Kansas Bills

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 341: Providing requirements for agreements between a school district and a postsecondary educational institution for the provision of postsecondary courses taught in secondary schools.

SB 341 requires community colleges and technical colleges to follow specific financial rules when partnering with school districts to offer college courses in high schools. Starting July 1, 2026, these institutions must directly pay for instructional materials not provided by schools, pay school districts a set teaching fee (based on credit hours) that must go to the teacher as a salary supplement, and treat site coordinators as contractors with direct payment. The bill affects school districts, high school teachers, and community/technical colleges by standardizing payment structures for these dual-enrollment courses. It sets clear "standard amounts" for teaching and coordination services, adjusted annually for inflation, and applies to all new or renegotiated agreements after 2026. Existing agreements before that date remain unaffected.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2430: Enacting the insurance savings account act, allowing individuals and corporations to establish insurance savings accounts with certain financial institutions, providing eligible expenses, requirements and restrictions for such accounts and establishing addition and subtraction modifications under the Kansas income tax act.

HB 2430 creates "insurance savings accounts" in Kansas, allowing individuals and corporations to save money tax-advantagedly for insurance costs. Account holders can use funds to pay insurance premiums and deductibles for qualifying coverage (like auto or home insurance) starting January 1, 2027, with annual contribution limits of $6,000 for individuals, $12,000 for married couples, and $25,000 for corporations. Withdrawals for non-eligible expenses trigger tax recapture, adding the amount to Kansas adjusted gross income. The bill modifies Kansas income tax rules to allow these accounts as a deduction, while financial institutions aren’t required to track account usage or verify eligible expenses.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 339: Requiring school districts to provide elementary students with a certain amount of daily recess, prohibiting limiting or withholding recess for disciplinary reasons, requiring a Kansas state fitness test and designating required recess time as part of the school term.

SB 339 requires Kansas public school districts to provide at least 30 minutes of daily organized recess for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. This recess time is designated as part of the school term, meaning it counts toward the state's minimum school hour requirements (465 hours for kindergarten, 1,116 hours for grades 1-11). The bill amends Kansas Statute 72-3115 to explicitly include recess as part of the school term and repeals the previous version of the law. It applies directly to all Kansas public school districts serving students in grades K-5.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 302: Requiring school districts to prohibit the use of personal electronic communication devices during instructional time and prohibiting any employee of a school district from using social media to directly communicate with any student for official school purposes.

SB 302 requires Kansas public and nonpublic K-12 schools to ban student use of personal electronic devices (like phones, tablets, or smartwatches) during instructional time, with exceptions for students with individualized education plans (IEPs) or medical needs approved by a physician. It also prohibits school staff from using social media platforms (such as Instagram or TikTok) to directly message students for official school business, allowing only public, one-way communications on approved platforms. Schools must adopt written policies by 2026 and certify compliance by September 1, 2026, covering enforcement procedures and student device storage requirements. The law applies to all on-campus instructional time but excludes virtual schools.

Topics ✗ Education

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2517: Providing countywide retailers' sales tax authority for Leavenworth county for the purposes of furnishing, equipping, improving and maintaining county-supported emergency management operations.

HB 2517 would allow Leavenworth County to impose a countywide sales tax on retail purchases, subject to voter approval, to fund the equipment, improvements, and maintenance of emergency management operations. The bill amends Kansas law to specifically grant Leavenworth County this authority, aligning it with existing provisions for other counties using such taxes for public safety purposes. This tax would require voter approval through a petition signed by 10% of county voters or resolutions from cities within the county, as per current law. Revenue generated would be dedicated exclusively to emergency management needs, such as emergency response equipment and facility upkeep.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2523: Authorizing technical colleges and community colleges to affiliate with Kansas universities or colleges, authorizing state educational institutions to affiliate with accredited independent institutions and providing procedures for such affiliations.

