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- Topeka Buzz: February 13, 2026
Topeka Buzz: February 13, 2026
House fast-tracks citizenship on licenses 77-41 despite 100-to-6 opposition testimony; scholarship credits double; phone ban advances with cracks showing
Jason Anderson
February 13, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
Topeka Buzz 🐝
Friday, February 13, 2026
Top Stories
School Scholarship Tax Credits Double as Kansas Opts Into Federal Program
HB 2468 cleared the House 70-49 Thursday—the most divided vote of the day—after surviving a failed amendment. The bill opts Kansas into the new federal scholarship contribution tax credit created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gives individual donors a dollar-for-dollar federal credit (up to $1,700) for contributions to scholarship granting organizations starting in 2027. On top of that, the bill doubles the state's existing annual SGO tax credit cap from $10 million to $20 million, with a pathway to $30 million. The state credit currently covers 70% of a donor's contribution.
The combination of a new federal credit and an expanded state program could significantly increase private scholarship dollars flowing to Kansas students. It also means more state revenue will be foregone through credits, and it reignites the ongoing debate over public funding versus private school choice. With 49 no votes, this was the most contested floor action of the day.
House Fast-Tracks Citizenship on Driver's Licenses
The Kansas House used emergency procedures Thursday to pass HB 2448 on a 77-41 vote, requiring all Kansas driver's licenses to display the holder's citizenship status…despite testimony running 100-to-6 against the bill at the January 29 House Elections Committee hearing. Of the 117 people who submitted testimony, 85% opposed the measure, with nearly all of the opposition coming from private citizens.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Pat Proctor (R-Leavenworth), would create a visually distinct license for non-citizens (similar to how Kansas already uses a vertical format for drivers under 21). If someone presents a license showing non-citizen status but claims citizenship at the polls, they'd be required to cast a provisional ballot.
Democrats pushed back hard. Rep. Kirk Haskins (D-Topeka) called the bill an unnecessary and costly measure that wouldn't meaningfully improve election security, pointing to data showing just 67 instances of non-citizens even attempting to register to vote out of two million Kansas registrants over 20 years. Opponents also raised concerns about discrimination in housing and employment for lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and refugees who would carry a marked license. Supporters countered with the case of the former mayor of Coldwater, who is now facing election fraud charges after allegedly voting for nearly 30 years as a non-citizen. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Phone Ban Advances — But the Senate May Have Other Plans
The Senate Education Committee passed a substitute version of SB 281 Thursday, keeping alive the push for a statewide K-12 student phone ban. The bill would require districts to prohibit personal electronic communication devices during school hours and bar school employees from using social media to communicate directly with students.
But the path forward is getting complicated. The original bill was introduced with bipartisan fanfare by Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi (R) and Minority Leader Dinah Sykes (D) and backed by 28 co-sponsors, and seemed destined for easy passage. Instead, it's running into friction from multiple directions. The House Education Committee already stripped the mandate from its companion bill (HB 2421), turning it into a mere recommendation. Private school advocates, including Kansas Family Voice, objected to being covered by the mandate. And some local school boards argue they should retain control over their own policies. Meanwhile, a survey of 256 Kansas public school districts found that only 40 currently have bell-to-bell bans in all buildings. Whether the Senate version can hold its teeth as it moves to the floor (and then survive reconciliation with the weakened House version) is the open question.
New Bills Introduced
Senate
🐝🐝 SB 507: Stops federal immigration enforcement within 400 feet of polling places and locations where ballots are canvassed, audited, or recounts occur. Violations are a class A misdemeanor; the law takes effect upon publication.
🐝🐝 SB 509: If voters approve, Sheridan County could add a temporary 0.25% countywide sales tax to pay for a new jail and law enforcement center. The county would keep the revenue until the project’s costs are paid.
🐝🐝 SB 508: The bill doubles the yearly cap on lottery transfers to Kansas crisis stabilization centers and clubhouse programs from $8M to $16M starting FY2027, possibly adding up to $8M extra per year for behavioral health services if lottery profits allow.
House
🐝🐝 HB 2775: New oil and gas wells would be exempt from Kansas severance tax for the first three years after they start producing. This lowers early costs for drillers and may reduce state severance tax revenue depending on future drilling.
🐝🐝 HB 2778: Removes the exception that lets adults (21+ or licensed) carry a concealed handgun on K-12 school property and at school events. Unless another narrow exception applies, private citizens would no longer be allowed to carry concealed guns on school grounds.
🐝 HB 2777: Cuts costs for sevendays inc. by exempting the charity from Kansas sales tax on qualifying purchases and on certain fundraising entry or participation fees and tickets. State and local tax revenue would fall slightly; fiscal impact not specified.
🐝 HB 2776: Nonprofit groups that support U.S. military academy students, alumni, and their families could buy goods and services in Kansas without paying state sales tax when those purchases directly benefit students or families. The state would see a small, unestimated drop in sales tax revenue.
HR 6030: Supporting the State of Israel and affirming the historical, biblical and legal significance of Judea and Samaria.
