HB 2565 requires employees at the Kansas State School for the Blind and Kansas State School for the Deaf (including teachers and licensed personnel like counselors and nurses) to be paid the same rate as teachers in Olathe Unified School District 233 (USD 233) with comparable education and experience. The bill mandates that pay be set based on USD 233's current school-year salary rates for similar roles, using September 1 rates from the prior year as the benchmark. If no comparable USD 233 teacher exists, it uses the standard rate for that position. This replaces the current pay rules for these state schools with a new standard tied to a specific public school district's compensation.
HB 2597 requires all Kansas employers to provide employees with paid sick leave starting January 1, 2027. Employees earn at least two hours of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year, which can carry forward annually. The bill allows use for personal illness, caring for sick family members, addressing domestic violence, or handling emergencies like school closures due to weather. It applies to most employees but explicitly excludes independent contractors, with rules to be implemented by the Kansas Secretary of Labor.
SB 323 amends Kansas law to explicitly define "earnings" as including all paid compensation for wage garnishment exemption purposes. This change ensures that all forms of earned income (like bonuses, commissions, or other paid work) are protected under existing garnishment limits, preventing gaps where some compensation might have been excluded. It directly affects wage earners in Kansas whose income might previously have been partially subject to garnishment due to an incomplete definition. The bill updates the legal definition without altering the current 25% cap on disposable earnings subject to garnishment.
HB 2582 establishes a program within Kansas' Department of Agriculture to support veterinarians serving food animal practices in rural communities. It provides financial assistance of up to $100,000 (capped at the participant's education debt balance) to licensed veterinarians who commit to four years of full-time practice in rural Kansas (defined as counties under 40,000 population or practices serving ≥50% food animals). Participants must submit annual reports on community engagement beyond standard care and repay funds if they leave the program early. The program is administered by the Department of Agriculture with oversight from an advisory committee of rural veterinarians, agriculture staff, and livestock industry representatives.
HB 2602 establishes a portable benefit plan system for independent contractors in Kansas, directly affecting contractors (e.g., app-based workers) and hiring companies. The bill requires third-party providers (like banks or investment firms) to offer plans covering health, retirement, disability, or life insurance, with contributions allowed from contractors, hiring parties, or voluntary withholdings from contractor pay. Kansas income tax law would allow a subtraction modification for these contributions, reducing taxable income. The bill is currently in committee review (introduced January 2026, referred to Insurance Committee) and does not change employment classification rules.
SB 311 eliminates Kansas state income tax on specific types of overtime pay earned by workers. It modifies Kansas tax law to exclude "certain qualified overtime compensation" from taxable income when calculating state adjusted gross income. This means eligible workers will not pay state income tax on qualifying overtime earnings, directly affecting Kansas residents who receive this type of compensation. The bill amends K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 79-32,117 to add this exclusion as a subtraction modification.
HB 2598, the Kansas Paid Family Leave Act, creates a state-run program providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for eligible workers in Kansas to bond with a new child (birth, adoption, or foster placement), care for a family member with a serious health condition, recover from their own serious health condition, or address military family needs. It covers most full- and part-time employees who worked 26 weeks (20+ hours/week) or 175 days (less than 20 hours/week) in the prior year, plus self-employed individuals who opt into the program. Benefits will equal 67% of an employee's average weekly wage (capped at $1,000/week starting in 2028), funded through payroll deductions of employee premiums beginning January 2027. The program launches for eligible workers on July 1, 2027, with benefits paid from the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund.
SB 406 directs Kansas' governor to approve short-term workforce training programs for federal Pell grant eligibility, as defined by federal law (Public Law 119-21). It requires the State Workforce Development Board to establish a clear process for programs to apply for approval, appeal denials, and coordinate with other state/federal workforce programs to avoid duplicate funding. The bill mandates the Board to align state and federal funding to support these programs while ensuring all actions comply with existing federal Pell grant rules. This affects workforce training programs seeking federal Pell grant access, not individual students or employers.
SB 282 creates the Kansas Retirement Investment and Savings Plan (KRISP), a new defined contribution retirement plan for most Kansas public employees hired on or after July 1, 2027. It establishes individual investment accounts for members, includes optional Roth-style savings contributions, and requires participation in a deferred compensation plan unless employees opt out. The plan applies to new hires and existing employees who choose to switch, but excludes current members of the police/fire retirement system, judges' system, and those already enrolled in the existing defined benefit plan before July 2027. KRISP operates alongside, but separately from, Kansas' current retirement systems and becomes effective January 1, 2028.
SB 202 transfers all current and future teachers in Kansas from the KPERS 3 retirement plan (established in 2015) to the older KPERS 2 plan (established in 2009). It affects all teachers, including those currently enrolled in KPERS 3, with the transfer automatic on January 1, 2026, and new teachers hired on or after July 1, 2025, starting directly in KPERS 2. The bill ensures teachers retain all prior service credit and benefits under the new plan, with no reduction in benefits compared to their previous plan, and employer contributions will offset the administrative costs of the transfer.
