Kansas Bills | MyRepTracker

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2616: Providing that the law enforcement officers memorial advisory committee may receive requests from a Kansas law enforcement agency for the Kansas highway patrol and the Kansas bureau of investigation to provide temporary personal and other assistance in support of funeral services honoring law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the service of the state.

HB 2616 allows Kansas law enforcement agencies to request temporary support from the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) and Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) for funeral services honoring officers who died in the line of duty. The law enforcement officers memorial advisory committee will receive these requests and coordinate the temporary assignment of KHP or KBI personnel and resources. This provision specifically applies to funeral services for officers who lost their lives while serving the state. The bill amends existing law to formalize this coordination process without creating new funding or permanent staffing.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2654: Prohibiting past sanctions for failure to comply with a traffic citation that are more than five years old from being considered by courts or the division of vehicles in determining suspended or restricted driving privileges and eliminating certain notice requirements for the division of vehicles related to suspended or restricted drivers' licenses.

HB 2654 modifies Kansas law to prevent courts and the Division of Vehicles from considering traffic citation non-compliance (like unpaid fines or missed court appearances) older than five years when deciding on license suspensions or restrictions. It also eliminates specific notice requirements that courts must send to drivers about license suspension actions. This change ensures drivers with unresolved traffic violations from more than five years ago cannot face license penalties based on those outdated cases. The bill streamlines the process by removing redundant administrative steps for the Division of Vehicles.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2631: Increasing the extent of property tax exemption from the statewide school levy for residential property.

HB 2631 increases the property tax exemption for residential homeowners in Kansas, raising the amount exempt from the statewide school levy from $75,000 to $125,000 of a property's appraised value. This change directly affects Kansas homeowners with residential properties who pay school taxes. The bill amends existing law to apply this higher exemption starting in 2027, reducing their taxable value for school funding purposes. The exemption applies to all taxable years beginning in 2027 and beyond.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✗ Education

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2636: Establishing requirements for the development, construction, modification, maintenance, operation and decommissioning of certain industrial energy facilities and providing jurisdiction to the state corporation commission to control and permit such development, construction, modification, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of such facilities.

HB 2636 regulates large-scale industrial energy facilities in Kansas, including wind, solar, and battery storage systems with a capacity of one megawatt or more. It requires facility owners to register with the State Corporation Commission (SCC), obtain SCC permits before new construction or expansion, and submit detailed decommissioning plans with financial assurance. The bill shifts permitting authority from county commissions (which can initially approve or deny projects) to the SCC for final approval, while establishing minimum setback distances and requiring agricultural mitigation protocols. It directly affects energy developers, facility owners, and landowners near proposed sites, particularly through the new protest process for county permitting decisions. The law aims to standardize oversight of these facilities’ full lifecycle, from construction to decommissioning, to address statewide environmental and land-use concerns.

Topics ✓ Environment

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 500: Creating the Kansas public employees retirement system cost-of-living adjustment commission, prescribing powers and duties of the commission and establishing procedures of the legislature relating to the annual cost-of-living adjustment rate recommended by the commission.

SB 500 creates a 13-member commission to determine annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Kansas public employee retirees. The commission, appointed by legislative leaders and retirement system representatives, must study retirement benefits and recommend a COLA rate to the legislature by December 1, 2026, for implementation starting January 1, 2028. If the legislature does not pass legislation adopting the recommended rate within 30 days of the next session, the previous rate remains in effect. This bill directly affects current and future retirees across multiple systems, including state employees, police/fire, judges, and school district workers, by establishing a formal process for adjusting their retirement benefits.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2625: Requiring rural water districts to award certain contracts through a public letting process.

HB 2625 requires Kansas rural water districts to use public bidding for contracts exceeding $25,000 related to building, installing, or replacing water infrastructure like pipelines, pump stations, or facilities. Districts must provide 20 days' notice via newspaper or posted notices in the service area before awarding such contracts. Exceptions include emergency repairs (based on public health/safety), professional services, and insurance purchases. This directly affects rural water districts' procurement process for major capital projects.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 461: Requiring offenders convicted of distribution of a controlled substance causing great bodily harm or death to register under the Kansas offender registration act.

