Topeka Buzz 🐝
Monday, January 26, 2026

Table of Contents

• Top Stories of the Day

  • New Free Tool: Legislator Lookup

• New Bills Introduced

  • Criminal Justice

  • Education

  • Healthcare

  • Social Services

  • Uncategorized

• Committee Actions

  • Agriculture and Natural Resources

  • Assessment and Taxation

  • Commerce

  • Corrections and Juvenile Justice

  • Education

  • Elections

  • Federal and State Affairs

  • Financial Institutions and Insurance

  • Government Efficiency

  • Health and Human Services

  • Insurance

  • Judiciary

  • Transportation

• Legislative Calendar

  • Monday, January 26

  • Tuesday, January 27

  • Wednesday, January 28

  • Thursday, January 29

  • Friday, January 30

Top Stories of the Day

New Free Tool: Legislator Lookup

BillBee has added a new, free “Find Your Legislator” tool on the main menu!

If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, you have an above-average chance of already knowing who your state and federal representatives are. That said, if you look up your officials on BillBee and have a registered account, you can save that information to your profile. This will make it easier in the future to write and submit testimony and letters to your state senator and representative.

New Bills Introduced

Criminal Justice

• 🐝🐝 HB 2529: Changes citizen grand jury petition and prosecution rules

• 🐝🐝 HB 2538: Expands insanity-style defense in criminal cases

• 🐝🐝 HB 2537: Increases penalties for sexual extortion of minors

• 🐝🐝 HB 2527: Bars work and education release for registrants

• 🐝 HB 2535: Allows trap-neuter-return of feral cats without abandonment charges

Education

• 🐝🐝 HB 2530: High schools must give career readiness assessments

Healthcare

• 🐝🐝 HB 2528: Voids old nursing records, limits board authority

• 🐝🐝 HB 2533: Allows OTs to practice in other states via compact

• 🐝🐝 HB 2532: Creates impaired-provider program; expands nursing discipline

• 🐝🐝 HB 2526: Stops fail-first rules for some advanced cancer drugs

• 🐝🐝 HB 2534: Allows respiratory therapists to practice across states

• 🐝 HB 2531: Allows trained chiropractors to clear student athletes

Social Services

• 🐝🐝 HB 2536: Requires guardian training for adults with dementia

Uncategorized

• HR 6022: Congratulating and commending the members of the 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year team.

Committee Actions

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Bills Referred (1)

• SB 364: Creates discounted senior hunting & fishing combo license

Assessment and Taxation

Bills Referred (2)

• SB 368: Allows Kansas tax subtraction for health-sharing fees

• SB 365: Elect county appraisers statewide

Commerce

Bills Referred (3)

• SB 369: Cap late fees; require tenant cost and screening disclosures

• SB 370: Lets tenants end leases faster after landlord breaches

• SB 371: Gives tenants first chance to buy rental homes

Corrections and Juvenile Justice

Bills Referred (1)

• HB 2527: Bars work and education release for registrants

Education

Bills Referred (2)

• HB 2530: High schools must give career readiness assessments

• SB 361: Host family exchange students enroll as district residents

Elections

Bills Reported Out (2)

• HB 2446 (bill be passed): Removes treasurer names from political ad disclaimers

• HB 2438 (bill be passed as amended): Limits which websites can take Kansas voter registrations

Federal and State Affairs

Bills Referred (2)

• HB 2065: Sets Kansas rules for Article V convention delegates

• SB 362: State officers must publish travel locations and expenses

Financial Institutions and Insurance

Bills Referred (1)

• SB 360: Limits PBM practices and boosts pharmacy protections

Government Efficiency

Bills Referred (1)

• SB 363: Tightens benefit verification, expands SNAP work rules

Health and Human Services

Bills Referred (5)

• HB 2532: Creates impaired-provider program; expands nursing discipline

• HB 2528: Voids old nursing records, limits board authority

• HB 2533: Allows OTs to practice in other states via compact

• HB 2531: Allows trained chiropractors to clear student athletes

• HB 2534: Allows respiratory therapists to practice across states

Insurance

Bills Referred (1)

