Week 10 of the 2026 Session

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Week 10 of the 2026 Session

During Week 10, the Legislature worked and passed bills, including bills related to licensing of family foster homes, increasing the number of allowable residents in Home Plus facilities, amending the regulatory authority of the Kansas Board of Nursing, regulating app providers and developers, providing public assistance data to federal agencies, establishing guidelines for active shooter drills in schools, and establishing qualifications for nursing school instructors. They also forwarded several bills to Gov. Laura Kelly for approval.

This edition of Health at the Capitol looks at health-related policy issues addressed by the Kansas Legislature the week of March 16.

Health at the Capitol is a weekly summary providing highlights of the Kansas legislative session, with a specific focus on health policy related issues. Sign up here to receive these summaries and more, and also follow KHI on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram . Previous editions of Health at the Capitol can be found on our ARCHIVE PAGE.

Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare
(Sen. Beverly Gossage, Chair) 

On Monday, March 16, the Committee worked HB 2524, as amended by the House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care, which would amend law concerning licensing of family foster home applicants and licensees by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). The bill would allow DCF to allow for the continuation of a license of a family foster home when:

• The applicant or licensee otherwise qualifies for such licensure; and
• A person who resides in such home:
  • Has been convicted or adjudicated or an offense as described in continuing law;
  • Was a child with such conviction or adjudication in custody and placed in such home by the Secretary of DCF;
  • Is less than 26 years of age; and
  • Maintains residence in such home or has been legally adopted by a person who resides in such home.

The Secretary could grant a license or allow the continuation of a license if there are no safety concerns, as determined by the Secretary, and if a person residing in such home otherwise meets the above-listed requirements, but:

• Is older than 26 years of age; or
• Has an additional conviction or adjudication after release from the custody of the Secretary.

The bill would allow an applicant or licensee of a family foster home to appeal to the Secretary for review if licensure has not been granted and the Secretary's decision upon review of the appeal would be final.

The Committee passed the bill favorably out of committee, and it was subsequently passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

The Committee also worked HB 2536, which would prohibit a court from appointing a person as a guardian for an adult diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dementia or a similar neurological condition until the person to be appointed files an affidavit with the court verifying completion of an approved training program. The bill would authorize the court to waive the training if it is in the best interest of the adult diagnosed with the condition, and any such waiver would be entered into the record of proceedings. The Committee passed the bill favorably out of committee, and it was subsequently passed by the Senate of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 39-1.

The Committee then worked HB 2509, which, as amended by the House Committee on Health and Human Services, would amend the Health Care Provider Insurance Availability Act to add advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to the list of health care providers participating in the Health Care Stabilization Fund and add a member who is an APRN to the Board of Governors of the Fund. The Committee amended the bill to make the effective date for participation in the Fund Jan 1, 2028, except that an APRN would not be required to participate if the initial surcharge to participate in the Fund exceeded 15 percent of the cost of the first $500,000 of coverage or $200, whichever is greater, and passed the bill favorably out of committee, as amended. The Senate Committee of the Whole subsequently passed the bill on March 19 on a vote of 37-3.

The Committee also worked HB 2520, which, as amended by the House Committee on Health and Human Services, would amend the Adult Care Home Licensure Act to allow a maximum of 16 individual residents, increased from 12, in Home Plus facilities. The bill would require Home Plus facilities that provide care for more than 12 individuals after July 1, 2026, to develop and maintain written plans demonstrating the ability of the facility to meet residents' needs, respond to emergencies and maintain resident health and safety at the increased capacity. The bill would require the plans to be available for review during survey or inspection to ensure the Home Plus has the capacity to safely serve additional residents without diminishing the quality of care. The bill was passed favorably out of committee and was subsequently passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 37-3.

On Monday, March 16, and Tuesday, March 17, the Committee worked HB 2528, as amended by the House Committee of the Whole, which would amend statutes regarding the Board of Nursing, including voiding disciplinary actions based upon a violation of certain statutes, providing a grace period for nursing license renewal and a process for late renewal, and amending the definition of "unprofessional conduct" under the Kansas Nurse Practice Act. The Committee amended the bill to:

• Clarify that the intent of the bill is to only invalidate disciplinary actions or void Board actions related to the identified non-patient care administrative actions;
• Provide for licenses to remain valid and active for 30 days following the renewal date, rather than 90 days;
• Clarify that a nursing license would lapse and a person would no longer be eligible to practice if such license is not renewed within 30 days of the renewal date;
• Require the Board to inform licensees who fail to renew that the Board will grant a renewal license within five business days after the applicant completes required steps;
• Provide for lapsed licenses to be eligible for reinstatement without a time limitation;
• Provide for persons not engaged in active practice or in a formal educational program for five years prior to the application for license reinstatement to potentially be required to complete additional testing, training or education, rather than three years;
• Provide for independent contractors to be among those able to investigate violations;
• Provide for investigations of alleged violations to, on and after Jan. 1, 2027, be considered closed 22 months after the Board is made aware of the alleged violation, unless a disciplinary action has been filed against the licensee or applicant or a licensee or applicant has caused a significant investigatory delay;
• Provide for renewal notices to only be sent out at 60 and 7 days prior to the renewal date of the person's license;
• Restore the provision stating a member would not serve on the Board while also serving as Governor, Attorney General or as a member of the Legislature;
• Provide for the Board to have until Sept. 1, 2026, to comply with the bill, after which aggrieved individuals could file a private cause of action; and
• Be effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

The Committee then passed the bill favorably out of committee, as amended. The bill was subsequently amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole to:

• Clarify that members of the Board serve at the pleasure of the Governor;
• Provide that the terms of the members of the Board serving on Jan. 1, 2027, shall expire on Jan. 1, 2027;
• Provide that the Governor shall appoint interim members of the Board who meet the requirements of the bill who shall serve on and after Jan. 1, 2027, while they are awaiting confirmation by the Senate; and
• Provide that such members shall serve for a term of four years and may serve for no more than two consecutive terms.

The bill was then passed on March 19 on a vote of 34-6.

The Committee also worked SB 522, which would enact the Kansas Medical Freedom Act. The bill would prohibit a governmental entity from requiring a medical intervention as a condition of employment and prohibit any governmental entity, agent or official from requiring a medical intervention for an individual, group, or private or public entity or members for any purpose, including, but not limited to:

• Access to government services;
• Receipt of licenses, permits or benefits;
• Use of public buildings, facilities, infrastructure, or transportation; or
• Employment by governmental entities.

The bill would also prohibit a school from requiring a medical intervention for participation or entry by any individual. "Medical intervention" would be defined as any medical procedure, treatment, device, prescription or nonprescription drug, or any injection or medication or medical action prescribed, administered, dispensed, recommended, sold, offered, installed or implanted to monitor, diagnose, prevent, treat or cure a disease or alter the health or biological function of a person. Medical intervention would include, but not be limited to, masks, vaccines, biologics, swabs, tests (including genomic tests), pills, capsules, creams, sprays, liquids, injections, chips, devices and monitors.

The bill also would not require an individual to wear or otherwise be subjected to personal protective equipment for a specific purpose that is authorized only under an emergency use authorization or similar state of emergency, edict or proclamation. The bill would allow an individual who has been aggrieved by a violation of the Act by a school or government entity to file a complaint with the Attorney General.

The Committee amended the bill to:

• Remove the definitions of "private entity" and "ticket holders";
• Amend the definition of "school";
• Remove specified locations, such as restrooms, locker rooms, showers, shelters, prisons, sporting or other intimate facilities, and entities that could not require a medical intervention;
• Remove the penalties that could be awarded by the Attorney General in a final order; and
• Remove the cause of action that could be filed by the Attorney General against an employer.

The bill was then passed favorably out of committee, as amended.

House Welfare Reform Committee
(Rep. Francis Awerkamp, Chair)

On Tuesday, March 17, the Committee worked SB 363, as amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole, which would establish data matching and eligibility verification requirements for the Secretary of DCF and the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for certain public assistance programs; require quarterly and annual reporting to the Legislature on certain programs; establish continuous eligibility provisions for select individuals; prohibit certain exemptions, waivers and self-attestation; and change eligibility requirements for certain public assistance programs. The Committee amended the bill to:

• Replace a provision requiring KDHE to seek a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver with a provision allowing KDHE to work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine what waiver may allow for continuous eligibility and report such discussion or waiver application to certain legislative committees;
• Replace a provision requiring the establishment of continuous Medicaid eligibility with a provision permitting the state to seek such continuous Medicaid eligibility subject to discussions with CMS;
• Remove a provision limiting routine eligibility redeterminations for individuals subject to continuous Medicaid eligibility;
• Remove provisions requiring DCF and KDHE to submit a report to specified legislative committees on the number of Kansans becoming ineligible for public assistance benefits and the reasons for losing such eligibility;
• Remove a requirement that DCF and KDHE verify potential changes in income, wages or residency that may affect eligibility for food assistance or medical assistance on a quarterly basis;
• Remove a requirement that DCF and KDHE verify potential changes in employment, income or assets that may affect eligibility for food assistance or medical assistance on a semi-monthly basis;
• Clarify an enrollee who has been determined to be noncompliant be provided no more than a 30-day notice of such noncompliance;
• Remove household composition from the list of eligibility criteria for which self-attestation is prohibited;
• Replace a provision requiring redeterminations of an individual's eligibility for medical assistance be conducted on a quarterly basis with a provision requiring such redeterminations be conducted every six months for the caretaker medical assistance population and specify that such provision would take effect upon CMS approving the removal of the caretaker medical assistance population out of the Section 1115 Medicaid waiver; and
• Remove a provision requiring the determinations and redeterminations of certain specified individuals to be governed by the Kansas Medicaid Eligibility Standards in effect on June 30, 2026.

Committee members asked Christine Osterlund, Deputy Secretary of Agency Integration and Medicaid at KDHE, questions regarding the fiscal note and staffing implications (Osterlund said the revised full-time equivalent or FTE estimate would be lower than the prior estimate but that a revised fiscal note had not yet been completed); compliance risk if adequate staffing is not funded (without sufficient FTEs, the agency risked falling behind on case timeliness, which under H.R. 1 could result in a Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) audit error rate above three percent and federal repayment obligations across the entire Medicaid population); the agency's current vacancy rate and strategies to address it (the approximately 10 percent eligibility worker vacancy rate has been trending down following legislative wage increases and the agency is exploring additional strategies to continue lowering it); and whether the 38 percent federal poverty level threshold for the caretaker medical population is state-set (it is the federally defined minimum floor).

The Committee passed the bill favorably out of committee, as amended, on a vote of 7-6, with several members requesting their no votes be recorded.

House Committee on Federal and State Affairs
(Rep. Tom Kessler, Chair)

On Tuesday, March 17, the Committee held a hearing on SB 1, as amended by the Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs and passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole, which would exempt Kansas from the federal daylight saving time provision and adopt permanent standard time, provided that Missouri enacts similar legislation. Upon the enactment of a federal law adopting permanent daylight-saving time, Kansas would move to permanent daylight-saving time.

Read testimony submitted by all conferees.

Proponents, including Sen. Kenny Titus, stated that permanent standard time is the only option available under current federal law, that health research strongly supports standard time over daylight saving time for sleep, academic performance and general well-being, and that the Missouri linkage is necessary to protect the Kansas City metropolitan area. A representative of Save Standard Time (a nonprofit organization) noted similar legislation is pending in several neighboring states.

Committee members asked questions regarding western Kansas counties on mountain time (Sen. Titus said those counties could retain mountain time or align with central standard time but would no longer share the same time as Colorado during part of the year if Colorado continued observing daylight saving time); Missouri's progress on similar legislation (Sen. Titus said Missouri has had hearings and expressed confidence that Kansas passing the bill would encourage neighboring states); and the federal law governing the opt-out process (Save Standard Time representative cited the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which allows states to self-exempt from daylight saving time by notifying the U.S. Department of Transportation). The Committee then passed the bill favorably out of committee.

The Committee also worked SB 372, which, as amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would enact the App Store Accountability Act to create law regarding regulating application (app) store providers and app developers with respect to minors. The bill's provisions would be enforced under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) and would create a private cause of action for violations of the bill. The Committee amended the bill to:

• Require a provider to allow each developer to direct the provider to prevent downloads of the developer's app by users based on the age of the user as determined by the provider;
• Allow a developer to rely on an assessment of the age category of an individual that is different than the signal provided by the provider if there is clear and convincing evidence that the provider's assessment of the age category is inaccurate;
• Require the developer to bear the burden of producing clear and convincing evidence that an assessment of the age of an individual is inaccurate;
• Specify that only the Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee may bring a civil action alleging a violation of the KCPA and remove provisions related to private causes of action;
• Require compliance records to not include copies of various types of personally identifiable information or verification data collected solely for the purpose of age verification;
• Require a provider to delete or destroy any personally identifiable information or verification data immediately after the age verification process is completed;
• Prohibit a provider from retaining, using, processing or disclosing any personally identifiable information or verification data for any other purpose;
• Prohibit a provider from using information collected for advertising, behavior targeting, profiling, data brokerage, or other commercial monetizations;
• Declare that nothing in the Act shall be construed to require a developer or providers to disclose personal identifying information to another entity except as necessary to comply with this Act or as otherwise required by law; and
• Make technical and conforming amendments.

