HB 2473 would require all individuals to be 18 years old or older to give consent for marriage, eliminating current exceptions that allowed 15-year-olds to marry with a judge's approval and 16- or 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent. The bill also adjusts the three-day waiting period for marriage licenses to exclude Sundays, holidays, and days when the clerk's office is closed. This change would prevent minors under 18 from obtaining a marriage license under the existing exceptions. The bill was introduced on January 20, 2026, and referred to the Committee on Federal and State Affairs.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 1619 proposes to amend the Kansas Constitution to lower the property tax assessment rate for residential real estate and mobile homes from 11.5% to 9%. This change would directly affect homeowners and mobile home residents by reducing the percentage of their property's market value used to calculate their tax liability. The bill requires a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers and subsequent approval by state voters to take effect.
SB 372, the App Store Accountability Act, requires app stores operating in Kansas to verify the age of users and obtain parental consent for minors (under 18) before they can download apps, purchase apps, or make in-app purchases. It directly affects app stores (like Apple App Store or Google Play), developers, parents, and minors in Kansas. Key provisions include mandatory age verification at account creation, requiring parental consent for minors' app activities, and notifying parents of "significant changes" to apps (like new ads or in-app purchases). The law enforces these rules through Kansas consumer protection laws and allows affected individuals to file private lawsuits for violations.
HB 2417 modifies Kansas law to give the state bank commissioner authority to revoke a charter for a technology-enabled fiduciary financial institution (TEFFI) if it fails to comply with regulations. However, the commissioner cannot finalize the revocation without approval from the legislative coordinating council, which must vote unanimously in favor. This bill directly affects TEFFIs - specialized financial institutions managing alternative assets like private investments through digital custody accounts - and adds a legislative review step to the revocation process. The law amends existing sections of the TEFFI Act to formalize this two-step procedure.
SB 381 requires Kansas public, private, and parochial schools to teach students in grades K-12 about communist and socialist regimes and ideologies through state-developed curriculum. It also mandates that all students entering grade 9 in 2026 or later pass a 100-question American civics exam - modeled after the U.S. citizenship test - to graduate high school. The exam can be taken starting in grade 7, with retakes allowed, and accommodations for students with IEPs follow their individualized plans. This bill revises Kansas graduation requirements under statute 72-3217, effective for students enrolling in high school after July 1, 2026.
HB 2543 requires Kansas to annually reimburse the Department of Wildlife and Parks for revenue lost when new free or discounted hunting/fishing licenses, permits, or passes are created by law on or after July 1, 2027. The department must track these lost revenues, certify the amount by June 30 each year, and the state must transfer funds from the general budget to the wildlife fee fund. This applies only to licenses established by new legislation after 2027, not existing discounts. The accounting is subject to audit by the state treasurer.
SB 352 creates a "bitcoin and digital assets reserve fund" in Kansas' state treasury to manage unclaimed digital assets like cryptocurrency. The fund collects free digital asset distributions (airdrops) and staking rewards, with 10% of deposits transferred to the state general fund (though bitcoin itself cannot be deposited). It defines key terms like "digital assets" (including cryptocurrencies and virtual currencies) and "airdrops" to update Kansas' unclaimed property laws for digital assets. This primarily affects how the state government administers forgotten digital assets, not individual users or new regulations for citizens.
SB 345 removes breastfeeding mothers from Kansas's mandatory jury exclusion list (where they were automatically excused) and adds them to a discretionary exclusion list. This means breastfeeding mothers will no longer be automatically excluded from jury duty but can request a deferral if they choose. The bill requires courts to ask breastfeeding mothers if they want to defer service, in which case jury duty must be postponed for at least one year. If they opt to serve, courts must make reasonable accommodations during their service. The bill amends Kansas statutes 43-158 and 43-159 to implement these changes.
HB 2541 creates a tax credit program for insurance companies that invest in certified rural funds, reducing their premium tax liability by 15% (after an initial two-year 0% period) for capital investments supporting eligible rural businesses. The program requires rural funds to apply to the Kansas Department of Commerce by October 2026, demonstrating prior investment in rural areas, submitting a business plan with job creation projections, and paying a $5,000 fee. Eligible businesses must be located outside cities over 50,000 residents or in specific industries (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing), have under 250 employees, and meet location criteria. The credit applies only to insurance companies, directly incentivizing their capital deployment into rural Kansas economic development.
SB 383 expands the definition of "special teacher" in Kansas law to include qualified third-party providers contracted by school districts to deliver special education or related services. This change allows school districts to seek state aid reimbursement for services provided by these contracted providers to students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The bill amends statutes K.S.A. 72-3404 and 72-3422 to formally include these external service providers within the reimbursement framework. It directly affects school districts, contracted special education providers, and students with IEPs receiving services under such agreements. The policy change specifically enables state funding for contracted services that previously did not qualify for reimbursement under the existing definition.
SB 377 requires all public and private recreational youth facilities (like pools, camps, gyms, and after-school programs for children under 18) to adopt comprehensive cardiac emergency response plans. These plans must include placing automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), establishing response teams, defining staff roles during cardiac emergencies, and mandating annual staff training and plan reviews. The bill excludes school district facilities and licensed daycares, which are covered under separate existing laws. Facilities must maintain AEDs, rehearse responses yearly, and coordinate with local emergency services per statewide standards.
SB 384 extends the deadline for Kansas school districts to apply for authorization to operate as a public innovative district from December 1 to May 1 each year. It also changes the review process so that applications are automatically approved if the state board does not act within 30 days of submission. This bill directly affects school districts seeking public innovative district status, which allows them to operate with certain exemptions from standard school district regulations while still meeting core requirements like state assessments. The key changes aim to provide more time for applications and reduce administrative delays in the approval process.
