Week 1 of the 2026 Session

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Week 1 of the 2026 Session

The 2026 session began on Monday, Jan. 12, and once again is scheduled to move quickly with First Adjournment set for March 27, and the Veto Session to begin on April 9. Committees began meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with informational presentations and a few bill hearings, while Gov. Laura Kelly presented her final State of the State Address.

This edition of Health at the Capitol looks at health-related policy issues announced or discussed the week of Jan. 12.

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.

On Jan. 8, prior to the start of the 2026 session, Gov. Kelly announced that total tax collections for December 2025 were $1.07 billion, $58.7 million (5.2 percent) below the previous estimate. She noted that individual tax collections were down $37 million (7.6 percent), while corporate income taxes came in $21.9 million (8.0 percent) below the estimate.

On Monday, Jan. 12, Attorney General Kris Kobach announced the opening of the $10 million Kansas Safe and Secure Firearm Detection Grant Program, which will make grant funds available for public schools to install firearm detection and screening technologies along with their existing security camera systems. Schools can immediately apply to receive up to $250,000 each in grant funds from the program, provided they meet the infrastructure requirements defined in the application. The program was authorized by a budget proviso enacted in 2025 Senate Bill 125.

Also on Jan. 12, House Minority Leader Brandon Woodward announced that House Democrats will be introducing more than a dozen bills related to affordability for working families that will address issues related to housing, family leave, universal school meals for students, expansion of the senior property tax freeze program, and child care.

Gov. Laura Kelly also announced on Jan. 12 that the Department for Children and Families (DCF) had filed a reply brief to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Appeals Board related to the state's response to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) data request that sought information such as social security numbers and dates of birth for members of households who have received or applied for SNAP benefits.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Gov. Kelly delivered her final State of the State Address. In her comments she announced her legislative priorities for the 2026 session, including:

• Additional funding for special education
• Free meals for students already receiving reduced-price school lunches
• A ban on cell phone use during the school day
• More mental health treatment beds, professionals and crisis response
• A dedicated funding source to address the state's water crisis

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Gov. Kelly released her proposed $10.8 billion fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget, which includes:

• $50.6 million in additional funding for Special Education State Aid
• $2.5 million to eliminate copays for 34,400 students currently on reduced-price school lunches
• $2.3 million to improve water quality in the Equus Beds Aquifer; $1.1 million for Water Planning and Project Development and more than $870,000 in annual funding for aid to conservation districts
• $1.3 million for the Kansas Office of Early Childhood, including salaries, wages, physical office and digital infrastructure and other implementation costs
• $30.9 million to fund the first year of operation for the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital
• $5.0 million to support six hospitals providing adult inpatient behavioral health services
• $15 million for increased Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) caseloads
• $32.2 million for contract nursing at Larned State Hospital and $5.0 million at Osawatomie State Hospital
• $12.6 million for the first year of the new Community Support Waiver
• $816,000 for renovation at the Topeka Correctional Facility for a nursery
• $12.1 million to cover the incremental state share of administrative costs to administer the SNAP program
• $4.0 million across FYs 2026 and 2027 for new costs related to increased work requirements in the SNAP program

House Committee on Health and Human Services
(Rep. Will Carpenter)

The Committee met on Thursday, Jan. 15, and heard a presentation by a representative of the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature (KSHL) regarding KSHL's legislative priorities for the 2026 legislative session, which include:

• Medical cannabis and support of 2025 SB 294, which would establish a framework for medical marijuana access and allow patients with qualifying medical conditions to obtain products if recommended by a physician
• Property tax relief and support of 2025 SB 215
• Preservation and expansion of Medicaid and food assistance, including supports that help seniors remain in their homes
• Transformation supports for older adults, including grants for local programs
• Protecting voting access for seniors, including opposition to limits on drop boxes and reductions in early voting and mail ballot timelines

Committee members asked questions regarding whether senior property tax relief proposals could overlap with county-level programs (KSHL said broader property tax relief would be ideal, but acknowledged the fiscal realities); whether KSHL's medical cannabis proposal included non-smoked forms such as tablets (support is for regulated, physician-prescribed products such as pills or other medical formulations dispensed through pharmacies); and how aging and senior services may be supported through the Rural Health Transformation Program funding (KSHL is interested in the potential for allocation of funds toward senior support).

