Kansas Bills | MyRepTracker

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2524: Permitting the secretary for children and families to license family foster homes when certain persons reside in such home and creating an appeal process for family foster homes when licenses are not granted.

HB 2524 updates Kansas foster home licensing rules to allow the Secretary for Children and Families to grant or maintain licenses for family foster homes when certain former foster youth reside there. Specifically, it requires licensing for individuals aged 18-26 who were previously placed in the home by the state and now live there, or for those over 26 meeting other criteria. The bill also creates a formal appeal process for foster homes denied licensing under these circumstances. This directly affects foster care providers and former foster youth transitioning to independent living within their foster home.

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2537: Increasing the penalties for the crime of sexual extortion when an offender is 18 years of age or older and the victim is less than 18 years of age or a dependent adult, creating the crimes of aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm and aggravated sexual extortion causing death and requiring the attorney general to prepare and provide educational materials and information concerning such crimes.

HB 2537 would increase penalties for sexual extortion when the offender is 18+ and the victim is under 18 or a dependent adult. It creates two new aggravated offenses: "aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm" (a severity level 3 felony) and "aggravated sexual extortion causing death" (a severity level 1 felony), with harsher punishments than standard sexual extortion. The bill also requires Kansas’ Attorney General to develop and distribute educational materials about these crimes to schools, parents, and the public, with annual reports on implementation. This bill directly affects victims under 18 or dependent adults and offenders aged 18+ who commit sexual extortion. It is pending legislative action as of January 2026.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 418: Enacting the by-right housing development act to provide a streamlined permit approval process for by-right housing developments, allowing third-party review of new residential construction development documents and inspection of improvements, requiring political subdivisions to allow certain building provisions for certain single-family residences of a certain size, excluding owner initiated rezoning to a single-family residential district from protest petition provisions and providing for all land within the corporate limits of a city that is zoned for any type of residential use to be considered zoned for single-family residential use.

SB 418 creates a "by-right" housing development process in Kansas, automatically approving qualifying single-family homes, townhouses, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that meet existing zoning rules - requiring local governments to approve applications within 15 days unless denied. It allows third-party professionals (like licensed engineers) to review permits or inspect construction if local authorities delay, and mandates that all land within city limits be treated as single-family residential zoning. The bill excludes owner-initiated rezoning to single-family zones from protest petitions and aims to address housing shortages by reducing approval delays for standard developments. This directly affects developers, homeowners seeking to build, and local governments responsible for zoning and permitting.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2470: Providing that certain municipalities may designate the entire municipality within a neighborhood revitalization area under the Kansas neighborhood revitalization act.

HB 2470 allows Kansas municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents to designate their entire city as a neighborhood revitalization area under the state's revitalization program. This change removes ambiguity in current law, enabling small towns to apply revitalization incentives - like tax credits or development assistance - to all properties within their borders. The bill directly affects small municipalities seeking to address neighborhood decline through comprehensive economic development. It amends the Kansas Neighborhood Revitalization Act to explicitly permit whole-municipality designations, streamlining the process for communities focused on improving public health, safety, and welfare through neighborhood renewal.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Housing

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2533: Enacting the occupational therapy licensure compact, respiratory care interstate compact, esthetics licensure compact and athletic trainer licensure compact to provide interstate practice privileges.

HB 2533 creates Kansas' participation in an occupational therapy licensure compact, allowing licensed occupational therapists and assistants from other participating states to practice in Kansas without obtaining a separate Kansas license. The bill directly affects licensed therapists, assistants, and patients seeking services across state lines, particularly benefiting military spouses relocating with service members. Key provisions include mutual recognition of licenses, shared disciplinary information between states, and support for telehealth services to improve access. The compact preserves each state's authority to regulate practice and protect public safety while streamlining interstate care.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

signed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 408: Excluding a child engaging in age-appropriate independent activities from the definition of a child in need of care in the revised Kansas code for care of children, requiring the secretary for children and families to enter into a memorandum of understanding with military organizations and create a referral process for children in need of care cases involving children of military personnel to provide families with services that a military family advocacy program offers, authorizing a challenge to a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity as soon as practicable after discovery of fraud, duress or mistake of fact and specifying that certain genetic testing results shall constitute a change of circumstances that warrants a court finding of material mistake of fact.

