Kansas Bills

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2139: Increasing the minimum expenditure amount for school districts for contracted goods and services without requiring sealed bids and the minimum expenditure amount for goods and services that the district superintendent may acquire on behalf of the school district.

HB 2139 increases the dollar thresholds for school district procurement rules in Kansas. It raises the limit where sealed bids are not required from $20,000 to $50,000 for most goods and services contracts. The bill also allows school district superintendents to directly contract for purchases up to $50,000 without board approval, up from $20,000. This directly affects all Kansas public school districts by simplifying purchasing for smaller contracts. The changes amend K.S.A. 72-1131 and 72-1151 to reflect these updated spending limits.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2097: Providing for approval by the department of wildlife and parks for qualified program or management plans to qualify for the nongame and endangered species habitat credit.

HB 2097 creates a tax credit for Kansas landowners who manage property to support endangered species habitat. It allows credits against income tax for both property taxes paid on qualifying land and costs for habitat improvements, provided the land is designated as critical habitat by the Department of Wildlife and Parks and meets specific conservation standards. The bill requires the department to approve management plans and maintain a public website listing qualified programs. Landowners must submit annual requests by July 1 to qualify for the credit, which applies to properties enrolled in approved habitat conservation plans. The credit is limited to the taxpayer's income tax liability and cannot exceed state tax law limits.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2089: Enacting the consumer inflation reduction and tax fairness act and exempting the portion of a credit card transaction constituting a tax or gratuity from assessment of the fee charged by the card issuer.

HB 2089 exempts the tax and gratuity portions of credit card transactions from processing fees charged by card issuers. This directly affects merchants (who collect sales tax or tips) and cardholders (who pay taxes/tips), as payment networks must now exclude these amounts when calculating fees for electronic transactions. The bill requires card issuers to adjust fee calculations to exclude tax and gratuity components, ensuring merchants aren't charged fees on amounts they pass through to government or employees. It implements this change through the "Consumer Inflation Reduction and Tax Fairness Act," which defines key terms like "tax" (sales/use/occupation tax) and "gratuity" (voluntary tip) for enforcement.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 169: Prohibiting mobile home park landlords from limiting a tenant's access to communications and video services.

SB 169 prohibits mobile home park landlords in Kansas from restricting tenants' choice of communications or video service providers (such as internet, cable, or broadband). It directly affects mobile home park tenants and landlords by requiring landlords to allow tenants to choose their own service providers, unless restrictions are reasonably necessary for health, safety, or welfare. The bill amends Kansas law to explicitly ban such restrictions in rental agreements, while permitting landlords to set reasonable connection standards that don’t charge more than actual costs. This creates a clear policy change ensuring tenants have unfettered access to service options without landlord interference.

Topics ✓ Housing ✓ Technology

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2010: Prohibiting abortion procedures and creating the crimes of unlawful performance of an abortion and unlawful destruction of a fertilized embryo.

HB 2010 prohibits nearly all abortion procedures in Kansas, making it a severity level 1 felony for healthcare providers to perform an abortion regardless of gestational age. It also creates a separate felony for "unlawful destruction of a fertilized embryo" during fertility treatments like artificial insemination. The law exempts procedures performed to save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child, or to remove a dead fetus following miscarriage, stillbirth, or ectopic pregnancy. This bill directly affects abortion providers, clinics, and patients seeking abortion care, replacing existing abortion laws with strict criminal penalties.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Healthcare

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 219: Imposing certain health insurance coverage requirements for screening and diagnostic examinations for breast cancer.

SB 219 requires most health insurance plans in Kansas to cover diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations (including mammograms, MRIs, and ultrasounds) with no out-of-pocket costs for enrollees. It applies to individual and group health insurance policies delivered, renewed, or amended on or after January 1, 2026, directly affecting Kansas residents with such coverage. Diagnostic exams cover evaluating abnormalities found during screening or detected otherwise, while supplemental exams screen high-risk individuals without current abnormalities. The bill repeals prior insurance coverage restrictions and mandates full coverage without deductibles, copays, or coinsurance for these specific services.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2287: Eliminating certain restrictions for eligibility for public assistance, including removing the requirement to cooperate with child support services, restrictions on persons convicted of drug felonies, requirements for employment and training programs, photograph requirements for benefits cards and legislative action required for expansion of medical assistance, permitting the secretary from granting categorical eligibility standards, extending the lifetime limitation on benefits, providing for hardship extensions and exempting parents providing care for a child less than one year of age.