The bill, as amended was then passed favorably out of committee.

Other Bills With Action During Week 10

Senate Substitute (Sub.) for House Bill (HB) 2004, as recommended by the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency and passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would require, upon written request, that the Secretary for DCF provide data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of KDHE provide data to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) without conditions or limitations. The bill would require both Secretaries to fully respond to the respective federal agencies in a timely manner by executing a memorandum of understanding, data use agreement or other form of written data-sharing instrument as necessary to provide the information required. Such data would be required to be shared with the respective federal agency within 30 days of the Secretary receiving a written request. On March 17, the Conference Committee agreed to disagree and recommended that a new conference committee be appointed.

HB 2250, as passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would add administering an emergency opioid antagonist as a protected act immune from criminal prosecution if the person to whom aid was rendered reasonably appeared to need medical assistance or requested medical assistance from law enforcement or emergency medical services as a result of the use of a controlled substance. The bill also would define "emergency opioid antagonist" to mean an intranasal form of a drug that inhibits the effects of opioids and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of opioid overdose; and permit the administration of an emergency opioid antagonist up to 10 years past the product's expiration date and add civil liability protection for first responders. The House nonconcurred with the Senate amendments, a conference committee was requested, and the Senate motion to accede was adopted on March 17.

HB 2368, as amended and passed by the House Committee on Health and Human Services, would enact the Anesthesiologist Assistant Licensure Act and provide for the powers, duties and functions of the State Board of Healing Arts in carrying out the act. The bill would provide for anesthesiologist assistant (AA) licensure, define the scope of practice for AAs, require AAs to practice under a supervising anesthesiologist, and create a council to advise the Board in carrying out the provisions of the Act. Motion to re-refer the bill to the House Committee on Health and Human Services was adopted on March 17. Note: A motion to recommend favorably for passage by the House Committee of the Whole previously failed on Feb. 17.

HB 2412, as amended by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, would increase the penalties for the crimes of endangering a child and aggravated endangering a child when such child is less than six years of age. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 18 on a vote of 40-0, but the House nonconcurred with the Senate amendments and a conference committee was requested and appointed on March 19.

HB 2478 requires an applicant for an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) or certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) license to be fingerprinted for state and national criminal history record checks. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 20.

HB 2533, as amended and passed by the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare, would enact the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 17 on a vote of 38-2. The House nonconcurred with the Senate amendments, a conference committee was requested and appointed, and the Senate motion to accede was adopted on March 18.

HB 2534, as amended by the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare, would enact the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. As of Feb. 5, 2026, the Compact has been enacted in five states: Alabama, Iowa, Montana, Washington and Wisconsin. The Compact is being considered in 11 states, including Kansas, and will become active once it is enacted by seven states. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 39-1.

HB 2537, as amended by the House Committee of the Whole, would create "Caleb's Law," which would amend the definition of the crime of sexual extortion to include additional conduct; create the crimes of aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm and aggravated sexual extortion causing death; and require the Attorney General to prepare and provide certain educational materials and information concerning sexual extortion. If the offender is over age 18, and the victim is less than age 18, or the victim is a dependent adult, the offense would be a severity level 6 person felony. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2562 would add physical therapists, licensed to practice under the Physical Therapy Practice Act, to the list of authorized practitioners who can certify to the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles, that an individual has a disability. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2587, as amended by the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare, would authorize a licensed private psychiatric hospital to maintain a stock supply of emergency medication kits for pharmaceutical emergencies. The bill would define "emergency medication kit" to mean a stock supply of such drugs as are required to meet the immediate therapeutic needs of patients when the drug is not available from another source in sufficient time to prevent harm and define "licensed private psychiatric hospital" to mean an institution, excluding state institutions such as the state hospitals, that is primarily engaged in providing services, by and under the supervision of qualified individuals, for the diagnosis and treatment of mentally ill individuals that is licensed pursuant to state law. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2601, as passed by the House Committee of the Whole, would establish a Child Abuse and Neglect Registry maintained by the Secretary of DCF and require administrative hearings, including the opportunity for appeal, before placing an individual on the Registry. The bill also would limit use of information on the Registry and permit the Secretary to maintain other registries or records to meet federal requirements. The Senate Committee on Judiciary amended the bill on Monday, March 16, to require that an individual have access to the records from DCF pertaining to the report of the alleged instance of abuse or neglect prior to any hearing or waiver of the right to a hearing. The Senate Committee of the Whole then amended the bill to:

