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- Topeka Buzz: February 18, 2026
Topeka Buzz: February 18, 2026
Senate overrides veto on restroom segregation bill as House vote looms; House passes statewide school phone ban 75-48.
Jason Anderson
February 18, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes
Topeka Buzz 🐝
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Senate Overrides Governor's Veto on Restroom Segregation and ID Correction Bill
SB 244 cleared a legislative hurdle Tuesday when the Senate voted 31-9 to override the Governor's veto — enough to meet the two-thirds threshold required. The bill requires Kansas public buildings to designate all multi-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms for use by one biological sex only, and directs state agencies to invalidate and reissue driver's licenses and birth certificates where the sex marker conflicts with a new statutory definition of sex as biological sex at birth.
The bill's reach extends well beyond signage. Government entities that fail to comply face civil penalties of $25,000 for a first violation and $125,000 for each subsequent one, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately. Individuals who repeatedly enter a space designated for the opposite sex face escalating consequences: a $1,000 civil penalty for a second offense and a Class B misdemeanor for a third. Private citizens may also sue for $1,000 in liquidated damages plus attorney fees. On the records side, driver's licenses and birth certificates that conflict with the new definition and were issued before July 1, 2026 will be automatically invalidated — requiring holders to surrender their documents and receive reissued versions, a process that will fall to the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Office of Vital Statistics to administer.
One procedural note worth flagging: the bill that received the veto override shares little with the bill originally introduced as SB 244 in February 2025, which addressed bail bond premium financing. The sex-segregation and ID provisions were added wholesale by House amendment in January 2026.
The override is not yet complete. While the Senate voted 31-9 Tuesday to override the veto, the House must still take up its own override vote — and clear a two-thirds threshold there as well. The House passed the underlying bill by a wide margin earlier in the session, so override passage is likely, but not guaranteed until that vote occurs. If the House succeeds, the bill proceeds to publication. Legal challenges on equal protection and federal civil-rights grounds are widely anticipated, and the July 1, 2026 deadline for ID invalidation may face court scrutiny before it arrives.
House Passes Statewide School Phone Ban on Divided 75-48 Vote
The Kansas House passed SB 281 Tuesday 75-48, the most divided vote of the day, sending a statewide school phone ban to the Governor. The bill requires every Kansas public school district to adopt policies banning students from using or accessing personal electronic devices during the school day, including passing periods and lunch. Devices are required to be turned off and stowed. Districts must certify compliance to the State Board of Education by September 1, 2026.
The bill's exceptions are intentionally narrow. Students may use personal devices only if required by an IEP or 504 plan, or if a physician certifies a medical necessity…and only then as a "last resort" when no other reasonable alternative exists. Schools must provide a phone or designated device for students who need to reach a parent.
The employee communication provisions add another layer: staff are barred from privately messaging students via social media, texting, or personal phone calls for official school purposes, a provision aimed at reducing grooming risk and professionalizing staff-student communication. "Official school purposes" is defined as one-way public broadcasts only: coaches and club sponsors who currently rely on group texts will need to shift to district-controlled, monitored platforms.
The bill now heads to the Governor, who has not publicly signaled a position but is expected to sign it. If signed, districts face a tight timeline: policies must be written, staff trained, and storage logistics resolved before the fall 2026 certification deadline. The State Board of Education is authorized to issue guidance, but the bill does not include any new funding to help districts cover implementation costs.
New Bills Introduced
Business & Commerce
🐝🐝 HB 2780: Kansas would allow terramation—the contained conversion of unembalmed human remains to soil—and require licensed terramation facilities and operators. The bill sets safety, ID, permit, and handling rules and bans terramation of unidentified remains.
Natural Resources
🐝 HB 2781: Allows the Kansas State Historical Society to acquire and manage the junior officers' quarters at Fort Dodge as a state historical landmark, with the Attorney General required to approve the deed. The bill does not specify funding.
🐝🐝 SB 513: Directs Kansas DCF to create a new payment and management system so child care providers can receive subsidy payments directly, aiming to speed up payments and improve transparency; vendor research and cost reporting are required.
Taxation
🐝🐝 HB 2783: Kansas would raise the tax on e-cigarette liquid from $0.05 to $0.15 per milliliter and send $0.10 of each milliliter to the Children's Initiative Fund. This may raise prices, affect sellers and buyers, and boost funding for children’s programs.
🐝 HB 2782: Lets county appraisers request individual lease agreements when valuing income-producing property, affecting commercial and multi-family owners and tenants. Keeps bans on mortgage appraisals and older fee appraisals and includes no new funding.
Uncategorized
Floor Votes
Tuesday, February 17
Veto Override (1)
Senate (1)
SB 244: PASS (31 Yes, 9 No). The bill requires public buildings to mark multi‑occupancy restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms for use only by the sex listed at birth. It also orders state agencies to correct driver’s licenses and birth certificates that don’t match that definition and adds fines and criminal penalties for violations.
Passage (7)
House (7)
HB 2540: PASS (122 Yes, 0 No, 3 Absent). The bill removes certain statutory nonforfeiture rules for contingent deferred annuities and lets the Kansas Insurance Commissioner set required nonforfeiture benefits by rule. It affects insurers, annuity buyers, and the Insurance Department.