HB 2287 simplifies eligibility for Kansas public assistance programs like cash aid (TANF), food assistance, and medical help. It removes barriers including the requirement to cooperate with child support enforcement, bans on people with drug felony convictions for food aid, and photo requirements on benefit cards. The bill extends the lifetime limit for TANF from 60 months (previously 36 months), exempts new parents caring for infants under one year from work requirements, and allows the secretary to set automatic eligibility standards for certain groups. It also eliminates the need for legislative approval to expand medical assistance and permits hardship extensions for applicants facing crises. These changes directly affect low-income Kansans seeking food, cash, or medical assistance.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 286: Relating to the definitions of lobbyist, lobbying and lobbying client for purposes of the state governmental ethics law.

SB 286 updates Kansas' state governmental ethics law by clarifying key definitions related to lobbying. It introduces a new definition for "lobbying client" to mean any organization or person hiring lobbyists for compensation - such as businesses or coalitions - and specifies that the coalition itself, not its members, is the client. The bill also revises the definition of "lobbyist" to include those paid $5,000+ annually for lobbying, while excluding certain groups like state employees, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and legal representatives. These changes aim to streamline reporting requirements and clarify who must register under Kansas' lobbying disclosure rules.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 239: Creating a special sentencing rule to add 100 months to a sentence for distribution of a controlled substance when the substance involved is fentanyl and the distribution causes the death of a child.

SB 239 amends Kansas sentencing laws to add 100 months to prison sentences for individuals convicted of distributing fentanyl when that distribution causes a child's death. It directly affects drug distributors whose actions result in a child's death through fentanyl distribution. The bill modifies Kansas sentencing guidelines (K.S.A. 21-6804 and 21-6805) to create this specific sentencing enhancement, requiring courts to add the 100-month penalty on top of the standard sentence. This change applies only to fentanyl-related distribution cases that directly cause a child's death, not to other drug offenses or adult deaths.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HCR 5007: Proposing a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 16 years in state elections.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to lower the minimum voting age in Kansas state elections from 18 to 16 years old. If passed by a two-thirds vote in both legislative chambers, the measure would be submitted to voters for approval at the 2026 general election. The change would directly affect 16- and 17-year-old residents, allowing them to vote in local, state, and judicial elections while still adhering to federal laws that set the voting age for federal offices at 18. The bill does not alter voting rules for presidential or vice-presidential candidates, which remain subject to federal requirements.

failed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HCR 5008: Proposing to amend section 1 of article 11 of the constitution of the state of Kansas to value residential real, commercial and industrial real property and mobile homes property based on the fair market value or average fair market value of the residential portion and providing the legislature the authority to establish valuation limits for any classes or subclasses of property.

This bill proposes constitutional changes to Kansas property taxation and administrative rule oversight. It would require residential, commercial, and industrial properties, as well as mobile homes, to be valued based on their fair market value while giving the legislature the power to set valuation limits for specific property classes. Additionally, the bill grants the legislature authority to review and revoke administrative rules if they are found to be obsolete, unenforced, or harmful to public safety and the economy. These changes directly affect property owners and state agencies responsible for assessing taxes and creating regulations.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2356: Amending the uniform nonparent visitation act to modify the evidentiary standard for awarding visitation to a nonparent.

HB 2356 modifies Kansas law governing nonparent visitation rights by changing the evidence standard required for a nonparent (like a grandparent or caregiver) to obtain visitation. It requires nonparents to prove their case using "clear and convincing substantial evidence" to overcome a rebuttable presumption that a parent's decision denying visitation is in the child's best interest. The bill specifies two pathways for nonparents: proving they were a "consistent caretaker" (living with the child for 12+ months and making daily decisions) or establishing a "substantial relationship" with the child. These changes clarify the legal process for courts when evaluating nonparent visitation requests under existing statutes. The bill repeals the prior sections of the law and takes effect upon publication.

Bill results