- Capitol Bee
- Posts
- Topeka Buzz: February 27, 2026
Topeka Buzz: February 27, 2026
Budget bill clears the House 68-53 with three Democratic crossovers, including minority leader; property tax cap opposition doubles on final action
Jason Anderson
February 27, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
Topeka Buzz 🐝
Friday, February 27, 2026
Top Stories
House Passes Budget Bill 68-53, Squeezed From Both Sides
HB 2434 cleared the House Thursday 68 Yes, 53 No, 4 Absent—but not before drawing No votes from both flanks of the chamber and Yes votes from three Democrats who crossed the aisle to support it: Rep. Jo Ella Hoye (D), Rep. Barbara Ballard (D), and House Minority Leader Rep. Brandon Woodard (D).
Hoye's Yes vote is notable. Just one day earlier, she filed a failed amendment to add $2.5 million for school lunch copay relief (the first of three Democratic amendments the House rejected before Thursday's final vote). The minority gained ground on each attempt, but when the final vote came, Hoye voted for the bill her amendments couldn't change. Woodard's crossover is harder to read: the minority leader supporting a budget that most of his caucus opposed sends a signal, though what signal depends on whom you ask.
The bill's policy footprint is sprawling: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expansion to 250% of the federal poverty level, mental health pilot programs, Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) and Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) funding, water plan allocations, and a delayed Kansas City metro highway project. But the most contentious provisions are the conditions attached to the money: university funding tied to DEI-related certifications, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules linked to appropriations, and tight reporting requirements across agencies.
HB 2434 now moves to the Senate. The 53 No votes are not enough to sustain a veto on their own, but the opposition's breadth—spanning members who think the bill spends too much and members who think it spends too little in the wrong places—means the Senate will face pressure to change it from multiple directions.
Property Tax Cap Loses Ground Between Engrossment and Final Action; Opposition More Than Doubles
HB 2745 passed the House on final action Thursday, 76 Yes, 45 No, 4 Absent…but with significantly weaker support than the day before. Wednesday's vote to pass the bill as amended was 87 Yes, 22 No, 16 Absent. After engrossment, the final action vote saw opposition more than double from 22 to 45, while support dropped from 87 to 76.
The bill caps how much most local governments (counties, cities, townships, and special districts, but not school districts) can raise total property tax revenues year over year. To collect above the limit, a jurisdiction must put a ballot question to voters, and that approval lasts only one year. Citizens can also force a rollback through a protest petition. The cap comes with state money attached: a $60 million annual transfer from the State General Fund (SGF), rising 2% yearly starting in 2027, distributed to jurisdictions that stay within the limit. Jurisdictions that exceed the cap lose their share.
HB 2745 now heads to the Senate alongside SCR 1616, the constitutional amendment capping assessed value growth that passed the Senate 30-10 Wednesday. But Thursday's final action vote suggests the House coalition behind the statutory cap is softer than Wednesday's numbers indicated, and the opposition isn't coming from one direction that can be easily answered.
SB 197 passed the House Thursday 82 Yes, 38 No, 5 Absent, expanding Kansas's Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds program and giving the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas legislative approval to form a port authority.
The bill creates a new STAR bonds category targeting mostly-vacant malls (defined as at least 50% vacant) with two project tiers carrying different investment and visitor thresholds. It also expands eligibility for some smaller counties in the Wichita and Kansas City metropolitan areas, allows special obligation bonds (including bonds issued through the Kansas Development Finance Authority) backed by STAR revenues, and extends the STAR bonds program to 2031. The bill bans using the State General Fund to repay local STAR bonds and bars eminent domain for STAR project land acquisition.
The mall-redevelopment provision is the most novel piece. Vacant and dying malls are a familiar problem across Kansas and nationally, and the bill offers a structured subsidy pathway for repurposing them. SB 197 now returns to the Senate for concurrence on House changes. The port authority provision—giving Wyandotte County a new economic development tool—adds a second dimension that may attract or complicate support depending on how senators view the county's development trajectory.
New Bills Introduced
House
HCR 5033: Ratifying and providing for the continuation of the state of disaster emergency declaration issued on February 24, 2026, for certain counties.
Floor Votes
Thursday, February 26
House (6)
HB 2274: PASS — Concurrence (121 Yes, 0 No, 4 Absent). Homeless veterans in Kansas can get nondriver ID cards without a home address, use alternative proof, and receive IDs that do not expire. The bill also lets honorably discharged veterans use military licensure fast-track rules to get state credentials.
HB 2223: PASS — Concurrence (98 Yes, 23 No, 4 Absent). Gives optometrists authority to use more drugs and perform certain laser and minor surgical eye procedures (not intraocular injections). It adds training and credential rules, quarterly reporting (through 2031), and may change malpractice fund coverage in 2028.
HB 2745: PASS — Passage (76 Yes, 45 No, 4 Absent). Most Kansas local governments must get voter approval to raise property tax revenues above a set limit. The bill creates a $60M+ yearly relief fund for counties that stay within the limit and adds a citizen petition process to block over‑limit budgets.
HB 2434: PASS — Passage (68 Yes, 53 No, 4 Absent). Imposes major FY2027 spending, transfers, and policy rules across state agencies. Affects schools, health care, public safety, water, housing, and higher education with new programs, reporting rules, and funding limits.
SB 197: PASS — Passage (82 Yes, 38 No, 5 Absent). This bill lets Kansas cities use STAR bond financing for qualifying mall redevelopments, expands rural project eligibility, and approves a Wyandotte County/Kansas City port authority. It adds visitor-origin rules, more disclosure, and extends the STAR law to 2031.
HCR 5033: PASS — Passage (120 Yes, 0 No, 5 Absent). Ratifying and providing for the continuation of the state of disaster emergency declaration issued on February 24, 2026, for certain counties.
Committee Actions
Appropriations
Bills Reported Out
HB 2427 (substitute bill be passed): Creates two legislative fiscal auditors with broad access to state accounting systems and agency fiscal records to spot waste, fraud, or misuse. Auditors must report to budget leaders and committees; costs and funding are not specified.
HB 2513 (bill be passed): One-time payments of $6,346.91 will go to specific claimants for property loss or damage at Kansas correctional facilities and the State Historical Society. Payments come from designated State General Fund accounts and require signed releases before payout.
Government Efficiency
Bills Reported Out
SB 363 (bill be passed as amended): SB 363 requires Kansas agencies to match data and verify income and eligibility before enrolling people in Medicaid and food benefits. It shortens retroactive Medicaid to two months, ends coverage on confirmed death, and expands SNAP work rules to age 64.
Have any ideas or feedback, just let us know!