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

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Committee received an overview from Secretary Laura Howard, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), regarding agency accomplishments, priorities and key initiatives, including:

• Completion and federal approval of the four-year State Plan on Aging
• Hosting the first Governor's Conference on Aging in more than 10 years
• Expansion of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), including a new site and increased capacity in Wyandotte County
• Statewide launch of the Kansas Respite for Alzheimer's and Dementia Program (K-RAD)
• Continued average 90 percent in-state answer rate for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
• Selection for participation in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Transformation Project funded by the Ballmer Group, with Kansas, Illinois and Michigan receiving approximately $72 million over three years. The initiative will focus on workforce, data and accountability, sustainable financing, and access in rural and frontier areas.
• Partnership with the Kansas Supreme Court to establish a Family Treatment Court pilot in three counties
• Construction of the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital. The facility will be licensed for 104 beds, including acute psychiatric and forensic beds, with admissions expected to begin in January 2027.

Committee members asked questions regarding how the Ballmer Group Grant would align with the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funding (Howard said initiatives may be complementary, particularly for addressing access challenges in frontier areas); the project funding gap for 988 (the Kansas 988 Coordinating Council recommended increasing the annual funding from $10 million to $13 million); efforts to prevent and detect Medicare fraud (Howard said there are outreach efforts through Area Agencies on Aging, Aging and Disability Resource Centers, and the Senior Medicare Patrol Program); how improvements in mental health rankings translate to improved outcomes for Kansans (Howard said it translates to increased access, timeliness of care, and development of a behavioral health data warehouse to support accountability); and long-term strategies to address rising contract nursing costs at state hospitals (Howard indicated the opening of the South Central hospital will help assess capacity needs and inform future planning).

The Committee met again on Wednesday, Jan. 14 and heard a presentation from Sec. Janet Stanek, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), who provided an overview of KDHE's public health and Medicaid divisions and highlighted major initiatives, recent grants and agency priorities. Stanek provided an update on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation Program award, for which Governor Kelly is the recipient and KDHE is the lead agency. She reported that Kansas received about $22 million more than CMS advised all states to budget for, making Kansas the sixth-highest award recipient. She also emphasized that the grant is focused on transforming the rural health care delivery system, not funding facility upgrades. KDHE is required to submit a revised, more detailed budget by Jan. 30, and funds must be allocated by July 31 and spent by September 2027, with ongoing reporting and compliance requirements. Stanek noted KDHE and KDADS are jointly leading implementation, with KU's Care Collaborative supporting budget revisions and stakeholder engagement, and an advisory group providing input.

For the Division of Public Health, Sec. Stanek reported the conclusion of measles (August 2025) and tuberculosis (November 2025) outbreaks, implementation of the new public health laboratory, and implementation of 2025 Senate Bill 126 updating newborn screening and increasing local health department formula funding. She also noted that priorities for 2026 include relocating the Office of Vital Statistics, supporting maternal health initiatives, World Cup preparedness and implementation of the RHTP grant.

For the Division of Health Care Finance, Sec. Stanek highlighted recent KanCare 3.0 implementation, expanded utilization management and auditing, and ongoing work under the Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model, a $17 million, 10-year federal initiative focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Committee members asked questions regarding legislative representation on the RHTP stakeholder group (Stanek said appointments are determined by the Governor); whether RHTP grant-funded initiatives must be sustainable (projects must demonstrate long-term sustainability and cannot rely on ongoing federal funding); use of RHTP funds for hospital infrastructure or additional beds (Stanek said funds cannot be used for general capital improvements but may support limited renovations tied to system transformation, such as conversion to rural emergency hospitals); how chronic disease and technology-based interventions may be included (Stanek said technology is an allowable pillar, with detailed initiatives still under review); Medicaid application processing timelines (Stanek shared applications are being processed within federal timeframes); how often KDHE is auditing continued eligibility (Stanek said it is continuous); maternal mortality efforts (Stanek said maternal health outcomes are a core focus of the TMaH initiative); concerns regarding autism-related fraud and spending (Stanek acknowledged CMS scrutiny and committed to providing follow-up data); and KDHE's role in environmental health issues related to wind turbine debris (KDHE will clarify its statutory role and coordinate with partner agencies, with follow-up information to be provided).

