Kansas Bills

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 27: Eliminating the requirement that the commissioner submit certain reports to the governor and removing certain specific entities from the definition of person for the purpose of enforcing insurance law.

SB 27 modifies Kansas insurance law by removing two specific requirements. First, it eliminates the need for the insurance commissioner to submit certain reports to the governor annually. Second, it removes specific entities - including nonprofit dental service corporations, nonprofit medical service corporations, and prepaid legal/dental service plans - from the legal definition of "person" used when enforcing insurance regulations. This means these entities will no longer be subject to certain enforcement actions under insurance law. The bill amends and repeals sections of Kansas law related to commissioner reporting and enforcement definitions.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 246: Requiring all applicants for teaching licenses and certificates and employees of a school district or public innovative district to submit to a criminal history record check and creating the criminal history record check reimbursement fund for certain state and criminal history record checks conducted by the Kansas department for aging and disability services.

SB 246 requires all teaching license applicants and school employees with student contact in Kansas to undergo state and national criminal background checks. Applicants must pay for checks upfront, while school districts can cover costs for employees or require employees to pay fees. Checks must be conducted every five years (starting July 2025 for new hires, and from July 2025 for existing staff), with employees reporting certain convictions within 30 days. A new reimbursement fund will cover costs for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services conducting these checks.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 208: Prohibiting the use of any prone restraint on a juvenile who is in custody at a juvenile detention facility or juvenile correctional facility or being assessed as part of the juvenile intake and assessment system.

SB 208 prohibits the use of face-down restraint (prone restraint) on juveniles aged 10-18 who are in juvenile detention or correctional facilities or undergoing intake assessments. It directly affects juvenile detention centers, correctional facilities, and staff conducting intake assessments. The law explicitly bans this restraint method in two specific settings: while juveniles are held in custody at these facilities or during the assessment process. This policy change is part of Kansas' juvenile justice code, aiming to improve safety and care standards for minors in custody.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2034: Authorizing school districts to employ chaplains or accept such persons as volunteers.

HB 2034 allows Kansas school districts to hire chaplains or accept them as volunteers to provide student support services, without requiring them to hold a standard teaching license. Chaplains must undergo the same background checks as other school employees, and districts cannot employ anyone convicted of a sex offense requiring registration under Kansas law. The bill directly affects school districts, chaplains, and students by establishing clear guidelines for chaplain roles in schools. It takes effect upon publication in the state statute book.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2174: Enacting the attorney training program for rural Kansas act to provide financial assistance to lawyers and law students who practice law in rural areas.

HB 2174 establishes a financial assistance program to encourage legal professionals to serve rural Kansas communities. It provides law students at Washburn University or the University of Kansas with up to $30,000 per year in tuition loans (forgivable upon meeting requirements) and offers loan repayment assistance to licensed attorneys practicing law in rural Kansas counties (excluding Douglas, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte). Participants must commit to full-time rural practice for at least 12 consecutive months for each year they received funding, with specific repayment terms if obligations aren't met. The program is administered by a committee of rural attorneys, law school representatives, and non-attorneys, pending legislative approval. This bill is currently pending in committee and has not yet become law.

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2003: Establishing the EV energy equity road repair tax act (EVEERRT act) and providing for a road repair tax on electricity distributed from a public charging station for electric vehicles.

This bill imposes a $0.09 per kilowatt-hour tax on electricity distributed at public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, regardless of whether the station charges customers. The tax applies to all public charging locations (excluding residential sites) and must be collected and remitted by station owners to the state. Revenue from this tax is directed to the state highway fund to support road construction and repairs, mirroring how motor fuel taxes currently fund roads. The bill targets charging station operators as the direct payers, not EV drivers or vehicle owners, and includes reporting requirements and penalties for noncompliance.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Transportation

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SCR 1614: Urging the United States Congress to increase the penalties for violations of federal immigration laws and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prosecute employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

This Senate concurrent resolution urges the U.S. Congress to double fines for breaking federal immigration laws and asks Immigration and Customs Enforcement to more aggressively prosecute companies that hire undocumented workers. The bill directly addresses employers who hire unauthorized immigrants and federal agencies responsible for immigration enforcement, citing concerns that current penalties are too weak to deter hiring practices that allegedly harm American workers. Because this is a non-binding resolution rather than a law, it expresses the Kansas Senate's formal recommendation to federal officials without creating new legal obligations or changing existing statutes. The document highlights past statistics showing that ICE has rarely used criminal prosecution against employers compared to its focus on individuals entering the country illegally.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✗ Immigration ✗ Labor & Employment

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 183: Creating the crimes of interference with a security camera in a correctional facility and aggravated interference with a security camera in a correctional facility and providing criminal penalties therefor.

SB 183 creates two new criminal offenses in Kansas: "interference" (intentionally covering a security camera in a correctional facility without permission) and "aggravated interference" (intentionally removing, damaging, or covering a camera during a riot without permission). It directly affects individuals who tamper with security cameras in jails, prisons, or juvenile detention facilities, as defined by Kansas law. Penalties include a class A misdemeanor for basic interference and felonies ranging from severity level 9 to 6 for aggravated cases. The law aims to protect camera functionality for security monitoring in correctional settings.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2288: Creating the motor vehicle right to repair act.

HB 2288, the Motor Vehicle Right to Repair Act, requires manufacturers to standardize and provide vehicle owners and independent repair facilities access to diagnostic data and on-board systems for all motor vehicles (including commercial vehicles over 10,000 lbs), without needing manufacturer authorization. It directly affects vehicle owners, independent repair shops, and manufacturers by mandating standardized data access. The bill establishes a Motor Vehicle Repairs Board to oversee implementation and ensure consistent standards across all vehicle makes and models sold in Kansas. It excludes farm vehicles but covers most passenger and commercial vehicles. The key change eliminates manufacturer-imposed barriers to repair data, promoting competition in the repair market.

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 187: Requiring certain records and files to be automatically expunged from a juvenile's record.

SB 187 automatically expunges most juvenile court records related to non-serious offenses once a case concludes, effective July 1, 2025. It directly affects juveniles in Kansas who were adjudicated for offenses that would not be classified as serious crimes if committed by an adult. The bill excludes records involving serious offenses like murder, rape, child exploitation, or aggravated crimes listed in subsection (b), and also prevents expungement for those required to register under Kansas' offender registration law. No fee is charged for automatic expungement under this law, though manual applications for unexpunged records remain possible with a $176 fee.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Kansas · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 189: Providing injured employees the freedom of choice to designate their healthcare provider and requiring the employer to pay for the services of such healthcare provider with regard to workers compensation.

SB 189 allows injured workers in Kansas to choose their own healthcare provider for workers' compensation treatment, requiring employers to cover the costs of that provider's services. The bill amends state law to establish this choice as standard practice, while maintaining a $800 cap on employer coverage for initial visits without prior approval. This applies to all workers covered under Kansas workers' compensation, giving employees greater control over their medical care decisions.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Kansas · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 2365: Adding and removing certain substances in schedules I, III and IV of the uniform controlled substances act and making conforming changes to the criminal code definition of fentanyl-related controlled substances.

HB 2365 establishes the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital in Wichita, Kansas, to expand mental health care access in south-central Kansas, specifically serving Sedgwick County and surrounding areas. The bill creates a dedicated "South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital Fee Fund" managed by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, which will collect and allocate funds from patient charges and operations. It also directs the department to establish an extension to the state security hospital in Larned for housing patients committed by courts, transferred from correctional facilities, or requiring specialized mental health care. This facility aims to address regional mental health bed shortages without altering existing criminal law provisions referenced in the bill text.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results