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- Topeka Buzz: January 22, 2026
Topeka Buzz: January 22, 2026
Corrections from yesterday's floor calendar. Plus: Nearly 50 (!) new bills introduced.
Jason Anderson
January 22, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 14 minutes
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Topeka Buzz 🐝
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
Editor’s note: Yesterday’s Topeka Buzz was overly aggressive in its parsing of the House floor calendar. Everything listed in that brief is in the calendar, we just didn’t get the exact timing perfect. We’re making improvements to our tools that analyze the calendars, so that information isn’t published here today, but it will return soon!
Forty-Five New Bills
A large number of bills were introduced yesterday—so many that it’s difficult to really even say which of these are most “important.” Long-time readers will remember the 🐝BeeScore, which is our algorithmic approach to scoring the overall “weight” of a bill.
Understanding BeeScore
BeeScore evaluates bills across five dimensions to assess their potential impact. Higher scores indicate greater significance.
🐝 Low (0-35): Low impact, routine or technical
🐝🐝 Medium (36-65): Moderate impact, may have trade-offs
🐝🐝🐝 High (66-100): High impact, significant change
Each of five factors is scored on a 0-10 scale and combined in a weighted average:
Factor | Description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
Policy Change | Degree of change from current law | 25% |
Who's Affected | Breadth of impact across population | 20% |
Fiscal Impact | Financial materiality to state budget | 20% |
Controversy | Level of debate or opposition | 20% |
Urgency | Time sensitivity of the issue | 15% |
🐝🐝🐝 HB 2490: Ends most vote-by-mail if courts void signature checks
This bill changes Kansas rules for advance (mail) voting and who must sign ballot envelopes. It requires separate signature blocks for the voter, any assistant, and a person signing because the voter can’t sign. If a court issues a final, non-appealable order that voids the signature checks, the bill says all state-law mail voting ends except what federal law requires (for example, UOCAVA), which would affect many voters who rely on mail ballots.
The Secretary of State would have to watch related court cases and publish a notice in the Kansas Register if a qualifying court order happens. The bill sets a clear trigger that would repeal many state advance-voting statutes on specified dates or when that notice is published. Counties and the Secretary’s office would need to update envelope forms, train staff, and handle shifting operations; the fiscal impacts are uncertain and likely depend on how voting shifts from mail to in-person.
The bill is controversial. Supporters say it protects signature verification and election integrity. Opponents say the trigger could remove a widely used voting option for elderly, disabled, rural, and homebound residents and create administrative problems. Election officials may be split over the practical effects and timing of any changes.
🐝🐝🐝 HCR 5021: Require photo ID for voting in Kansas
HCR 5021 would amend Article 5 of the Kansas Constitution to require every qualified voter to present photographic identification issued by the State of Kansas or the U.S. when voting. This change affects all Kansas voters and would require county election officials and poll workers to check IDs; voters without acceptable ID could face barriers unless later laws provide alternatives or accommodations.
The resolution sends the amendment to voters at a special election on August 4, 2026, and specifies the exact ballot language for a “Yes” or “No” vote. The amendment itself leaves implementation details — such as exemptions, provisional ballots, cure periods, training, and funding — to future statutes. The bill does not include a fiscal estimate, but officials may incur costs for the special election, training, and voter education.
🐝🐝 HB 2503: Repeals Kansas mail-ballot election law
HB2503 repeals Kansas' Mail Ballot Election Act and removes many statutory references that let local entities hold elections by mail. County election officers, local governments, special districts, and voters in local question elections — including county extension councils — will be directly affected.
The bill deletes K.S.A. 25-431 through 25-440 and amends other statutes so affected votes default to regular election procedures or the next scheduled election date. It does not create a statewide funding source; any cost changes would fall to local election budgets and vary by jurisdiction.
The proposal is controversial. Supporters say it improves uniformity and election administration; opponents say it reduces voter convenience and could lower turnout for local measures. Fiscal effects are uncertain and depend on local choices about when and how to hold replacement elections.
New Bills Introduced
Agriculture
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2507: Removes signature rule; raises waterfowl stamp fee cap
Budget & Appropriations
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
Business & Commerce
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
Criminal Justice
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
Education
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
SB 350: Limits school device use by grade; adds parent opt-outs
HB 2489: Schools must teach fentanyl prevention and keep naloxone
HB 2486: Requires kindergarten students to be toilet trained
SB 349: Adjusts private school activity classifications
HB 2482: State may use any provider for college and career exams
HB 2484: Removes Kansas residency rule for Promise scholars
HB 2510: School boards must allocate dues to each member
🐝 Low Impact
Elections & Government
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
🐝 Low Impact
Healthcare
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2508: Requires parental consent for school health services
🐝 Low Impact
Housing
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2504: Blocks local limits on landlord screening and vouchers
Infrastructure
🐝🐝🐝 High Impact
HB 2483: Increases transparency and reforms utility spending
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
🐝 Low Impact
SB 353: Establish Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame at Wichita Museum
Natural Resources
🐝 Low Impact
Public Safety
🐝 Low Impact
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2491: State agencies must report noncitizen benefit recipients
Taxation
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2496: State must audit utility valuations after >5% drop
Committee Actions
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bills Referred (1)
SB 344: Gives pounds the authority to place sick, injured, or newborn impounded animals in foster homes during the required three-business-day hold and requires shelters to post a photo at the shelter and online if the animal is offsite.
