Kansas Bills

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2497: Prohibiting the assessment of a prepayment penalty against any party more than six months after the execution of a note evidencing a home loan made primarily for personal, family or household purposes secured by a real estate mortgage.

HB 2497 prohibits lenders from charging prepayment penalties on home loans used for personal, family, or household purposes after six months from the loan's start date. It directly affects homeowners who pay off or refinance their mortgages within the first six months of the loan term, preventing lenders from imposing fees for early repayment after that period. The bill amends Kansas law to allow lenders to still collect actual government filing fees and reasonable closing costs, but bans all other prepayment penalties beyond six months. This applies specifically to standard residential mortgages secured by real estate, excluding business or agricultural loans. The law takes effect upon publication in the Kansas statutes.

Topics ✓ Housing

vetoed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 375: Enacting the proxy advisor transparency act, requiring proxy advisors to make certain disclosures when recommending an action against company management, authorizing the attorney general to investigate and take enforcement actions against violators and establishing a private right of action for a declaratory judgment or injunctive relief.

SB 375 requires proxy advisors (firms providing voting guidance to shareholders) to disclose when their recommendations against company management lack a written financial analysis. This directly affects shareholders, pension funds, and institutional investors who rely on proxy advisors for voting decisions. The key provision mandates clear, upfront disclosures to clients stating that a recommendation was not based on an analysis of how the vote would impact investment value. The law aims to ensure investors understand whether advice aligns with fiduciary duties to maximize shareholder returns, without altering voting rules or outcomes.

signed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 325: Creating the vehicle services modernization task force, providing limitations on expenditures of county treasurer motor vehicle fee funds and authorizing county treasurers to charge certain increased fees for vehicle registration transactions.

SB 325 prohibits covering Kansas vehicle license plates with any clear, opaque, or plastic-like material that affects visibility or reflectivity, or with frames that obstruct the plate. It directly affects all Kansas vehicle owners who currently use such coverings or frames on their license plates. The bill requires plates to be securely fastened, clearly visible from a safe distance, and free from foreign materials that could obscure the registration number, state, or expiration details. This replaces existing Kansas law (K.S.A. 8-133 and 8-15,110) with updated visibility standards for license plate display.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed both · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 334: Facilitating nursing workforce development by providing education levels for instructors at nursing schools as a requirement for state approval.

SB 334 requires nursing schools in Kansas seeking state approval to ensure their instructors hold nursing degrees at least one level higher than the program they teach (e.g., instructors for practical nursing programs must have a professional nursing degree). This directly affects all Kansas nursing schools applying for or renewing state approval. The bill amends existing law to mandate this faculty qualification standard as part of the approval process, with limited exemptions for schools facing hiring challenges. It does not alter nursing curricula or student requirements.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2467: Prohibiting past convictions or sanctions for failure to comply with a traffic citation that are more than five years old from being considered by courts and the division of vehicles in determining suspended or restricted driving privileges and eliminating certain notice requirements for the division of vehicles.

HB 2467 limits how Kansas courts and the Division of Vehicles can use past traffic violations to suspend or restrict driver's licenses. It prohibits considering any conviction or sanction related to a traffic citation that occurred more than five years ago when making decisions about license suspensions. The bill also removes specific notice requirements the Division of Vehicles must follow when handling suspended or restricted licenses. This change primarily affects drivers with older unpaid traffic citations, preventing those outdated violations from causing new license penalties.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2479: Authorizing electronic monitoring with victim notification as a condition of release prior to trial for certain offenders charged with a domestic violence offense, domestic battery, stalking or violation of a protective order, modifying the culpable mental state required to commit the crime of breach of privacy and increasing the criminal penalties for certain violations of such crime, modifying the elements of the crime of blackmail related to threatened dissemination of any image, video or other recording of another identifiable person who is nude or engaged in sexual activity, describing who is a person in a position of authority for a school for the crime of unlawful sexual relations and increasing the penalties for the crimes of endangering a child and aggravated endangering a child if the child is less than six years of age.

HB 2479 allows judges to require electronic monitoring with victim notification as a condition of pretrial release for defendants charged with domestic violence, domestic battery, stalking, or violating a protective order. Victims must provide informed consent after being briefed on the monitoring system's function, risks, and their rights, including the ability to withdraw consent. Judges must consider factors like the severity of past violence, the defendant's history, weapon access, and mental health when deciding, and must define specific exclusion zones (e.g., the victim's home) the defendant must avoid. The defendant pays for monitoring costs, and alerts from the system can serve as probable cause for arrest if the defendant violates a protective order. This bill amends Kansas criminal procedure law to add this monitoring requirement as a possible release condition.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 382: Providing for the administration of statewide assessments to virtual school students by such students' virtual schools, adding third parties who contract with school districts to the definition of special teacher, providing for special education state aid reimbursement for certain qualified teachers, authorizing nonpublic schools to permit nonaccredited private elementary or secondary school students to participate in certain activities and authorizing foreign exchange students who reside with a host family to enroll in and attend the resident school district of the host family.