SB 461 requires individuals convicted of distributing a controlled substance that causes great bodily harm or death to register under Kansas' offender registration act for 15 years. This new requirement applies specifically to drug distributors whose actions resulted in serious injury or death, expanding the existing registration categories beyond sex and violent offenders. The bill amends Kansas statutes (22-4902 and 22-4906) to add "drug offender" as a classification for those convicted under these specific circumstances. It does not change registration terms for other offender types but establishes a mandatory 15-year registration period for this new category.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2707: Modifying the definition of abuse in the protection from abuse act to include certain acts or threats related to pets and specifying that courts may include orders relating to pets in protection from abuse act orders.

This Kansas bill (HB 2707) expands the definition of "abuse" under the Protection from Abuse Act to include intentionally harming, threatening, or causing injury to a pet to control, punish, intimidate, or distress a partner or household member. It also allows courts to include specific orders about pet custody and protection in existing protection orders. The bill directly affects individuals in abusive relationships where pets are used as tools of control, such as when an abuser threatens or harms a pet to coerce a victim. Key mechanisms include adding new provisions to the law defining abuse (Section 1) and creating specific court orders for pet-related safety (Sections 10-11 of K.S.A. 60-3107).

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2666: Requiring certain disclosures to be made to prospective tenants and providing restrictions on fees for the late payment of rent under the residential landlord and tenant act.

HB 2666 modifies Kansas' residential landlord-tenant law by limiting late rent fees and requiring upfront disclosures to prospective tenants. Landlords may charge no more than 5% of rent as a late fee (with no compounding fees) and must provide tenants a 5-day grace period before charging. It also mandates landlords to disclose in writing key details to applicants, including estimated rent, fee types, availability dates, and eligibility criteria (like credit or criminal history). Violations release tenants from agreements without penalty and require landlords to refund all payments plus an equal penalty amount. This directly affects Kansas landlords and renters in rental housing transactions.

Topics ✓ Housing

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2662: Enacting the student safety and awareness act to require school districts to designate a month during the school year as student safety and awareness month and to provide educational programs for students on the dangers and effects of fentanyl use, personal safety and awareness and social media literacy, safety and responsibility during such designated month.

HB 2662 requires Kansas public school districts to designate one month annually as "Student Safety and Awareness Month" and implement age-appropriate educational programs for students. These programs must cover fentanyl/substance abuse risks, personal safety boundaries, social media literacy, and digital citizenship, with content tailored to grade levels (e.g., basic internet safety for K-5, bullying prevention for 6-8, dating safety for 9-12). Schools may integrate these topics into existing health or social studies classes and cannot require new staff or funding, though parents may opt their children out of specific sessions. The law mandates annual reporting to the state board, with a state model to be developed by July 2027.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 483: Requiring all legislators and the spouses of legislators who are in leadership positions to disclose the amount of any salary they receive paid by public funds, providing that such information be published on the legislative website and requiring such information be provided in statements of substantial interest.

SB 483 requires Kansas legislators in leadership positions (such as Senate President or House Speaker) and their spouses to publicly disclose all salaries paid by public funds. This includes the position title, the public entity paying the salary, and the annual amount, which must be published on the legislative website and included in their "statements of substantial interest." The bill updates existing ethics rules to mandate this disclosure annually by January 15, with audits focusing on leadership members' accuracy. It does not apply to all legislators, only those in defined leadership roles and their spouses.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 512: Removing the eight-week return to work expectation from the definition of temporary unemployment, excluding payments under compliant employer-sponsored supplemental unemployment benefit plans from the definition of wages and removing the negative debt write-off and forgiveness mechanism that conditionally moved employers to rate groups N11 for three years and the related option to avoid a negative debt write-off through voluntary contributions.

SB 512 revises Kansas' unemployment insurance rules by removing an eight-week requirement for temporary unemployment claims, eliminating an eight-week cap on such claims, and ending the secretary's authority to grant extensions. It excludes payments from compliant employer-sponsored unemployment benefit plans from being counted as "wages" for contribution calculations and removes a mechanism that previously allowed employers to avoid negative debt write-offs through voluntary contributions. The bill also prohibits charging employers in ready-mixed concrete and certain construction industries for benefit costs arising from temporary layoffs. These changes primarily affect employers (especially in specified industries) and unemployment claimants by simplifying eligibility rules and altering how employer contributions are determined.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✓ Labor & Employment