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- Topeka Buzz: January 28, 2026
Topeka Buzz: January 28, 2026
Will Kansas relax its alcohol "blue laws"...during World Cup? Also: an ongoing effort to ban mail-in advance voting.
Jason Anderson
January 28, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
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Topeka Buzz 🐝
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Table of Contents
Top Stories of the Day
🐝🐝 SB 394: End mail advance voting if signature rules are invalidated
SB 394 would change Kansas’ mail advance voting rules and affect voters who use mail ballots, county election staff, and the Secretary of State. The bill requires mail ballot envelopes to include signature blocks for the voter, any assistant, and a person signing for a voter who cannot sign or whose signature does not match the registration file. If a final court order invalidates the state’s signature-verification rules, the bill makes most state advance voting statutes null and void, leaving only mail voting required by federal law.
The Secretary of State must prescribe the new envelope format, monitor relevant court cases, and publish notice in the Kansas Register if a final non-appealable ruling invalidates the signature rules. The bill sets a repeal structure tied to publication and a July 1, 2026 date for related advance voting statutes. Costs for new forms, training, and voter communications are possible but the overall fiscal impact is uncertain.
The proposal is likely to draw sharp debate.
🐝🐝 SB 393: Allow 24/7 alcohol sales during FIFA World Cup 2026
The bill temporarily lets eligible alcohol licensees (bars, clubs, liquor retailers, and cereal malt beverage sellers) sell alcoholic drinks from 6:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. the next day during the FIFA World Cup window of June 11–July 19, 2026. This affects retailers, customers, visitors, local governments, and public safety agencies.
The law overrides certain state day/hour limits for that period but keeps other license rules in place. County commissions or city governing bodies may opt out by resolution or ordinance; if they do, the usual state hours apply in that jurisdiction. The change sunsets on July 20, 2026. The bill does not specify new funding; any added enforcement costs would come from existing local or state budgets.
🐝🐝 SB 390: Bans certain additives in free/reduced school meals
SB 390 prohibits 13 named food additives in foods served as part of free or reduced-price meals in any public or nonpublic K-12 school that participates in school meal programs. The rule affects students who get free or reduced-price meals, school nutrition staff, food vendors, parents, and the state inspection authority.
Beginning in the 2027–2028 school year, schools must certify during the routine facility inspection that they do not serve foods containing the listed additives. If a school cannot certify or gives a false certification, it must submit a corrective action plan within 30 days and post the violation and plan on its website for one year; false certifications also require parent or guardian notification. The bill does not provide extra funding, so any added procurement, documentation, or oversight costs would likely come from school food budgets, vendors, and the inspecting authority.
New Bills Introduced
Agriculture
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2554: Creates Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever plates
Business & Commerce
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2567: Requires producers to fund battery recycling program
🐝 Low Impact
Criminal Justice
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
SB 398: Tightens court gatekeeping for expert testimony
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2552: Standardize felony PSI and sentencing journal formats
Education
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2560: Authorizes sale of 1.3-acre KSU parcel in Manhattan
Elections & Government
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
SB 395: Requires small-donor lists sent to KPDC, not public
🐝 Low Impact
Healthcare
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2566: Requires insurance to cover prosthetics and orthotics
HB 2549: Requires insurance to cover PANS/PANDAS care
HB 2551: Licensing and transparency rules for pharmacy PSAOs
HB 2556: Limits dental insurer audits and protects prior authorizations
HB 2550: Hospitals must report 340B drug costs and payments
HB 2548: Raises nursing home personal needs allowance to $85
🐝 Low Impact
Housing
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
SB 391: Stops cities from forcing landlords to accept vouchers
Infrastructure
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2553: Creates optional PBS Kansas specialty license plate
Natural Resources
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
SB 400: Ban open-loop cooling at large data centers
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
HB 2557: Adopts updated interstate compact for child placements
🐝 Low Impact
HB 2562: Allow PTs to certify disability plates/placards
Taxation
🐝🐝 Medium Impact
Floor Votes
Senate (1)
HB 2347: PASS (39 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent). The bill makes stealing cars worth $500–$1,500 a felony and changes the law so someone can be guilty of possessing stolen goods if they 'knew or had reason to know' the items were stolen. This could lead to more felony charges for low-value auto theft.
Committee Actions
Assessment and Taxation
Bills Referred (6)
SB 401: Require in-person inspection before >15% home value hike
SB 402: Rewrites homestead income rules, protects refunds
SB 397: Keeps homestead tax relief if home value rises above $350K
SCR 1619: Cut residential property assessment rate to 9%
SB 378: One-time $250 vehicle property tax credit (FY2027)
SB 389: Remove sales tax on menstrual, diaper and incontinence items
Commerce
Bills Referred (1)
SB 388: Caps residential rent late fees at 5%
Bills Re-referred (1)
HB 2340: Limits cleanup orders for certain ex-Army sites in Johnson County
Education
Bills Referred (6)
SB 385: Require K-12 abuse prevention lessons and teacher training
SB 381: Mandate K-12 lessons on communism; civics test to graduate
SB 384: Move deadline to May 1 and auto-approve slow state reviews
SB 383: Recognize contracted special ed teachers for aid
SB 386: Expand scholarship tax credits and join federal credit
SB 382: Allows virtual students to take state tests online
Federal and State Affairs
Bills Referred (7)
SB 392: Limits candidate withdrawals; bans governor-ticket substitutions
SB 394: End mail advance voting if signature rules are invalidated
SB 391: Stops cities from forcing landlords to accept vouchers
SB 395: Requires small-donor lists sent to KPDC, not public
SB 393: Allow 24/7 alcohol sales during FIFA World Cup 2026
SB 376: Updates antique slot machine age to 50 years
SB 377: Require AEDs and cardiac plans at youth rec centers
Government Efficiency
Bills Referred (1)
SB 390: Bans certain additives in free/reduced school meals
Judiciary
Bills Referred (2)
Local Government, Transparency and Ethics
Bills Referred (1)
SB 396: Removes Ohio Township from Clearwater cemetery district
Transportation
Bills Referred (2)
Utilities
Bills Referred (3)
Bills Reported Out (1)
SB 348 (bill be passed as amended): Removes SCC oversight for coop-owned electric utilities
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