ban DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot, from state devices has advanced in the Kansas Legislature.
HB 2313 passed the House, 95-27, on March 7, after an amendment made by bill sponsor, Kansas Rep. Nick Hoheisel (R-Wichita). The bill was introduced in the Senate on Monday.
ICYMI: DeepSeek: The Chinese AI app that has the world talking
The amendment narrows the language of the bill by removing the phrase, “All state agencies shall prohibit the installation of any application that allows users to access an artificial intelligence platform of concern on any electronic device that is issued by the state agency,” in the bill text.
“We think that might be a little too broad, that would prohibit us having browsers on our laptops because you access DeepSeek through a browser, so we’re just going to simply strike that language to narrow this bill down a bit,” Hoheisel said during House proceedings.
Before passing, two lawmakers voiced their opposition to the bill.
Wichita Democratic Reps. John Carmichael and Ford Carr expressed concerns about the bill being a symbolic gesture to align with the Trump administration, rather than to address cybersecurity and national security issues.
“When it comes to matters of national security, cyber intelligence, cybersecurity, there are experts in that field,” Carmichael said during House proceedings. “Those experts are at the federal government level, and they can impose various safeguards on a national basis but our amateur attempts to do cyber security, in my judgment, are embarrassing.”
Allison Muzzy is a junior at the University of Kansas studying journalism, political science, public policy and East Asian languages and cultures.
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Confused about Tuesday’s KCI airport vote? Here’s the breakdown
Update: The votes are in! And turnout was high for a mid-term election! Check out Startland’s coverage of Tuesday’s KCI airport vote by clicking here. After more than five years of deal-making and debate, the time has come for Kansas City, Missouri, voters to decide the fate of the city’s current 45-year-old airport. On the…
GEW hopes to spark innovation, connections among entrepreneurs
Global Entrepreneurship Week is about helping businesses that start in Kansas City stay in Kansas City, Jenny Miller said. And it’s for more than the traditional “startup” crowd, the network builder at KCSourceLink said. “GEWKC connects people who may not identify as ‘entrepreneurs’ – those who may think of themselves as makers, creators, freelancers, artists,…
Hip hop entrepreneur: Rap stardom isn’t the only way to a paycheck
Music is everything, Kartez Marcel said. It’s an avenue to express anger and hurt in a positive way. It’s a way to heal. And for aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s an opportunity to earn a paycheck even if they aren’t destined for on-stage superstardom, said Marcel, a Kansas City rapper and hip hop industry mentor. “Everybody wants…
FAQ: Is it all hype? Tunneling into Missouri’s chances for Hyperloop
Virgin Hyperloop One might seem like a pipe dream. But the prospect of Kansas Citians reaching St. Louis in only 23 minutes is more realistic than many think. In fact, according to recent reports, Missouri has at least a 20 percent chance at landing Hyperloop, a yet-to-be-realized transportation system that moves people and freight at…