Kansas Bills

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 385: Establishing Erin's law to require school districts to provide training and age-appropriate student instruction on the identification and reporting of signs of child sexual abuse.

SB 385, "Erin's Law," requires Kansas school districts to implement mandatory programs starting in the 2026-2027 school year. It mandates annual teacher training on identifying and reporting child sexual abuse, including prevention strategies and resource information. The bill also requires age-appropriate student instruction for all K-12 students on abuse awareness, prevention, and reporting options, with a parent opt-out provision. School districts may use approved resources like the Erin's Law Foundation curriculum to meet these requirements.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 367: Providing cities the authority to allow the driving of golf carts upon sidewalks.

SB 367 allows Kansas cities to authorize golf cart operation on sidewalks through local ordinances, directly affecting city governments and golf cart drivers. The bill amends state law to permit this use only if drivers are 16 or older and hold a valid class C driver's license. Cities must pass specific ordinances to grant this permission, replacing the current statewide prohibition on driving vehicles on sidewalks. This change applies only to sidewalks defined under existing law and does not alter general sidewalk use rules.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2553: Providing for the Kansas PBS distinctive license plate and discontinuing the issuance of certain distinctive and educational institution license plates.

HB 2553 would allow Kansas residents who own or lease passenger vehicles or light trucks (under 20,000 lbs gross weight) to obtain a special "PBS Kansas" license plate starting January 1, 2027. Owners would pay a one-time $25-$100 logo royalty fee to PBS Kansas (via the county treasurer) when applying for the plate, with annual renewal fees required. The plate is non-transferable between owners and requires consent to share vehicle and payment details with PBS Kansas. This bill directly affects Kansas vehicle owners seeking a voluntary specialty plate to support public broadcasting.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2428: Requiring the state board of regents to establish curricula and designate courses at postsecondary educational institutions relating to DEI-CRT-related courses and content and requiring the study of American institutions and certain programs at freshman orientations concerning free speech.

HB 2428 requires Kansas public universities, community colleges, and technical colleges to revise curricula by prohibiting mandatory enrollment in DEI-CRT courses (defined as courses covering topics like systemic racism, critical race theory, or gender-based equity). It mandates that all bachelor's degree programs starting in 2027-2028 include a new general education course on American institutions, requiring study of founding documents, constitutional principles, and free speech. The bill also requires freshman orientations to cover campus free speech policies and include programming on the First Amendment. These provisions apply directly to all public postsecondary institutions in Kansas, with limited exemptions for programs explicitly focused on racial, ethnic, or gender studies.

Topics ✗ Education

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 399: Providing an exception to unauthorized practice of law under the Kansas consumer protection act for an employee of the judicial branch or a district court providing a standard form to a member of the public.

SB 399 creates an exception to Kansas' unauthorized practice of law rules, allowing judicial branch employees or district court staff to provide pre-approved standard legal forms to the public without needing a law license. This directly affects court employees who routinely assist members of the public with basic legal paperwork, such as forms for small claims or family court. The bill specifies that these employees are not liable for errors entered by the public onto the forms, as long as the forms themselves are officially approved by the Kansas Supreme Court or judicial authorities. This change clarifies that distributing these standard forms does not constitute unauthorized legal practice under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 392: House Substitute for SB 392 by Committee on Elections - Establishing reasons for withdrawal of candidacy from national, state and local offices, concerning vacancies in the joint candidacy of the governor and lieutenant governor, requiring driver's licenses to reflect citizenship status, requiring provisional ballots be provided to persons showing a driver's license reflecting noncitizenship, require state agencies required by federal law to provide voter registration services to provide quarterly reports to the secretary of state listing noncitizens receiving public benefits.

SB 392 prohibits filling vacancies in joint gubernatorial and lieutenant governor candidacies after they are filed, requiring the remaining candidate to form a new joint ticket with another person if a vacancy occurs. For local elections (city, school district, and community college offices), it restricts candidate withdrawals to cases of severe medical hardship (with physician certification) or loss of residency, with all withdrawal requests needing submission by September 1 of the election year. The bill affects candidates running for these specific local and statewide offices by standardizing withdrawal procedures and preventing mid-campaign replacement of joint candidates. It amends Kansas election statutes to clarify these rules for school boards, city councils, and community college trustees.