• HB 2526: Stops fail-first rules for some advanced cancer drugs

Judiciary

Bills Referred (9)

• HB 2538: Expands insanity-style defense in criminal cases

• HB 2529: Changes citizen grand jury petition and prosecution rules

• HB 2535: Allows trap-neuter-return of feral cats without abandonment charges

• HB 2536: Requires guardian training for adults with dementia

• HB 2537: Increases penalties for sexual extortion of minors

• SB 373: Limit police equipment on utility poles to 30 days

• SB 374: Require more evaluation and treatment in competency cases

• SB 375: Make proxy advisors disclose analysis behind votes

• SB 372: Require parental consent for minors' app purchases

Bills Reported Out (2)

• HB 2413 (bill be passed): Makes livestock and farm-implement theft a felony

• HB 2422 (bill be passed): Classify grain theft as a level 6 nonperson felony

Transportation

Bills Referred (2)

• SB 367: Cities may allow golf carts on sidewalks

• SB 366: Names Sedgwick I-135 bridge the Don Snyder Memorial

Legislative Calendar

Monday, January 26, 2026 - Sunday, February 1, 2026

Monday, January 26

🤝 Joint Budget Hearing: Office of the Attorney General

9:00 AM • 112-N. House: Appropriations, General Government Budget, Social Services Budget

🤝 Joint Recommendations: Office of Administration; Office of Information and Technology Services

9:00 AM • 112-N. House: Appropriations, General Government Budget, Social Services Budget

Appropriations (House): 9:00 AM • 112-N

• HB 2434 🐝🐝🐝: Changes FY2026–FY2027 state budgets and programs

Financial Institutions and Pensions (House): 9:00 AM • 582-N

• HB 2497 🐝🐝: Ban prepayment penalties after six months on many home loans

Financial Institutions and Insurance (Senate): 9:30 AM • 546-S

• HCR 5013 🐝: Urge Congress to let states regulate Medicare Advantage

• SB 300 🐝🐝: Blocks state receivership for failed tech fiduciaries

• SB 331 🐝: Repeals Saturday/holiday rule for negotiable payments

Transportation (House): 1:30 PM • 582-N

• HB 2467 🐝🐝: Ban using old traffic noncompliance after 5 years

• HB 2471 🐝: Names I-35 segment in Franklin County for Deputy Sam Smith

Education (House): 1:30 PM • 218-N

• HB 2530 🐝🐝: High schools must give career readiness assessments

Taxation (House): 3:30 PM • 346-S

• HB 2430 🐝🐝: Creates insurance savings accounts for P&C costs

Judiciary (House): 3:30 PM • 582-N

• HB 2352 🐝🐝: Adds clergy as mandatory child-abuse reporters

Insurance (House): 3:30 PM • 218-N

• HB 2461 🐝🐝: Bans public adjusters from settling home insurance claims

Tuesday, January 27

🤝 Joint Recommendations: Office of the Attorney General; Kansas Department of Revenue

3:30 PM • 281-N. House: Appropriations, General Government Budget, Social Services Budget

Transportation (Senate): 8:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 324 🐝🐝: Ban hand-held phone use in school & work zones

Public Health and Welfare (Senate): 8:30 AM • 142-S

• SB 327 🐝: Allow committee to hold Jan and Apr meetings outside session

Agriculture and Natural Resources (Senate): 8:30 AM • 144-S

• SB 344 🐝: Allow shelters to foster sick or newborn impounded pets

Federal and State Affairs (House): 9:00 AM • 346-S

• HB 2423 🐝: Allows licensed hunters to use drones to find wounded deer

• HB 2502 🐝: Kansas offers discounted senior hunting and fishing pass

Federal and State Affairs (Senate): 9:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 355 🐝🐝: Requires e-cigarette manufacturers to get Kansas license

