SB 172 prevents Kansas schools and child care facilities from excluding students who have been exposed to infectious diseases (like measles or flu) unless a local health official issues a formal isolation or quarantine order. It directly affects children and families by ensuring schools cannot bar students based solely on potential exposure without official health authority approval. The bill requires health departments to issue such orders for any exclusion, and specifies that any exclusion must last no longer than the order’s duration. This replaces the previous rule allowing schools to exclude students based on suspected exposure without health department involvement.
HB 2086 adjusts how interest credits are calculated for Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) members. It lowers the investment return threshold from 6% to 5% and increases the dividend share from 75% to 80% for determining annual additional interest credits. These credits are added to members' retirement accounts based on the KPERS system's investment returns above the new threshold. The changes directly affect current and future KPERS members by altering how their retirement savings grow annually.
SB 150 requires most health insurance plans in Kansas to cover refills of prescription topical eye medication for chronic eye conditions. It applies to insured individuals who need refills before the end of their prescribed dosage period (after at least 75% of the medication has been used) and only if their prescriber authorized refills. Insurance plans cannot deny this coverage if these specific conditions are met. The law takes effect January 1, 2026, for policies issued or renewed after that date.
HB 2103 amends Kansas school attendance law to allow students to be absent for approved agricultural science activities, FFA events, and 4-H competitions without it counting as an unexcused absence. School boards will have the authority to create specific rules defining which activities qualify as valid excuses and to limit the number of such absences permitted. This directly affects students participating in these educational activities, school staff responsible for attendance tracking, and school boards developing the new policies. The bill adds these categories to existing valid excuses while maintaining current reporting requirements for unexcused absences.
HB 2178 removes a restriction that previously barred Kansas residents with felony drug convictions from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill amends Kansas law (K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 39-709) to allow these individuals to qualify for SNAP if they otherwise meet income and resource requirements. This change directly affects Kansans with past felony drug convictions who were previously ineligible for food assistance despite meeting other SNAP criteria. The bill does not alter other SNAP eligibility rules but eliminates a specific barrier to accessing nutrition aid. It is currently pending in the Committee on Welfare Reform.
HB 2146 redirects 75% of monthly lottery profits to Kansas' community crisis stabilization centers and 25% to the clubhouse model program, both administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Annual transfer limits are set at $9 million for 2024, $10 million for 2025, and $16 million for 2026 onward. These funds come from the lottery operating fund, which collects revenue from ticket sales. The bill amends existing law to establish these specific transfer requirements without changing lottery operations or other fund allocations.
SB 256 requires all full-time Kansas state employees to work in person at their assigned office, facility, or field location by July 1, 2025. Agency leaders may grant exceptions for nonstandard work hours, unreasonable in-office requirements, or space constraints. Agencies must report all exceptions to the Department of Administration by August 1, 2025, and the Department will submit a detailed legislative report by October 1, 2025. This bill directly affects all full-time employees across Kansas state agencies.
This bill allows micro utility trucks (small vehicles used for maintenance tasks like utility work) to operate on state and public roads with a posted speed limit of 65 mph or lower. It requires these trucks to be properly registered, meet specific equipment standards, and only operate on qualifying roads - removing previous restrictions that banned them on most highways. The law changes existing state law to permit this use while maintaining safety conditions, directly affecting owners of these vehicles and local governments that previously controlled such operations. It repeals the prior prohibition and clarifies where micro utility trucks may legally operate.
This bill authorizes Kansas law enforcement officers to investigate violations of the scrap metal theft reduction act, requiring them to submit investigation reports to the attorney general. It establishes a central database managed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to store scrap metal transaction records, which must remain confidential and not be considered public records under Kansas open records law. The bill also creates two funds: one for fee collection related to enforcement and another for database administration, with provisions ensuring scrap metal dealers cannot be charged for submitting required data to the system. These changes aim to streamline enforcement while protecting dealer information and preventing civil liability for dealers who provide data.
HB 2271 removes an expiration date for cybersecurity requirements that were set to end on July 1, 2026, making these provisions permanent. The bill requires each branch of Kansas state government to appoint a chief information security officer (CISO) responsible for developing a cybersecurity program meeting federal standards, ensuring annual employee training, and coordinating with federal cybersecurity agencies for annual audits. It also mandates that audit results remain confidential and not subject to public disclosure under Kansas' open records laws.
HB 2360 directs Kansas' secretary for children and families and secretary of health and environment to verify public assistance eligibility by comparing data from multiple sources. It requires monthly checks of death records, residency, and incarceration data; quarterly reviews of tax and employment records; and real-time payroll data from employers to confirm income for programs like food assistance, Medicaid, and child support. The bill also mandates public reporting of fraud investigation results, including improper payments and recovered funds. This affects households enrolled in state public assistance programs by requiring more frequent verification of their eligibility status.
HB 2384 authorizes Kansas' state historical society to transfer 11.97 acres of land in Johnson County to the Shawnee Tribe without auction or appraisal. The transfer includes a requirement that deeds prohibit gaming or gambling on the property, and the Shawnee Tribe must pay all conveyance costs. The tribe must also provide biennial reports for 10 years to the state's tribal relations committee on property rehabilitation and consultations with four other federally recognized tribes. This includes discussing rehabilitation efforts with tribes connected to the historical Shawnee Indian Manual Labor School.