House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care
(Rep. Cyndi Howerton, Chair)

On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the Committee heard a presentation from representatives of the Juvenile Offender/Child in Need of Care (JO/CINC) Advisory Committee on the results of a 15-month study evaluating the state's Guardian ad Litem (GAL) system in child in need of care (CINC) cases. Presenters explained that while every child in need of care in Kansas is statutorily appointed a GAL, the current system produces inconsistent quality of representation across judicial districts. Identified challenges include excessive caseloads, insufficient compensation, lack of standardized training and oversight, and limited data collection. The study found that many GALs carry caseloads exceeding national best practices. The Advisory Committee concluded that the existing county-based model is not working for Kansas children and recommended a long-term system change, including the creation of a centralized statewide office responsible for GAL appointments, compensation, training, caseload management, data collection and performance oversight. While acknowledging the scope of such a change, the Advisory Committee also proposed interim steps, including developing uniform practice standards, expanding training and judicial education, amending Supreme Court Rule 110A and statute governing GAL appointments, creating a professional organization and developing a GAL practice guide.

Committee members asked questions regarding why similar concerns identified in a 2001 Judicial Council study had not resulted in lasting reform (Judge Amy Hearth said earlier recommendations were considered too large to implement and pilot programs never materialized); whether caseloads have increased over time (Hearth said that reliable historical data do not exist due to the lack of statewide data collection); and whether reducing caseloads or increasing compensation should be prioritized if both could not be addressed simultaneously (Hearth said the issues are interdependent and cannot be resolved in isolation). Committee members also raised concerns about attorney shortages, funding sources and the feasibility of centralization given fiscal constraints (presenters cited other states' experiences and noted funding could include a combination of state general funds, county contributions and federal Title IV-E dollars).

The Committee also heard a presentation from DCF Deputy Secretary Tanya Keys, who provided an overview of the Kansas Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry. Keys outlined investigative timelines, substantiation standards (preponderance of the evidence) and the appeal process, including fair hearings, state appeals and judicial review. She noted that approximately 90 to 96 percent of reports are unsubstantiated and emphasized that names are not entered into the registry until individuals have been interviewed and all appeal rights are exhausted. Keys reported that more than 40,000 individuals are currently listed on the registry.

Committee members asked questions regarding law enforcement access to registry information (Keys said information sharing occurs through authorized channels and joint investigations but the registry is not publicly searchable); the fairness and accessibility of the appeals process (Keys said substantiation is a proposed finding with multiple appeal levels but acknowledged concerns about understanding due process rights); expungement timelines and frequency (Keys said adults may request expungement after three years, juveniles are reviewed automatically after five years, and adult expungement is not automatic), and representation during administrative appeals (Keys said the process is civil/administrative rather than criminal and representation rates are low).

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

The Committee met on Thursday, Jan. 15, and received an informational briefing on federal welfare changes enacted in H.R. 1 (also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025) from Kansas Legislative Research Department (KLRD) staff. Key provisions discussed included:

• SNAP benefit calculation changes, including limits on future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan, which may cause benefits to lag behind actual food costs
• Expanded SNAP work requirements, including raising the upper age threshold to 65, narrowing caregiver exemptions to children under age 14, removing exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and former foster youth, and limiting state waiver eligibility
• Utility allowance changes, restricting automatic eligibility for standard utility allowances based on minimal energy assistance
• New state cost-sharing requirements for SNAP benefits, tied to payment error rates
• Increased SNAP administrative cost share, raising the state share from 50 percent to 75 percent beginning in FY 2027
• Elimination of SNAP-Ed funding, ending the nutrition education program after FY 2025
• Narrowed SNAP and Medicaid eligibility for non-citizens
• Medicaid administrative and eligibility changes, including address verification, quarterly death record checks, changes of retroactive coverage from three to two months and restrictions on state-directed payments