• SB 352 🐝🐝: Creates state bitcoin and digital assets reserve fund

Commerce, Labor and Economic Development (House): 1:30 PM • 346-S

• HB 2464 🐝: Extend aerospace tax credit sunset to 2036

Health and Human Services (House): 1:30 PM • 112-N

• HB 2366 🐝🐝: Expands naturopathic doctors' clinical and prescribing powers

Judiciary (House): 3:30 PM • 582-N

• HB 2444 🐝🐝: Limits jail credit; tougher sentences and bond rules

• HB 2479 🐝🐝: Allow pretrial GPS monitoring with victim alerts

Taxation (House): 3:30 PM • 346-S

• HB 2406 🐝🐝: Extend tax exemption to pre-2006 industrial machinery

• HB 2408 🐝: Count community land trust ground leases in property value

• HB 2440 🐝: Removes filing step for exempt oil lease owners

Wednesday, January 28

🤝 Joint Recommendations: Postsecondary Education System

9:00 AM • 346-S. House: Elections, Federal and State Affairs. Senate: Local Government, Transparency and Ethics

Transportation (Senate): 8:30 AM • 546-S.

• SB 113 🐝🐝: Treats extreme speeding as reckless driving

Public Health and Welfare (Senate): 8:30 AM • 142-S

• SB 328 🐝🐝: Allows pharmacists to provide epinephrine to schools

• SB 322 🐝: Limits who can access Kansas PDMP data

Judiciary (Senate): 8:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 325 🐝: Ban on license-plate covers and obstructing frames

• SB 372 🐝🐝: Require parental consent for minors' app purchases

Federal and State Affairs (House): 9:00 AM • 346-S

• HCR 5022 🐝🐝: Ask Congress to Call a Convention on Term Limits

Water (House): 9:00 AM • 281-N

• HB 2433 🐝🐝: State replaces county control of water transfers

Financial Institutions and Pensions (House): 9:00 AM • 582-N

• HB 2515 🐝🐝: Sets consumer rules for crypto kiosks in Kansas

Local Government, Transparency and Ethics (Senate): 9:30 AM • 142-S

• SB 144 🐝🐝: Blocks private covenants from banning rooftop solar

Financial Institutions and Insurance (Senate): 9:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 360 🐝🐝🐝: Limits PBM practices and boosts pharmacy protections

Federal and State Affairs (Senate): 10:30 AM • 144-S

• SB 314 🐝🐝: Ban public assets for ballot advocacy

Child Welfare and Foster Care (House): 1:30 PM • 152-S

• HB 2524 🐝🐝: Lets foster homes keep licenses when former youth live there

Health and Human Services (House): 1:30 PM • 112-N

• HB 2506 🐝: Creates addiction counselor apprentice license

Judiciary (House): 3:30 PM • 582-N

• HB 2352 🐝🐝: Adds clergy as mandatory child-abuse reporters

• HB 2480 🐝🐝: Limits mandatory reports by social workers on legal teams

Thursday, January 29

Public Health and Welfare (Senate): 8:30 AM • 142-S

• HB 2223 🐝🐝: Expands optometrists' authority for drugs, procedures, lasers

Transportation (Senate): 8:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 366 🐝: Names Sedgwick I-135 bridge the Don Snyder Memorial