• Clarify a person could be placed on the Registry only after proper notice and an opportunity for a hearing;
• Raise the standard of proof for a substantiated report of child abuse or neglect to "clear and convincing" evidence;
• Require the presiding officer to provide a copy of the order placing an individual on the Registry to such individual with information regarding the appeal process;
• Require the Secretary to provide notice to such individual when a request for expungement is granted or denied and include information regarding the appeal process; and
• Allow such individual to appeal a denial of an expungement within 30 days.

The bill was then passed, as amended, on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2635 would create the Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression Act. It would make several findings related to pregnancy centers and the services provided at such centers and would prohibit regulations, policies, procedures or other measures that would prohibit a pregnancy center from taking certain actions or requiring that a pregnancy center take specific actions. The bill, as passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 12, was enrolled and presented to the Governor on March 17.

HB 2639, as amended by the House Committee of the Whole, would change the name of juvenile crisis intervention centers to juvenile stabilization centers throughout the Revised Kansas Code for the Care of Children (CINC Code) and the Revised Kansas Juvenile Justice Code (Juvenile Code) and would modify the intake criteria for, and the treatment and services provided by, such centers. The bill also would transfer money from the Evidence-Based Programs Account (EBPA) in the State General Fund to DCF to provide juvenile stabilization services. The bill was amended by the Senate Committee on Judiciary on Monday, March 16, to modify the definition of "cross-over youth" to mean a young person, 10 years of age or older, who is at risk of being adjudicated or is already adjudicated as a child in need of care due in whole or in part to:

• Conduct or involvement in the juvenile justice system;
• Allegations that could result in involvement in the juvenile justice system; or
• Any level of concurrent involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

The bill was then passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2702 would amend the Kansas Healing Arts Act regarding practice protocols to provide for collaboration between a physician assistant or associate (PA) and a physician and to amend the Physician Assistant Licensure Act. The bill also would authorize the use of a criminal history record check and the collection of fingerprints for an applicant for PA licensure by the State Board of Healing Arts. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 18 on a vote of 40-0.

HB 2727 would allow plaintiffs to elect to limit recovery in claims brought for violations of the informed consent provisions of the Women's-Right-to-Know Act and would not allow parties to the suit to request the convening of a medical malpractice screening panel. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 31-9.

HB 2729 would amend informed consent provisions of the Woman's-Right-to-Know Act concerning required information and required notice signs for both abortion procedures and medication abortion. The bill would specify that the information required to be provided by abortion providers under the Act shall be on a form provided by KDHE and that such form may be provided in hardcopy format on white paper or electronically transmitted to the woman. Additionally, the bill would require that the informed consent and medication abortion reversal notice signs required by the Act state that such notice is from KDHE. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 19 on a vote of 31-9.

Sub. for HB 2731, as passed by the House Committee of the Whole, would require the Secretary for DCF and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to exchange documents related to cash assistance, child care assistance and food assistance fraud investigations. The bill would require the Secretary and the OIG to cooperate in the facilitation of detection, investigation and prosecution of public assistance by exchanging information, including:

• Documents and information related to cash assistance, child care assistance and food assistance applicants or recipients;
• Documents and information related to cash assistance, child care assistance, and food assistance eligibility determinations;
• Electronic benefit card (EBT) transaction data or documents; and
• Any other materials received, compiled or created by the agency related to an audit, inquiry or investigation of cash assistance, child care assistance and food assistance applicant, recipient, authorized retailer or any other individual suspected of, or being investigated for, fraud in the food assistance program.

The bill would require information to be exchanged at the request of either the Secretary or the OIG and completed in a reasonable time frame that could not exceed 30 days from the day of the request being received.

The Senate Committee of the Whole amended the bill to include provisions requiring DCF and KDHE to carry out data system coordination for the purpose of automatically issuing Summer EBT benefits to eligible children who are currently enrolled in the Kansas Medical Assistance Program and to be effective upon publication in the Kansas Register and passed the bill on March 19 on a vote of 37-3.