HB 2622: PASS (121 Yes, 1 No, 3 Absent). Makes it easier for voters to force elections on large multi-year lease-purchase deals by counties, school districts, and community colleges by cutting the protest petition threshold from 5% to 3%, using the last secretary-of-state vote to set the number.
HCR 5031: PASS (121 Yes, 2 No, 2 Absent). Ratifying and providing for the continuation of the state of disaster emergency declaration issued on February 9, 2026, for Douglas, Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
HB 2733: PASS (122 Yes, 0 No, 3 Absent). If a candidate or officeholder stops living in the state or their district, this bill makes their candidacy or office immediately vacant. It covers statewide executives, district attorneys, State Board and local education officials, and some township posts.
HB 2711: PASS (122 Yes, 0 No, 3 Absent). This bill sets a clear timeline and voting process for small Kansas cities that want to dissolve and return to township control: councils must put a valid petition on the next primary or general ballot at least 60 days after filing, and dissolution takes effect after county certification if two-thirds vote to dissolve.
SB 281: PASS (75 Yes, 48 No, 2 Absent). SB 281 would require public school districts to bar students from using personal electronic devices during the school day, with narrow exceptions for IEP/504 or medical need as a last resort. It would also stop staff from privately messaging students on social media or personal texts for official school business.
HB 2615: PASS (123 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent). The bill names the stretch of US‑75 in Montgomery County from the US‑166 junction to the Kansas–Oklahoma border the Brig Gen George H Wark memorial highway and updates the Purple Heart/Combat Wounded Veterans Highway route; KDOT will install signs.
Final Vote (1)
Senate (1)
SB 473: PASS (40 Yes, 0 No). Gives Audubon of Kansas title to about 30 acres in Wabaunsee County for public recreation, with a reversion back to the State Historical Society if not used for that purpose by July 1, 2026. Initial transfer needs Attorney General review; future transfers need Historical Society approval and Audubon pays conveyance costs.
Amendment (3)
House (3)
HB 2451: FAIL (38 Yes, 82 No, 5 Absent). Stops state and local officials from using public money, vehicles, supplies, or paid work time to promote or oppose ballot questions or constitutional amendments. Also requires clear, real-dollar bond cost and tax disclosures in publicly funded materials; violations can be misdemeanors.
HB 2214: FAIL (34 Yes, 80 No, 11 Absent). This bill limits fees and bans paid referrals by businesses that help veterans with VA or state benefits. It requires written contracts, caps contingency fees, stops upfront charges, tightens data rules, and gives the Attorney General enforcement power.
HB 2727: FAIL (37 Yes, 84 No, 4 Absent). Lets people suing over certain abortion informed-consent violations choose a limited recovery: $5,000 plus reimbursement of fees paid and reasonable attorney fees, and removes medical-malpractice screening panels for those cases.
Committee Actions
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bills Reported Out
Child Welfare and Foster Care
Bills Reported Out
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Bills Reported Out
Corrections and Juvenile Justice
Bills Reported Out
HB 2527 (bill be passed as amended): Bars work & education release for sex-offender registrants
Education
Bills Reported Out
HB 2486 (bill be passed as amended): Requires kindergarten students to be toilet trained
Federal and State Affairs
Bills Reported Out
Financial Institutions and Insurance
Bills Reported Out
Health and Human Services
Bills Reported Out
HB 2740 (bill be passed): Adopts USP compounding standards into Kansas law
HB 2765 (bill be passed): Adds fentanyl analogs to Kansas Schedule I
HB 2760 (bill be passed as amended): Esthetics compact creates multistate license
HB 2702 (bill be passed as amended): Requires PA criminal checks and updates collaboration
HB 2366 (bill be passed as amended): Expands naturopathic doctors' scope and prescribing
HB 2587 (bill be passed as amended): Allows private psych hospitals to keep emergency drug kits
HB 2528 (bill be passed as amended): Voids past nursing-board actions, narrows discipline
HB 2250 (substitute bill be passed): Treat expired opioid antagonists (≤10 yrs) as emergency aid
HB 2676 (bill be passed as amended): Allows pharmacists to start therapy for minor conditions
Insurance
Bills Reported Out
HB 2736 (bill be passed as amended): Requires hospitals to screen uninsured for charity care
Judiciary
Bills Reported Out
HB 2762 (bill be passed): Expands who counts as school authority for sexual crimes
HB 2609 (bill be passed as amended): Allows adults to use supported decision-making
SB 415 (bill be passed as amended): Links landlord habitability breaches to consumer law
HB 2652 (bill be passed): Publish monthly lists of overdue appellate decisions
SB 487 (bill be passed as amended): KBI to run statewide offender registration system
SB 375 (bill be passed): Make proxy advisors disclose analysis behind votes
HB 2651 (bill be passed as amended): Allows paternity revocation after fraud, duress, or mistake
HB 2593 (bill be passed as amended): Require AG approval, open meetings for contingency fees
HB 2357 (bill be passed as amended): Automatically seal many residential eviction records
HB 2688 (bill be passed as amended): Bars court enforcement of NDAs in child abuse, trafficking
K-12 Education Budget
Bills Reported Out
Legislative Modernization
Bills Reported Out
Local Government
Bills Reported Out
Public Health and Welfare
Bills Reported Out
SB 271 (bill be passed as amended): Updates income rules and premiums for Kansas CHIP
Taxation
Bills Reported Out
HB 2745 (bill be passed as amended): Cap local property tax growth at 3% unless voters agree
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