Topics ✗ Immigration

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 304: Establishing the born to invest act and requiring the office of vital statistics to provide data to the office of the state treasurer for the distribution of informational materials regarding certain government-administered savings accounts.

SB 304, the "Born to Invest Act," requires Kansas' Office of Vital Statistics to share specific birth records (child's name, parent/guardian address, birth date) for children born on or after January 1, 2025, with the State Treasurer. This data enables the Treasurer to send informational materials about three federal savings programs: 529 college savings plans, ABLE accounts for disabilities, and "Trump accounts" (a reference to a specific federal savings program). The bill mandates that data be transmitted securely to the Treasurer within 90 days of a birth certificate issuance (or by September 1, 2026, for children born before July 1, 2026) and directs the Treasurer to distribute materials via mail and online resources. The policy aims to proactively inform families about available savings options for children, without creating new accounts or changing eligibility.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 397: Providing that a person shall not lose eligibility for a homestead property tax refund claim or the selective assistance for effective senior relief (SAFESR) tax credit if the appraised valuation of the homestead subsequently exceeds $350,000 after qualifying in a previous tax year.

SB 397 prevents Kansas homeowners from losing eligibility for homestead property tax refunds or the SAFESR tax credit if their home's value later exceeds $350,000 after qualifying in a previous year. It ensures that individuals who received these benefits in a year when their home value was under $350,000 retain eligibility for future years, even if the value rises above the threshold. The bill amends Kansas law to explicitly protect this eligibility, applying to tax years 2026 and beyond for those who qualified under prior years' conditions. It directly affects current and future recipients of these specific tax relief programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2488: Requiring the university of Kansas school of medicine to use a letter grading system or other tiered grading system to assess student performance.

HB 2488 requires the University of Kansas School of Medicine to replace its current student assessment system with either a standard A-F letter grading system or a tiered system with at least four distinct performance levels for all medical degree courses. This directly affects medical students and faculty at the University of Kansas School of Medicine by mandating objective, comparable feedback on coursework. The bill’s key provision, outlined in Section 1(b), specifies that every course in the medical curriculum must use one of these two grading methods for evaluating student performance. The legislation aims to create a standardized environment for feedback, as stated in the legislative findings, though it does not specify how the grading system must be implemented. The bill was introduced on January 21, 2026, and is pending committee review.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2439: Enacting the Kansas geoengineering and weather modification prohibition act, prohibiting geoengieering and weather modification activities, providing criminal penalties for violations of the act and assigning enforcement and reporting authority to the department of health and environment.

HB 2439 prohibits any activity within Kansas that injects, releases, or disperses chemicals, substances, or devices into the atmosphere for the purpose of altering weather, climate, or sunlight intensity. It directly affects individuals, companies, and airport operators who conduct such activities, imposing criminal penalties including fines up to $100,000 for violations. Key mechanisms include requiring public-use airport operators to report suspicious aircraft monthly to the Department of Transportation (which then forwards reports to the Department of Health and Environment), and granting the Department of Health and Environment enforcement authority. The bill repeals Kansas' previous weather modification laws (K.S.A. 82a-1401 through 82a-1425) and takes effect in 2026.

Topics ✓ Environment

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2510: Requiring each school district board of education to allocate membership association dues to individual board members and prohibiting the payment of such dues if a board member elects not to join such membership association.

HB 2510 requires school district boards to split membership dues for board associations equally among all board members. If a board member chooses not to join the association, the district must not pay that member's allocated share of the dues. The bill allows districts to pay dues for members who elect to join the association. This makes membership in such associations voluntary for individual board members and changes how public funds are used for these dues.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2535: Providing that certain portions of the crime of cruelty to animals do not apply to any person who catches a feral cat to provide vaccination, spaying or neutering and returns such cat back to the location where such cat is caught.

HB 2535 creates an exception to Kansas' animal cruelty laws for individuals who catch feral cats to provide veterinary care. Specifically, it exempts people from cruelty charges if they capture a feral cat, provide vaccination, spaying, or neutering, and return the cat to its original location. This directly affects community volunteers, animal welfare groups, and animal control workers involved in trap-neuter-return programs for feral cats. The bill amends Kansas Statute 21-6412 to clarify that such care and return activities do not violate existing cruelty to animals prohibitions.

Bill results