SB 100, the Kansas Fair Chance Housing and Homelessness Reduction Act, limits how landlords and consumer reporting agencies can use past evictions and unpaid rent when screening rental applicants. The bill prohibits consumer reporting agencies from sharing eviction or rental arrears information after three years and bans landlords from denying housing or increasing rent based on such history beyond that point. It also requires consumer reporting agencies to give applicants a chance to explain any eviction or unpaid rent record. This law directly affects renters with past housing issues and landlords who rely on rental history for tenant screening.
SB 173 requires county commissioners to approve commercial wind or solar energy projects before any related lease or easement agreement becomes binding. It directly affects facility owners (those developing projects with at least one megawatt capacity for sale) and landowners, as these agreements cannot take effect until county approval is secured. The bill mandates that counties with zoning regulations must issue a building or development permit, while counties without such regulations must enter a development agreement. This requirement applies to all new agreements filed on or after July 1, 2025, and does not affect leases recorded before July 1, 2011.
HB 2094 would amend Kansas law to allow electronic cigarettes to be sold in cigarette vending machines, which currently only permit traditional tobacco products. The bill updates definitions in existing tobacco regulations (K.S.A. 79-3301(m)) to explicitly include electronic cigarettes and requires vending machine operators to obtain the necessary licenses under K.S.A. 79-3303. This change directly affects vending machine operators, retailers selling e-cigarettes, and consumers who purchase these products from vending machines. The law would integrate e-cigarettes into the same regulatory framework as traditional tobacco products for vending machine sales.
HB 2207 amends Kansas child welfare law to allow parents of a child involved in an abuse or neglect investigation or a child in need of care proceeding to access related records. It also authorizes adults who were victims of childhood abuse or neglect to access records related to substantiated reports or investigations of their own past abuse. The bill updates existing provisions (K.S.A. 2024 Supp. 38-2211, 38-2212, and 38-2213) to explicitly include these groups among authorized record recipients. This change directly affects parents and abuse victims by providing them with greater transparency into child welfare case records.
HB 2224 requires Kansas law enforcement officers to be properly uniformed and to knock on the door while announcing their presence before entering a residential property to execute a search warrant. This applies specifically to "dwellings" as defined in the bill - buildings or portions used as homes or residences. The bill amends Kansas law (K.S.A. 22-2510) to add these requirements, replacing the previous standard for residential warrant executions. It does not change when warrants may be executed (any time of day) but adds procedural steps for officer conduct at homes. The law takes effect upon publication in the statute book.
HB 2067 establishes a $200,000 grant program funded by the state general fund to provide feminine hygiene products (like tampons and pads) at no cost to students in qualifying Title I schools. The program targets public schools serving grades 5-12 that receive federal Title I funding, with grants distributed based on the number of female students in those grades. School districts must apply to participate, and funds reimburse schools for purchasing products and dispensers, which must be available in women’s restrooms and through school counselors/nurses. The grant fund is replenished annually with $200,000 starting July 1, 2026.
SB 171 authorizes the Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment to issue licenses for nuclear fusion systems, a new energy technology not previously covered under state radiation regulations. The bill establishes a fee for these licenses and allows the Secretary to charge late fees for expired radiation protection and control licenses. It amends existing laws (K.S.A. 48-1603 and 48-1606) to include nuclear fusion systems within the state's radiation licensing framework. This directly affects companies or organizations seeking to develop or operate nuclear fusion systems in Kansas, requiring them to obtain a license and pay the associated fee.
SB 68 allocates funding for Kansas state agencies across fiscal years 2025-2027, including specific amounts for the Board of Accountancy, Abstracters' Board of Examiners, and State Bank Commissioner. It sets spending limits (e.g., capping official hospitality expenses at $1,600 annually for the Board of Accountancy) and allows limited transfers between funds (up to $20,000 yearly from the Board of Accountancy’s fee fund to its litigation reserve). The bill adjusts existing expenditure limits, such as increasing the Board of Accountancy’s 2025 budget cap and decreasing the State Bank Commissioner’s 2025 cap, while authorizing unrestricted spending for certain litigation funds in 2026-2027. These provisions ensure agencies have targeted resources while maintaining fiscal oversight through defined spending parameters.
HB 2401 modifies Kansas sentencing guidelines to prevent using prior convictions for crimes later deemed unconstitutional by a higher court in criminal history scoring. It directly affects individuals with prior convictions for laws invalidated by appellate courts, ensuring those convictions no longer impact sentencing severity. The bill adds a specific provision to Kansas law (K.S.A. 21-6810) stating such prior convictions cannot be counted unless the court’s ruling on unconstitutionality is later reversed by the Kansas Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court. This change applies to all future sentencing cases where the prior conviction stems from a statute found unconstitutional. The bill does not alter current sentences but prevents the use of these invalidated convictions in calculating criminal history scores.
HB 2330 designates November 14 of each year as "Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day" in Kansas, commemorating the anniversary of Ruby Bridges' first day integrating William Frantz Elementary School in 1960. The bill requires Kansas schools to observe this day on November 14 (or the following Wednesday if it falls on a weekend), encouraging schools to honor Bridges' role in the civil rights movement through dialogue and activities. This is a purely commemorative resolution with no new requirements or funding, aligning with Kansas' recognition of Bridges' legacy as a symbol of school desegregation following the Brown v. Board decision.
SB 134 allows Kansas school districts to request and receive a teacher applicant’s employment files from their previous district, requiring the teacher to sign a written waiver authorizing disclosure. It mandates that districts disclose these files within 21 days of a valid request, with limited exceptions for pre-July 2025 nondisclosure agreements. The bill clarifies that the original district remains the custodian of these files under Kansas’ open records law, preventing the hiring district from being subject to public record requests for them. This change directly affects teachers applying for new positions and both the hiring and previous school districts handling employment records.
This bill amends Kansas law to include trail rides as a qualifying ranching activity under "agritourism," allowing ranches offering trail rides to have their land classified for property tax purposes as agricultural land rather than commercial property. It specifically updates the definition of "agritourism activity" in K.S.A. 32-1432 to explicitly include trail rides and adjusts property tax valuation rules in K.S.A. 79-1476. This change directly affects ranches like Watkins "C" Ranch (requested by Rep. Proctor), which operate trail rides as part of their ranching business. The policy shift means such properties would receive lower agricultural tax rates instead of higher commercial rates, based on the land's agricultural productivity.