The Committee also received an update from Dr. Carla Whiteside Hicks, Director of Economic and Employment Services, DCF, on SNAP payment error rates and the status of Kansas' waiver request to restrict certain SNAP food purchases. (Hicks provided a similar update to the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency on Jan. 13.) Hicks noted that Kansas has been above a 9 percent payment error rate but is trending downward, including an August rate of 5.5 percent. She emphasized that about half of the errors are client-driven (e.g., households not reporting changes in income, rent or household circumstances between review periods), while the agency's improvement strategies focus on agency-controllable errors through better training and process consistency. DCF has moved to a statewide workload model to improve consistency and centralized training and has implemented a stricter verification approach for rent by no longer accepting self-attestation and requiring documentation (e.g., a rental agreement). Hicks also explained that under H.R. 1, Kansas faces two major fiscal changes: the state share of SNAP administrative costs increases from 50 percent to 75 percent beginning in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2027 (not tied to error rate), and beginning FFY 2028 Kansas may face additional state cost-sharing for benefits tied to error rate (with the goal of keeping the error rate below 6 percent). She noted benefits are currently 100 percent federally funded, and that failing to meet match requirements could limit the state's ability to draw down federal funds. Hicks also reported DCF received a $275,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to implement targeted technology enhancements (through the KEES system vendor) to improve payment accuracy, including standardized training tools and system prompts to flag high-risk cases before benefits are authorized.

Hicks also provided an update on the SNAP food purchase restriction waiver, stating the waiver was initially submitted May 14, 2025, and has remained under federal review as DCF responds to requests for additional detail, particularly related to implementation planning, communications and retailer support. DCF continues to meet monthly with USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff and recently submitted revised materials. Anticipating approval, DCF has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for project management support to assist with implementation, including retailer engagement and public communication.

Committee members directed several questions to Dr. Whiteside-Hicks regarding whether the elimination of SNAP-Ed was temporary or permanent (it was removed from the federal budget with no current replacement); whether Kansas has sufficient staff to address SNAP workload and error reduction (there are approximately 308 filled positions, with staffing adequacy tied more to efficiency and training than headcount); how Kansas compares to states with lower error rates (DCF has consulted peer states and adopted practices such as centralized training and statewide workload management); whether the federal government distinguishes between client and agency error (no), and what penalties exist for intentional misreporting (overpayments are recouped through repayment or benefit reduction, with higher-dollar cases referred to law enforcement).

Additional questions focused on the food purchase restriction waiver, including why approval has taken longer than in other states (FNS requested a more detailed implementation plan); whether simplifying Kansas' statutory definitions would restart the waiver process (revisions do not reset the submission date); the potential impact on retailers (some retailers, particularly in rural and food desert areas, have expressed concerns about compliance and potential opt-out); the cost of the RFP for waiver implementation (DCF will follow up); and how DCF plans to track retailer participation and geographic access once the waiver is implemented (they will be able to monitor participation and impacts statewide).

House Committee on Social Services Budget
(Rep. David Buehler, Chair)

On Tuesday, Jan. 13 the Committee received reports from four interim committees that met during the summer and fall that included the committees' conclusions and recommendations.

• Report from theSpecial Committee on Health and Social Services

• Report from the Special Committee on Pharmaceutical Studies

• Report from the Robert G. (Bob) Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight
• Reportfrom the Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight

Senate Committee on Education
(Sen. Renee Erickson, Chair)

On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Committee held a hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 302, which would require school districts and accredited non-public schools to adopt policies prohibiting students from using "personal electronic communication devices" during instructional time. The bill would require policies to include enforcement and discipline procedures, allowing exceptions for IEP/504 plans or physician-approved medical necessities, and permit students to contact parents using a school communications device. SB 302 would also require policies prohibiting employees from privately or directly communicating with students via social media for official school purposes unless the platform is board approved.

Testimony for all conferees is available here.

Proponents argued that cells phones and social media access undermine attention and learning, contribute to bullying and youth mental health harms, and create safety risks, including predatory communication and peer-driven harms occurring during school hours. Committee members asked questions clarifying the definition of "social media" (a representative of Distraction-free Schools Policy Project Initiative stated the intent is to cover platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, rather than tools like Gmail or ParentSquare, but also cited concern about students being required to use social media for school participation); and expected research findings for a study on academic effects of devices (a member of the Board of Wichita Public Schools and PhD candidate at Wichita State University stated that a study is still in data collection/cleaning and results will be shared when available).

Neutral conferees generally supported the intent of the bill but emphasized local control and implementation concerns. A recommendation to replace "instructional time" with "school day" was made, if the intent is bell-to-bell restrictions.