HB 2761 would establish the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Licensure Act and establish the powers, duties and functions of the Secretary for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) in carrying out the Act. The bill would provide for speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) licensure, define the scope of practice, specify required qualifications, and require SLPAs to practice under a supervising speech-language pathologist. The bill would require the Secretary to issue a SLPA license to an individual who meets the educational and training requirements of the Act and any other reasonable qualifications that may be adopted by the Secretary in rules and regulations. Such license would expire after two years. The bill was passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole on March 17 on a vote of 38-2.

SB 263, as amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would create the Student Safe at School Act to require the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to create best practice guidelines for active shooter drills and establish standards and requirements for violence prevention training conducted by elementary and secondary schools. The bill also would prohibit schools from conducting active shooter simulations, unless authorized by the Act, and amend the requirement that the State Fire Marshal adopt rules and regulations concerning crisis drills at public and private schools.

The House Committee on Education amended the bill to:

• Reconcile amendments made by the Senate Committee of the Whole by moving a provision that would preserve a parent's ability to opt a student out of participation in an active shooter drill;
• Remove the prohibition on active shooter drills for students in grades kindergarten through five and amend the definition of "active shooter drill" to include:
  • For grades kindergarten through five, instruction through tabletop exercises and identification of appropriate places for students to locate during an emergency; and
  • For grades 6 through 12, the information described above and the practice of active shooter drills;
• Add a definition of "tabletop exercise";
• Restore provisions that would require the school to notify each parent at least 24 hours prior to an active shooter drill and would outline alternative safety education for students who do not participate in active shooter drills;
• Include tactical training in the 24-hour notification requirement;
• Remove provisions requiring annual violence prevention training for grades 6-12 and requiring opportunities for students to contribute to school safety and violence-prevention planning;
• Change the prohibition on active shooter simulations to only apply to school property where students in kindergarten through grade 8 regularly attend and to permit active shooter simulations on school property if only students in grades 9-12 regularly attend.

The Committee then recommended House Substitute for SB 263 be passed incorporating its amendments on March 18.

SB 327, as amended by the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare, would change the meeting time of the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight to meet once in each quarter while retaining the requirement for the meetings to be two consecutive days in the third and fourth quarters. Note: Current law specifies one-day meetings are to occur in January and April when the Legislature is in regular session. The bill was stricken from the House Calendar on March 20.

SB 334, as passed by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would provide education levels for instructors at nursing schools as a requirement for state approval. The bill would require, in addition to other requirements in continuing law, that faculty at a school seeking approval from the Kansas State Board of Nursing as a school for professional nurses or as a school for practical nurses possess a nursing degree awarded by a state or nationally accredited school of nursing approved by the Board that is at least one level more advanced than the degree awarded by the program in which they are teaching. The bill would prohibit the Board from requiring additional or more advanced credentials for such faculty. The bill would allow the Board to grant an exemption for this requirement to a school facing hardships in hiring faculty. The bill was passed by the House Committee of the Whole on March 18 on a vote of 81-43.

SB 339, as amended by the Senate Committee of the Whole, would establish minimum requirements for recess in public schools and include such time in the calculations of a school's school term for purposes of statutory compliance beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. The bill also would direct the State Board of Education to establish a Kansas State Fitness Test. The House Committee on Education amended the bill to:

• Specify that the minimum daily, organized recess requirement is for elementary grades as designated by the school district and that elementary grades would not include any grade higher than grade 5;
• Clarify that the State Board would be required to establish the Fitness Test after the standards for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test are published;
• Require the Fitness Test to be annually administered beginning in school year 2026-2027; and
• Change the name of the Fitness Test to the Kansas State Physical Fitness Test.

The Committee then passed the bill, as amended, favorably out of committee on March 17.

House Sub. for SB 366, as recommended by the House Committee on Transportation, would prohibit use of a mobile telephone in a school zone when a reduced speed limit is enforced or in a road construction zone while workers are present (school or work zone) and signs are posted at the beginning of the road construction zone alerting drivers to such workers. Holding a mobile telephone would constitute a rebuttable presumption of a violation of that prohibition. The prohibition would not apply to:

• A law enforcement officer or emergency service personnel acting within the course and scope of their employment;
• A person operating a motor vehicle that is halted where the vehicle can safety and lawfully remain stationary; or
• A mobile telephone that is being used with a hands-free device.