HB 2523 allows Kansas technical colleges, community colleges, and state universities to form formal partnerships with Kansas universities or accredited independent institutions. It directly affects Kansas public colleges, technical schools, and qualifying private institutions by creating standardized procedures for these affiliations. Key provisions include allowing institutions to change their official designations in legal documents, transferring operational powers and responsibilities to the partnering institution, and establishing rules for faculty, staff, and student transitions during the affiliation. The bill also ensures continuity for existing contracts, legal actions, and debt obligations during the partnership process.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2526: Establishing restrictions on the use of step therapy protocols by health insurance plans.

HB 2526 prevents health insurance plans in Kansas from requiring patients with advanced, metastatic cancer to fail on or have a history of failure with other drugs before covering FDA-approved prescription medications. It directly affects cancer patients and their insurers by banning step therapy protocols for treatments aligned with medical best practices and supported by evidence-based research. The bill applies only to drugs approved by the FDA for advanced cancer or related conditions, ensuring insurers cannot delay coverage for medically appropriate treatments. This policy change aims to reduce unnecessary treatment delays for patients facing serious illness. The bill is currently in committee after introduction on January 23, 2026.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 362: Requiring the office of each state officer to keep and maintain records of information concerning all travel locations and expenses of the state officer that were paid or reimbursed by the state during each fiscal year and provide such records of information upon request by a member of the public.

SB 362 requires Kansas state officers - including the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and insurance commissioner - to maintain detailed records of all state-paid or reimbursed travel locations and expenses for each fiscal year. These records must be made available to the public upon request, overriding any existing laws that might restrict disclosure of such information. The bill directly affects state officers' offices by mandating transparent record-keeping and public access to travel spending data. It focuses on concrete policy changes: standardized documentation and immediate public access, without altering travel policies or budgets.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 333: Prohibiting the use of fluoride additives in public water supplies.

SB 333 prohibits the addition of fluoride to public water supplies in Kansas. It amends Kansas statutes (including K.S.A. 65-171m) to explicitly state that no drinking water standard may require fluoride addition, removing fluoridation as an option for water districts. The bill affects all public water systems serving residents, eliminating the current process where boards could fluoridate water after public notice or voter approval. Key provisions repeal existing language allowing fluoridation and require water systems to comply with standards that do not mandate fluoride. This change directly alters how public water systems manage water treatment.

Topics ✗ Healthcare

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2538: Providing an exception to criminal liability when a defendant has a mental disease or defect so as not to know the nature of the act or that such act was wrong.

HB 2538 modifies Kansas criminal law to clarify when a defendant with a mental illness may avoid criminal liability. It establishes two specific defenses: if the defendant couldn't understand their actions' nature/wrongfulness due to mental illness, or lacked the required mental state for the crime. The bill requires defendants to formally notify prosecutors before trial if using this defense and mandates juries to answer special questions when acquitting based on mental illness. If a defendant is found not guilty due to mental illness, the court must commit them to a secure facility for evaluation and potential treatment, with victim notification required. This directly affects criminal defendants claiming mental illness as a defense in Kansas courts.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2516: Providing for the qualifications of regular and provisional appraisers and allowing for the appointment of such appraisers to serve as county appraisers.

HB 2516 updates Kansas law governing county appraiser qualifications. It creates a temporary "provisional" appointment path for individuals without full certification, requiring them to complete a state-approved training course within two years to become a certified regular appraiser. The bill directly affects current and future county appraisers, requiring all appointees to hold specific certifications (like a registered mass appraiser or certified general appraiser) or complete the training to retain their position. Key provisions include setting clear certification standards, establishing a two-year timeline for provisional appraisers to complete training, and specifying that all required courses must be developed by the director of property valuation or approved by the Kansas real estate appraisal board. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2483: Enacting the transparency and reform of utility expenditures act.

HB 2483 requires the Kansas State Corporation Commission to submit annual reports to the legislature by January 31, detailing electric transmission projects, their costs, and impacts on customer rates. It mandates competitive bidding for large transmission lines (300+ kilovolts) directed by regional organizations and prohibits support for regional transmission plans that don’t benefit Kansas or give other states disproportionate advantages. The bill also requires weekly public notice of stakeholder meetings involving utility rate matters and limits commission staff employment with utilities for one year after leaving office. These provisions aim to increase transparency in utility spending and ensure ratepayer impacts are considered before major transmission projects proceed.

Bill results