Education
Bills Referred (4)
SB 349: Private high schools may be moved up one class in KSHSAA activity divisions after their enrollment is multiplied by a new formula based on championships, location, and meal-rate data. Multiplier-driven changes cannot be appealed.
SB 350: SB350 limits school-issued digital device use by grade: bans classroom devices K–5, allows only shared devices with time and content limits in grades 6–8, and caps high school device use and device-based homework while adding parent opt-outs and safety settings.
SB 343: SB343 would block Kansas state and local public money from paying for college or training programs the federal government labels “low-earning outcome programs.” The Board of Regents must adopt rules, update them yearly, and report to the Legislature.
SB 342: Extends the Kansas school equity and enhancement act’s expiration one year, moving the sunset from July 1, 2027 to July 1, 2028. Keeps current school finance rules in place for districts and the state without changing funding or program rules.
Federal and State Affairs
Bills Referred (7)
SB 356: Gives licensed gun dealers immunity from civil lawsuits when they return a firearm to its owner after a private storage ('firearm hold') agreement ends, unless the dealer acted unlawfully. May increase storage options and limit some legal claims.
SB 352: The bill adds cryptocurrencies and other digital assets to Kansas unclaimed property law and creates a state reserve fund to collect staking rewards, airdrops, and interest from abandoned accounts. It sets when assets are treated as abandoned, how the state must take custody, and rules for selling those assets.
SB 353: Creates a state-recognized Kansas railroad hall of fame at the Great Plains Transportation Museum in Wichita to honor people who advanced rail service or preserved rail history. A governor-appointed committee will pick two inductees each year.
SB 355: Creates a Kansas license for e-cigarette manufacturers and makes wholesalers, distributors, and retailers buy and sell only with licensed partners. Manufacturers must pay a fee, post a surety bond, and follow Department of Revenue rules.
SB 354: Changes who serves on the 12-member Kansas Fire Service Training Commission and how members are chosen, their terms, meeting rules, leadership roles, and pay for non-state members. Mostly reorganizes commission operations; costs likely small.
SB 347: SB347 stops new appointments of county election commissioners and moves their election duties to county clerks in affected counties when a commissioner's office becomes vacant, shifting voter registration and voting operations to locally elected clerks.
SCR 1618: Would amend the Kansas Constitution to set clear rules for drawing congressional, legislative, and state board of education districts and to limit when the Legislature can redraw maps. Adds population-equality limits and a ban on diluting minority votes.
Judiciary
Bills Referred (5)
SB 358: Requires people convicted of certain serious felonies to be held in county jail without bond from conviction until sentencing, even if they were out on bond. Could raise county jail populations and push courts to schedule sentencing sooner.
SB 351: The bill requires municipal lockups, county jails, and state prisons to let people in custody make phone calls at no cost. Facilities can limit call length and frequency, but the bill does not specify who will pay for the service.
SB 359: SB359 lets some Kansas judges serve longer, delays a reduced 2% contribution rate until after 30 years of service (and age 65), and raises the maximum retirement benefit from 70% to 80% of final pay.
SB 345: Breastfeeding mothers would no longer be automatically excused from jury duty. They could request a postponement of at least one year or choose to serve and receive reasonable accommodations.
SB 346: SB 346 lets Kansas courts stop repeat civil lawsuits filed by current or former family, household, or dating partners when those suits are found to be abusive. Courts can dismiss cases, require plaintiffs to pay fees, and block new filings for 48–72 months.
Utilities
Bills Referred (1)
SB 348: Removes routine state regulation for not-for-profit electric utilities that are wholly owned subsidiaries of electric cooperatives. Customers can force an SCC rate review by petition, and utilities must give notice before rate meetings and make rate schedules public.
Ways and Means
Bills Referred (1)
SB 357: SB 357 directs KDOT to set up an intercity passenger rail program to connect Kansas to the Midwest and national rail network and lets the state fund startup, capital, and operating support. It requires $5M in annual transfers into a rail revolving fund (2027–2030).
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