Topeka Buzz: February 11, 2026

A simple STAR bonds extension has grown into the session's biggest economic development bill — with the Chiefs deal's infrastructure riding along.

Author

Jason Anderson
February 11, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Topeka Buzz 🐝
Wednesday, February 11, 2026

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From Two Pages to an Overhaul: STAR Bonds Bill Clears House Committee

SB 197 started life last February as a two-page sunset extension, just keep the STAR bonds program alive past its July 2026 expiration. What cleared the House Commerce Committee yesterday is something far more ambitious: a multi-part overhaul that extends the program through 2031, authorizes a Wyandotte County port authority, opens STAR bonds to distressed mall redevelopment, expands KDFA bonding authority, and—for the first time—puts enforceable teeth behind the longstanding question of whether STAR bond projects actually attract outside visitors or just shuffle local spending around.

That visitor-origin question is the policy heart of the bill. When Capitol Bee submitted questions to the Department of Commerce about the Chiefs STAR bond deal in December, the Department assured us that "only the new, incremental revenue will be pledged." They declined to share baseline revenue numbers until the district map is finalized, and responded to a request for an independent cost analysis with an economic impact study instead. SB 197 would codify what Commerce promised verbally: the bill now requires quarterly point-of-sale visitor-origin reporting and sets hard thresholds, with most projects needing to show 30% of visitors from 100+ miles away and 20% from out of state. Developers who miss those marks can be barred from future STAR participation.

The bill also bans eminent domain for STAR projects and prohibits pledging the State General Fund to repay STAR bonds…those are taxpayer guardrails that have survived every version since the Senate first amended the original text. With the program set to expire in less than five months and the Chiefs deal's final contracts due by October, SB 197 is the vehicle that keeps it all moving. It heads to the full House next.

New Bills Introduced

Budget & Appropriations

  • 🐝 HB 2770: Expands investments for health care stabilization fund

Business & Commerce

  • 🐝🐝 HB 2772: Restricts addictive designs, deepfakes, and chatbot harms

  • 🐝 SB 502: Authorizes permanent sports wagering rules by KRGC

Criminal Justice

  • 🐝🐝 HB 2771: Allows county sheriffs to honor ICE detainers, shifts costs

  • 🐝🐝 SB 501: Mandates anti-biased policing policies statewide

Housing

  • 🐝🐝 HB 2768: Requires landlords to accept split rent payments

Public Safety

  • 🐝🐝 SB 503: Remove state felony for gun suppressors

Social Services

  • 🐝 HB 2767: Creates Kansas Military Affairs Commission

Taxation

  • 🐝 HB 2769: Require board members to live inside service taxing areas

Uncategorized

  • HR 6029: Recognizing February 6, 2026, as Ronald Reagan Day.

Floor Votes

House (5)

  • HB 2467: PASS (122 Yes, 0 No, 3 Absent). Old failures to appear or pay on traffic citations more than five years old can no longer be used to suspend or restrict a Kansas driver’s license. The DMV must mail people notice if their suspension may be eligible to end; the rule can apply retroactively.

  • HB 2542: PASS (122 Yes, 0 No, 3 Absent). Designates a stretch of U.S. Highway 56 in Morton County as the "Bill Tucker memorial highway" and directs KDOT to install memorial signs after required steps. The change is honorary and does not affect traffic rules or road management.

  • HB 2433: PASS (116 Yes, 6 No, 3 Absent). HB 2433 gives state regulators authority over water transfers and stops counties from requiring local permits, fees, or extra conditions for most water appropriations. Counties still control zoning and sanitary rules for home (domestic) wells.

  • HB 2438: PASS (86 Yes, 36 No, 3 Absent). Limits online voter registration to .gov websites or sites approved by the Kansas Secretary of State, adds security and data-use rules, and makes using or operating unapproved registration sites a misdemeanor. Rules must be adopted by Jan. 1, 2027.

  • SCR 1615: PASS (87 Yes, 35 No, 3 Absent). Kansas will recognize October 14 each year as “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day,” honoring Charlie Kirk, condemning his assassination, and encouraging the Governor and residents to observe the day through free speech and civil debate. The resolution is symbolic and creates no new programs or major costs.

Senate (4)

  • SB 322: PASS (40 Yes, 0 No). This bill removes the State Board of Pharmacy’s power to add new types of people who can look up Kansas prescription monitoring data. Only the staff job types listed in law can be delegates, which may change who runs PDMP checks for clinicians.

  • SB 366: PASS (40 Yes, 0 No). Designates Bridge No. 0087-B0854 on I-135 in Sedgwick County as the Don Snyder Memorial Bridge. KDOT will install signs after required state steps; the bill is honorary and does not change traffic rules, ownership, or operations.