• SB 367 🐝: Cities may allow golf carts on sidewalks

Federal and State Affairs (House): 9:00 AM • 346-S

• HB 2501 🐝: Protects FFLs from lawsuits for returning held firearms

Appropriations (House): 9:00 AM • 112-N

• HB 2463 🐝🐝: Creates Rural Health Transformation Fund, Council Oversight

Financial Institutions and Insurance (Senate): 9:30 AM • 546-S

• SB 301 🐝: State can revoke TEFFI charters; LCC approval required

• SB 316 🐝🐝: Creates nonprofit for statewide consumer financial education

Federal and State Affairs (Senate): 10:30 AM • 144-S

• SCR 1617 🐝🐝: Require simple majority for Article V votes

Commerce (Senate): 1:30 PM • 159-S

• SB 334 🐝🐝: Sets nursing instructor degree minimums for program approval

Health and Human Services (House): 1:30 PM • 112-N

• HB 2157 🐝🐝: Pharmacists can test and treat COVID-19 in pharmacies

Education (House): 1:30 PM • 218-N

• HB 2487 🐝: Defines parent-teacher status for scholarship eligibility

• HB 2485 🐝: Bar state aid for students owing; allow CEO to settle debts

• HB 2486 🐝🐝: Requires kindergarten students to be toilet trained

Judiciary (House): 3:30 PM • 582-N

• HB 2351 🐝🐝: Blocks mandatory arbitration in most insurance policies

Friday, January 30

🤝 Joint Briefing: Revisor

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Child Welfare and Foster Care, Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, Insurance, Legislative Modernization, Transportation and Public Safety Budget, Veterans and Military, Water

• Senate: Financial Institutions and Insurance, Judiciary, Public Health and Welfare

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means

🤝 Joint Briefing: KLRD

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Child Welfare and Foster Care, Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, Education, Insurance, K-12 Education Budget, Legislative Modernization, Local Government, Transportation, Transportation and Public Safety Budget, Veterans and Military, Water, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Assessment and Taxation, Commerce, Financial Institutions and Insurance, Judiciary, Public Health and Welfare, Utilities

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Legislative Post Audit Committee

🤝 Joint Briefing: Inspector General

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Child Welfare and Foster Care, Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, Education, Higher Education Budget, Insurance, Legislative Modernization, Local Government, Veterans and Military, Water, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Assessment and Taxation, Commerce, Financial Institutions and Insurance, Judiciary, Public Health and Welfare, Transportation

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Higher Education Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Legislative Post Audit Committee

🤝 Joint Briefing: KDHE, KDCF, KDADS

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, Transportation

• Senate: Commerce

🤝 Joint Other: Discussion on recommendations, corrective actions, and next steps.

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commerce, Labor and Economic Development, Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Education, Higher Education Budget, K-12 Education Budget, Legislative Modernization, Local Government, Transportation, Transportation and Public Safety Budget, Veterans and Military, Water, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Assessment and Taxation, Commerce, Judiciary, Public Health and Welfare, Utilities

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Higher Education Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means

🤝 Joint Briefing: Revisor; KLRD

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Higher Education Budget

• Senate: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Transportation

• Joint: Higher Education Subcommittee, Ways and Means

🤝 Joint Briefing: KDHE; KDCF; KDADS

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Child Welfare and Foster Care, Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Education, Higher Education Budget, Insurance, K-12 Education Budget, Legislative Modernization, Local Government, Transportation and Public Safety Budget, Veterans and Military, Water, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Assessment and Taxation, Financial Institutions and Insurance, Judiciary, Public Health and Welfare, Transportation, Utilities

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Higher Education Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Legislative Post Audit Committee

🤝 Joint Briefing: Informational hearing on unsolicited voter registration packets covering statutory compliance, costs, and administrative oversight.

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Agriculture and Natural Resources, Child Welfare and Foster Care, Higher Education Budget, K-12 Education Budget, Legislative Modernization, Local Government, Transportation and Public Safety Budget, Water, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Assessment and Taxation, Commerce, Public Health and Welfare, Transportation

• Joint: Corrections and Public Safety Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means, Legislative Post Audit Committee

🤝 Joint Briefing: Discussion of external influence and memorandums of understanding; election administration and legal context.

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Education, Legislative Modernization, Transportation, Welfare Reform

• Senate: Judiciary

🤝 Joint Briefing: Discussion/briefing on external influence and memorandums of understanding, and on election administration and legal context.

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Transportation and Public Safety Budget

• Senate: Public Health and Welfare, Utilities

🤝 Joint Briefing: Staff briefing: review of federal and state statutes related to the topic.

11:00 AM • 112-N.

• House: Local Government

• Senate: Commerce

• Joint: Human Services Subcommittee, Ways and Means

🤝 Joint Briefing: Briefing by staff: Review of statutes (federal and state).

Time TBA • Room TBA.

• House: Welfare Reform

• Senate: Assessment and Taxation, Utilities

Have any ideas or feedback, just let us know!