SB 408 clarifies that children engaging in age-appropriate independent activities - like walking to school alone or playing outside without direct supervision - will no longer be considered "children in need of care" under Kansas law. It amends statutes including K.S.A. 21-5601 (endangering a child) and K.S.A. 38-2202 to explicitly exclude such normal activities from endangerment charges, unless a parent knowingly or recklessly ignored an obvious danger. The bill directly affects parents, guardians, and children by preventing child welfare interventions for routine, age-appropriate independence. This change aims to reduce unnecessary legal involvement in typical childhood experiences.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Veterans

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2591: Authorizing financial institutions to report suspected financial exploitation of an adult account holder to a designated agency, notify any adult designated as a trusted contact by such account holder of suspected financial exploitation and place a temporary hold on certain transactions or disbursements. Enacting the virtual currency kiosk consumer protection act, providing definitions, and establishing requirements for virtual currency kiosk operators. Prohibiting the office of the state bank commissioner or any other state agency from becoming a receiver for a technology-enabled fiduciary financial institution that becomes insolvent or declares bankruptcy. Providing that earned wage access service registrants are subject to the Kansas financial institutions information security act, and eliminating certain stipulations relating to the payment of negotiable instruments on Saturday afternoons or holidays.

HB 2591 allows Kansas financial institutions (like banks and credit unions) to report suspected financial exploitation of adult account holders (18+) to law enforcement or the Kansas Department for Children and Families. It permits institutions to notify a designated "trusted contact" adult and temporarily pause certain transactions for up to 10 business days (extendable to 30 days) if exploitation is suspected. The bill protects institutions from liability for these actions or inaction when taken in good faith, covering reporting, notification, and transaction holds. This directly affects adult account holders, financial institutions, and designated trusted contacts by creating a legal framework to address financial exploitation.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2601: Establishing a registry for child abuse and neglect to be maintained by the secretary for children and families, providing for registration and expungement processes that include administrative hearings and opportunities for subsequent appeals, requiring reports of abuse or neglect to include information regarding a custody dispute concerning the child who is the subject of the report and directing the secretary to submit a report to the legislature on such information.

HB 2601 creates a state registry for individuals accused of child abuse or neglect, maintained by Kansas' Secretary for Children and Families. It requires administrative hearings and appeal options before adding someone to the registry, and allows for expungement after three years or if new evidence changes the case. The bill limits registry use to specific child welfare purposes and ensures confidentiality under existing Kansas law. This directly affects individuals facing abuse allegations, child welfare agencies, and courts handling related cases.

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2534: Requiring school districts to provide fentanyl abuse education programs and maintain a supply of naloxone in all schools, requiring the department of education to establish guidelines for active shooter drills conducted by public and accredited nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, regulating active shooter simulations in such schools and modifying the requirements for student cohorts and achievement goals in school district at-risk student accountability plans.

HB 2534 creates an interstate agreement (compact) allowing respiratory therapists licensed in one participating state to practice in other member states without obtaining separate licenses. It directly affects licensed respiratory therapists and patients in participating states by establishing a "compact privilege" that permits practice under the laws of the state where the patient is located. Therapists must maintain an active home-state license, pass background checks, and comply with each state's scope of practice. The goal is to improve access to respiratory therapy services, support military families relocating across state lines, and address workforce shortages.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2464: Extending the number of years that tax credits may be issued or earned for contributions to graduates of aerospace and aviation-related educational programs and employers of program graduates, the tax credits for contributions to the Eisenhower foundation and friends of cedar crest association and the sunset for the angel investor tax credit and providing for a minimum amount of such credits for investments in counties with a population of 50,000 or fewer.

HB 2464 extends the deadline for claiming tax credits related to aerospace and aviation education programs in Kansas. It directly affects graduates of these programs and employers who hire them, allowing new credits to be issued or earned until December 31, 2036 - previously ending in 2026. The bill amends Kansas tax law (K.S.A. 79-32,295) to change the expiration date for these credits and repeals the prior deadline provision. This policy change provides continued financial incentives for employers and educational institutions in the aerospace and aviation sectors.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2413: Enhancing the criminal penalty for an offense committed with the intent to commit transnational repression, requiring the development of transnational repression recognition and response training, providing that theft of livestock or implements of husbandry is a severity level 5, nonperson felony, providing that the theft of grain or hay is a severity level 6, nonperson felony and 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 2413 reclassifies theft of livestock (cattle or horses) or farm equipment (implements of husbandry) as a severity level 5 felony, raising penalties for these crimes. Previously, such thefts might have been treated as lower-level offenses. The bill also allows authorities to seize vehicles, tools, or other property used to commit these thefts. It directly affects Kansas farmers and ranchers by strengthening legal protections for their livestock and farm equipment.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2416: Creating the Kansas motorsports venue protection act to provide immunity to motorsports venues from civil actions for nuisance, taking or similar legal theories.

HB 2416 creates the Kansas Motorsports Venue Protection Act, granting immunity to existing racetracks from lawsuits claiming nuisance or property damage (like noise or vibration) if surrounding property owners acquired their land or built on it *after* the venue was established. It directly affects motorsports venues operating in Kansas before nearby neighbors developed their property. The law does not apply to cases involving violations of state/local laws or conditions prohibited by permits. This bill specifically targets lawsuits from neighbors who purchased or developed property adjacent to established tracks, while preserving enforcement authority for legal violations.