  • SB 403: PASS (39 Yes, 1 No). Kansas will offer optional Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever license plates beginning July 1, 2026. Drivers who choose them pay regular registration fees plus a $25–$100 annual logo royalty and must allow limited vehicle/owner info to be shared with the sponsor.

  • SB 328: PASS (40 Yes, 0 No). Gives schools the authority to keep stock epinephrine auto-injectors and lets pharmacists supply them to a school with a prescription in the school's name. Trained staff or nurses may use them for anyone showing anaphylaxis; schools must train and track supplies.

Floor Calendar: Wednesday, February 11

House Floor

  • Consent Calendar:

    • HB 2653: People leaving prison would be more likely to have ID and job documents. The bill requires KDOC, within nine months of release, to check for and help obtain birth certificates, Social Security cards, Kansas IDs/licenses, training/work records, diplomas, and a resume; some inmates are exempt.

  • Final Action:

    • HB 2243: When Kansas DCF investigates a child-in-need-of-care case and a parent is military at certain installations, the department must refer the family to a military family advocacy program and set up MOUs with specified bases. Referrals do not limit DCF’s protective powers.

    • HB 2466: Extends Kansas’ angel investor tax credit program through tax year 2031, keeping current credit rules, limits, and transfer mechanisms. The state could forgo up to $8 million per year if credits are fully used.

    • HB 2478: The bill clarifies that advanced practice registered nurses and registered nurse anesthetists must be included in criminal-history and fingerprint checks when applying for Kansas nursing licenses. Applicants may face fingerprinting, processing time, and a Board-set fee.

    • HB 2487: If a parent works in K-12 as a teacher or paraprofessional, this bill clarifies which jobs count for the Kansas education opportunity scholarship and requires a school administrator to certify the employment.

    • HB 2533: Expands access to occupational therapy by letting licensed Kansas OTs and OTAs use an interstate compact to practice in other member states. It requires background checks, data sharing, fees, and lets remote states regulate practice.

    • HB 2534: Creates a Respiratory Care Interstate Compact so Kansas respiratory therapists with an active home license and NBRC credential can practice in other member states. Keeps state licensing power but adds data sharing, fees, and reporting rules.

Committee Actions

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Bills Referred (1)

  • HB 2595: Pays law students to practice in rural Kansas

Assessment and Taxation

Bills Referred (1)

  • SCR 1612: Allows Kansas Legislature to back state debt

Bills Reported Out (2)

  • SB 329 (bill be passed): Counties must submit single-property appraisals at BOTA

  • SB 368 (bill be passed): Allows Kansas tax subtraction for health-sharing fees

Commerce

Bills Referred (1)

  • SB 393: Allow 24/7 alcohol sales during FIFA World Cup 2026

Commerce, Labor and Economic Development

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • SB 197 (bill be passed as amended): Expands STAR bonds, approves Wyandotte port authority

Education

Bills Reported Out (2)

  • SB 419 (bill be passed): Creates statewide free-speech rules for public colleges

  • SB 421 (bill be passed): Protects student religious & political speech

Federal and State Affairs

Bills Referred (1)

  • SB 499: New rules curb kid-targeted design, deepfakes, and chatbots

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • SB 356 (bill be passed): Shields dealers from suits for returning stored guns

Financial Institutions and Insurance

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • SB 409 (bill be passed): Eliminates patient cost-sharing for certain breast imaging

Government Efficiency

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • HB 2004 (substitute bill be passed): Requires state agencies to share assistance data with feds

Health and Human Services

Bills Reported Out (2)

  • HB 2562 (bill be passed): Allow PTs to certify disability plates/placards

  • HB 2364 (bill be passed): Protect nonopioid pain drug coverage

Judiciary

Bills Reported Out (5)

  • SB 427 (bill be passed as amended): Allows Senate leaders to review confirmation vetting

  • HB 2519 (bill be passed): Continues limited public-records exemptions

  • HB 2610 (bill be passed): Limits summons to misdemeanors; bars OR release after no-show

  • HB 2535 (bill be passed): Allows trap-neuter-return of feral cats without abandonment charges

  • SB 398 (bill be passed): Tightens court gatekeeping for expert testimony

Public Health and Welfare

Bills Referred (1)

  • SB 497: Adds kratom alkaloids to Schedule I

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • HB 2223 (bill be passed as amended): Expands optometrists' scope to include lasers, injections

Senate Select Committee on Veterans Affairs

Bills Reported Out (1)

  • HB 2274 (bill be passed as amended): Eases ID access for homeless veterans; expands licensure

Transportation

Bills Reported Out (2)

  • HB 2585 (bill be passed as amended): Authorizes Delta Waterfowl specialty license plate

  • HB 2220 (bill be passed as amended): Cities can set 25 mph residential speed limits

Ways and Means

Bills Referred (1)

  • SB 500: Creates commission to recommend KPERS COLA rates

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