The Kansas Senate endorsed a measure Wednesday that would transfer power over noxious weed classification from the Legislature to the secretary of agriculture and an advisory board.

The bill creates a task force that will be responsible for recommending which highly invasive plants are placed on the state’s noxious weed list and suggesting methods for eradicating those plants. There are currently 12 plants on Kansas’ list, all of which were affirmed by a vote of the Legislature.

If the bill becomes law, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture can only place a species on the list based on a recommendation by the task force or in the event of an emergency infestation.

Versions of House Bill 2853 have been considered by lawmakers for three years, said Sen. Dan Kerschen, a Republican from Garden Plain and chairman of the Senate Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee. He said it hit roadblocks because of concerns over methods used to eradicate those plants and effects the chemicals used could have on the environment and organic farming.