The bill would not prohibit using a mobile telephone in a school or work zone to:

• Report current or ongoing illegal activity to a law enforcement agency;
• Prevent imminent injury to a person or property;
• Summon medical or other emergency assistance; or
• Relay information between a transit or for-hire operator and the operator's dispatcher if the device is permanently affixed to the motor vehicle.

The bill would prohibit a law enforcement officer from taking certain actions without the consent of the person:

• Confiscate a mobile telephone device for the purpose of determining compliance with the prohibition;
• Confiscate and retain a mobile telephone as evidence pending trial for a violation of these provisions; or
• Extract or otherwise download information for a violation of this section unless:
  • The officer has probable cause to believe the mobile telephone has been used in the commission of a crime;
  • The information is extracted or otherwise downloaded under a valid search warrant; or
  • Otherwise authorized by law.

The House Committee of the Whole passed the substitute bill on March 17 on a vote of 116-7, and the Senate Committee of the Whole concurred with the amendments on March 19 on a vote of 31-9.

SB 368, as passed by the House Committee of the Whole, would enact the Health Care Sharing Ministries Tax Deduction Act, providing a subtraction modification for taxpayers for qualified health care sharing expenses and amounts of qualified health care share received by taxpayers. The subtraction modification for health care sharing expenses could not exceed $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a married couple filing a joint return. "Qualifying health care sharing expenses" would be those amounts paid for the taxpayer and their spouse or dependent for contributions for medical expenses and administrative fees of the health care sharing ministry. "Qualifying health care share received" would be the amount received as a member of a health care sharing ministry to assist with a medical expense. The bill was enrolled and presented to the Governor on March 16.

House Sub. for SB 390, as passed by the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, would require, beginning in school year 2027-2028 and each school year after, schools that participate in a food service program, school lunch program or school breakfast program that is part of a reimbursable meal or a free or reduced-price meal to not serve any food that contains the following food additives:

• Brominated vegetable oil (BVO);
• Potassium bromate;
• Propylparaben;
• Azodicarbonamide;
• Titanium dioxide;
• FD&C Red 3;
• FD&C Red 40;
• FD&C Yellow 5;
• FD&C Yellow 6;
• FD&C Blue 1;
• FD&C Blue 2; and
• FD&C Green 3.

The bill would require that during the school facility inspection required by continuing law, the school would certify that the facility does not serve food that contains any food additives that would be prohibited by the bill as part of a reimbursable meal or a free or reduced-price meal. Beginning in school year 2028-2029, the bill would require a school that cannot certify the facility meets the requirements of the bill to:

• Submit a corrective action plan to the Secretary of Agriculture within 30 days of the inspection; and
• Post the official notice of the violation and plan on the school's website for one year from the date of the inspection or an order from the Secretary, whichever is later.

The bill would require a school that incorrectly certifies a school facility meets the requirements of the bill to submit a plan to the Secretary within 30 days of the inspection, post the official notice and the plan on the school's website for one year from the date of the inspection or an order from the Secretary, whichever is later, and notify the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in and attending the school of the violation. The bill was stricken from the House Calendar on March 20.

SB 408, as amended by the House Committee on Judiciary, would amend the definition of "child in need of care" in the Revised Kansas Code for Care of Children (CINC Code) to exclude a person less than 18 years old who is engaging in independent activities without adult supervision when a parent allows such child to engage in such activities if:

• Such independent activities are appropriate for the child's age, maturity and mental abilities; and
• Such lack of supervision does not constitute such grossly negligent conduct that it would endanger the health and safety of the child.

The bill would define "independent activities" to include, but not be limited to, traveling to and from school or nearby locations on foot or bicycle, playing outdoors, remaining home for a reasonable amount of time, or remaining in a vehicle that is not dangerously hot or cold for a reasonable amount of time.

The bill also would amend law in the CINC Code concerning a process of referring military children to services provided by a military family advocacy program and would amend the Kansas Parentage Act concerning voluntary acknowledgement of paternity. The bill was passed by the House Committee of the Whole on March 18 on a vote of 124-0.

SB 448, as passed by the House Committee on Health and Human Services, would authorize the use of expedited partner therapy (EPT) to treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The bill would define several terms, including "expedited partner therapy," which would mean to prescribe, administer, dispense or otherwise provide antimicrobial drugs to a sexual partner of a patient clinically diagnosed by a health care provider as infected with an STD without a physical examination of such sexual partner. The bill was stricken from the House Calendar on March 20.