Floor Votes
House (9)
HB 2557: PASS — Passage (118 Yes, 1 No, 6 Absent). Kansas would join an updated interstate compact to control when and how children move across state lines for foster care, some juvenile placements, and pre-adoption moves. It sets approval rules, who pays, state oversight, and penalties for some professionals.
HB 2479: PASS — Passage (118 Yes, 1 No, 6 Absent). HB2479 lets judges require electronic monitoring that sends real-time alerts to alleged victims in certain domestic violence, stalking, and protective-order cases. Victims must give informed consent; courts consider risk factors and exclusion zones.
HB 2470: PASS — Passage (115 Yes, 4 No, 6 Absent). Small Kansas towns (under 10,000 people) can designate their entire municipality as a neighborhood revitalization area, making more properties potentially eligible for local tax-rebate incentives. Actual benefits and tax effects depend on local plans and participation.
HB 2468: PASS — Passage (70 Yes, 49 No, 6 Absent). This bill lets Kansas join a new federal tax credit for individual donations to scholarship organizations and raises the state’s annual tax-credit cap for low-income student scholarships from $10M to $20M (could grow to $30M). It adds reporting and may reduce state revenue.
HB 2440: PASS — Passage (119 Yes, 0 No, 6 Absent). Owners of oil leases that already qualify for a state tax exemption would no longer have to file a formal exemption request with the county appraiser and Board of Tax Appeals, cutting paperwork and speeding recognition of exempt status.
HB 2579: PASS — Passage (119 Yes, 0 No, 6 Absent). Names a stretch of K-49 in Sumner County the “Pvt Michael E Gerber memorial highway Vietnam KIA.” KDOT will place memorial signs under state rules. No change to traffic laws; costs are expected to be small and local.
HB 2132: PASS — Passage (119 Yes, 0 No, 6 Absent). The bill raises the bar for removing children from home by saying poverty alone cannot be treated as neglect, changes when police may or must take a child into custody, and requires DCF to reply to officer referrals within 24 hours.
HB 2448: PASS — Passage (77 Yes, 41 No, 7 Absent). Adds a citizenship field to Kansas driver’s licenses and requires a provisional ballot if a license shows a person as a noncitizen but they claim citizenship at the polls. Could raise provisional ballots and require system and staff updates.
HB 2416: PASS — Passage (118 Yes, 0 No, 7 Absent). Gives Kansas racetracks immunity from nuisance or takings lawsuits by nearby property owners if the track existed before the owner bought or improved the land. Immunity excludes cases for law or permit violations and venues inactive for the prior four years.
Committee Actions
Bills Reported Out
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Corrections and Juvenile Justice
HB 2552 (bill be passed as amended): Require courts to use Sentencing Commission forms
Education
HB 2530 (bill be passed as amended): Makes WorkKeys credentials count for tech credit
SB 281 (substitute bill be passed): Bans student phone use at school; restricts staff messaging
SB 406 (bill be passed): Approve short-term programs for workforce Pell grants
HB 2489 (bill be passed as amended): Schools must teach fentanyl prevention and keep naloxone
SB 381 (bill be passed): Mandate K-12 lessons on communism; civics test to graduate
SB 340 (bill be passed): Bar Promise scholarships from funding corequisite courses
Elections
Federal and State Affairs
SB 392 (bill be passed): Limits candidate withdrawals; bans governor-ticket substitutions
HB 2501 (bill be passed as amended): Gives gun dealers immunity for returning stored firearms
SB 451 (bill be passed as amended): Require campaign reports to list vendor products
SB 394 (bill be passed as amended): Ends state mail voting if courts void signature rules
Higher Education Budget
HB 2560 (bill be passed): Authorizes sale of 1.3-acre KSU parcel in Manhattan
Judiciary
HB 2518 (bill be passed as amended): Increases penalties for privacy breaches of minors
SB 372 (bill be passed as amended): Require parental consent for minors' app purchases
SB 426 (bill be passed as amended): Requires transparency in consumer legal funding
SB 408 (bill be passed): Exclude age-appropriate independence from CINC
Public Health and Welfare
SB 430 (bill be passed as amended): Allows PTs to perform limited fingerstick lab tests
Taxation
Transportation
HB 2553 (bill be passed): Creates optional PBS Kansas specialty license plate
HB 2604 (bill be passed): Use actual vehicle weight to set CDL class
HB 2584 (bill be passed as amended): Allows mailing address on Kansas driver's license
SB 404 (bill be passed as amended): Tie personalized plate term to issue date; allow higher fees
SB 445 (bill be passed): Directs KHP and KBI to assist line-of-duty funerals
HB 2522 (bill be passed as amended): Allows new flashing light colors for road work
SB 353 (bill be passed as amended): Creates Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame in Wichita
Utilities
SB 380 (bill be passed as amended): Bars utilities from rate-basing EV fast chargers
Water
HB 2558 (bill be passed): Boosts state funding for local water projects
Bills Referred
Commerce
HB 2466: Extend angel investor tax credit to 2031
Education
HB 2487: Defines parent-teacher status for scholarship eligibility
Judiciary
Public Health and Welfare
Bills Re-referred
Education
HB 2420: Requires parental consent for school mental health services
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