SB 382 allows Kansas virtual schools to administer and proctor statewide student assessments (like standardized tests) remotely for full-time virtual students. It requires virtual schools to follow strict security rules: assessments must occur during the same time window as in-person students, use synchronized sessions managed by school staff, monitor students via camera (using one device with integrated proctoring or two devices), enforce browser lockdown, and maintain a 10:1 student-to-proctor ratio. The bill directly affects full-time virtual school students in Kansas and their schools, enabling remote testing while ensuring assessment integrity. All costs for implementation will be covered by the state education department, and the policy supplements Kansas' virtual school act. The bill is currently pending before the Education Committee after introduction in January 2026.

Topics ✓ Education

signed · Kansas · Senate Apr 9, 2026

SB 366: House Substitute for Senate Bill 366 by Committee on Transportation - Prohibiting the use of a mobile telephone while operating a motor vehicle in school or construction zones and providing penalties thereof and permitting the display of certain lighting in road construction zones by vehicles and trailers engaged in highway construction and maintenance operations.

This bill designates Bridge No. 0087-B0854 on I-135 in Sedgwick County as the Don Snyder Memorial Bridge. It requires the Kansas Secretary of Transportation to install standard memorial signage on the bridge after complying with existing procedures (K.S.A. 68-10,114). The bill does not create new policies, funding, or affect specific individuals or groups beyond the general public encountering the bridge signage. It is a ceremonial designation with no substantive legislative impact.

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2501: Senate Substitute for HB 2501 by Committee on Federal and State Affairs - Providing for immunity from civil liability to federal firearms licensees for returning a firearm to the firearm owner at the termination of a firearm hold agreement, removing the criminal prohibition against firearm suppressors and shotgun barrel length qualification requirements and providing enhanced penalties for certain felonies committed while using a firearm suppressor or short-barrel shotgun.

HB 2501 grants civil immunity to gun shops (federal firearms licensees) in Kansas when they return a customer's legally stored firearm at the end of a prearranged storage agreement. It directly affects gun shops and customers who use these "firearm hold agreements" to temporarily store guns at licensed businesses. The bill prevents lawsuits against shops for returning firearms as agreed, unless the shop acted unlawfully during the arrangement. This policy change removes civil liability risk for shops following standard storage procedures, without altering gun ownership laws.

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2440: Excluding owners of oil leases from having to file request for exemption with the board of tax appeals for property tax exemptions.

HB 2440 amends Kansas property tax law to exempt owners of oil leases from the requirement to file for property tax exemptions with the Board of Tax Appeals. Currently, property owners must submit exemption requests to the Board, but this bill removes oil lease owners from that process. The key change is that oil lease owners will no longer need to complete the formal exemption application and review procedure with the Board of Tax Appeals. This directly affects oil lease owners in Kansas by simplifying their property tax filing obligations.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Energy

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2444: Providing that jail credit when consecutive sentences are imposed shall not apply to more than one case, creating special sentencing rules when a felony is committed by certain offenders while on probation, parole or postrelease supervision for a prior felony and requiring secured minimum bonds for certain defendants who commit a new felony while on probation, parole, postrelease supervision or bond for a prior felony unless the court makes certain findings.

HB 2444 changes Kansas sentencing rules by limiting jail credit for consecutive sentences to apply to only one case, preventing double-counting of pretrial jail time across multiple sentences. For individuals on probation, parole, or postrelease supervision who commit a new felony, the bill requires courts to impose a prison sentence as the default (unless specific findings justify otherwise) and prohibits certain sentencing departures. It also mandates that such defendants must post a secured bond (requiring collateral) for release, unless the court waives this requirement. These provisions apply specifically to new felony offenses committed during supervision for a prior felony.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Kansas · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 2518: Enacting the Kansas transparency in consumer legal funding act.

HB 2518 increases criminal penalties for attempts, conspiracies, and solicitation related to breach of privacy crimes in Kansas. It modifies the required mental state for conviction and adds stricter penalties when the victim is under 18 years old. The bill amends Kansas statutes governing criminal attempts (K.S.A. 21-5301), conspiracies (21-5302), and solicitation (21-5303) to elevate penalties for these specific offenses. It directly affects individuals accused of privacy violations, particularly those targeting minors. The changes apply to all breach of privacy cases except those involving the most severe offenses already carrying maximum penalties.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

Bill results