Opponents argued that the bill represents legislative overreach into local governance, could force districts to revise existing locally developed policies, raises concerns about storage logistics and potential liability (including devices left in vehicles), and may impose costs without funding.

Senate Committee on Ways and Means
(Sen. Rick Billinger, Chair)

House Committee on Appropriations
(Rep. Troy Waymaster, Chair)

The Committees held a joint meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14 and heard a presentation regarding the Fall 2025 Human Services Consensus Caseload Estimates for FYs 2026 and 2027 by a representative of KLRD and a presentation of the Governor's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget by Adam Proffitt, Secretary of Administration and State Budget Director (see summary above).

The KLRD representative reported that the Consensus Group met on Nov. 6, 2025, to revise the estimates for FY 2026 and to develop estimates for FY 2027. The caseload estimates include expenditures for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Reintegration/Foster Care Contracts, KanCare Regular Medical Assistance, and KDADS Non-KanCare. The estimate for FY 2026, $6.274 billion, is an increase of $431.0 million, or 7.4 percent, from all funding sources, including a State General Fund (SGF) decrease of 68.9 million, or 3.7 percent, compared to the FY 2026 approved amount. The estimate for FY 2027, $6.521 billion, is an increase of $246.2 million, or 3.9 percent, from all funding sources, including an SGF increase of $26.8 million, or 1.5 percent, above the FY 2026 revised estimate.

Committee members asked questions regarding the $4.0 million requested related to the new federal work requirements for SNAP (Proffitt stated the expectation is that additional staff will be needed to implement those requirements); why the decreased amount of funding for contract nursing for Larned compared to over $40.0 million last year (Proffit stated the forecast for staffing needs had been updated); number of Intellectual/Developmental Disability (I/DD) waiver slots that will become available under the community support waiver (Proffitt will follow up with that number); why is there a need for the additional beds for children at KNI (Proffitt will follow up with that information); and how agencies are preparing for the effect of artificial intelligence (AI) on their service delivery systems (Proffitt stated the Office of Information Technology Services is providing some guardrails for agencies related to AI use).

Senate Committee on Government Efficiency
(Sen. Renee Erickson, Chair)

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Committee heard an update on the DCF Healthy Choice Waiver and SNAP Payment Error Rate from Dr. Carla Whiteside-Hicks, similar to her presentation for the House Welfare Reform Committee on Jan. 15.

Committee members directed several questions to Dr. Whiteside-Hicks regarding how the error rate is calculated (it's an average of the error rate of each month in the FFY); the recommendations made by Human Services Group, the consultant assisting DCF with its improvement plan (a list of the recommendations that have been implemented will be provided); the state's share of SNAP benefits that would be required for FY 2025 ($41.3 million); the process for approval of the food restriction waiver (process is more complex than other types of waivers); why other states were able to get their similar waivers approved in less than a year (DCF did not have staff who were familiar with the process for this type of waiver); and when the waiver will be granted and when it will be implemented (recent updates to the request were submitted on Jan. 12 and DCF requested 18 months to implement the waiver).

House Committee on Water
(Rep. Jim Minnix, Chair)

The Committee met on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and heard a presentation from Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office, regarding grant programs that were completed between FY 2024 and FY 2025. For FY 2024, the Water Office received 309 grant applications requesting a total of $380 million, but only 34 grants, including 19 technical assistance grants and 15 water projects grants, totaling $18 million, were awarded. For FY 2025, 269 grant applications, totaling $233 million, were submitted but only 70 grants, including 39 technical assistance grants and 31 water projects grants, totaling $26.2 million were awarded. Owen noted that demand for state funding is far outpacing the supply of funds available for grants as Kansas communities "experience intensifying water quality and quantity issues." She also presented the policy recommendations in the Kansas Water Authority's FY 2025 Annual Report to the Governor and the Legislature, which included:

• Securing future water storage in Milford and Perry lakes by paying off the remaining state debts to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Considering the feasibility and effectiveness of programs that incentivize the use of less water from the Ogallala Aquifer
• Encouraging the Legislature to increase funding to implement water projects and programs. The Water Office recommended an additional $22 million for FY 2027 for conservation and extension of the High Plains Aquifer; securing, protecting and restoring reservoirs; sediment management initiatives; improving water quality (contamination remediation); and resiliency (dam construction rehabilitation, water planning and project development, and district office technical assistance staff)