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Thursday, March 12, 2026
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Kansas Recess Bill Grew Into a K–12 Fitness Mandate—Now It Gets a House Hearing
SB 339 gets its first House hearing today at 1:30 p.m. in Room 218-N before the House Education Committee—but the bill the House will examine bears little resemblance to what Sen. Doug Shane (R) introduced in January. What started as a three-page bill requiring 30 minutes of daily recess for K–5 students has ballooned into a K–12 physical activity and fitness testing mandate. The Senate passed it Tuesday on a divided 24-15 vote.
The original bill was simple: on school days exceeding five hours, districts would guarantee elementary students at least 30 minutes of organized recess, with a non-binding recommendation of 60 minutes. Recess time would count toward school term hours. That's it. The Senate Education Committee then added a 60-minute "moderate physical activity" mandate for K–5, a non-binding recommendation for 30 minutes of physical activity in grades 9–12, a prohibition on withholding physical activity as discipline, and an entirely new Kansas State Fitness Test—a statewide annual assessment for grades 1–12 aligned with the presidential physical fitness test, complete with percentile-based awards. The full Senate further adjustments: it delayed the recess requirements to school year 2027–28, narrowed the discipline ban from "physical activity" to "recess" specifically, and added a statutory definition of recess that explicitly excludes PE class time.
The underlying case for the bill is hard to argue with. A 2015 KAHPERD survey of nearly 500 Kansas schools found that more than 60% of elementary students received 20 minutes or less of recess daily—and about 8% got none at all. Jessica Kilby, an elementary instructional coach who was part of the Kansas Can School Redesign Project's Mercury 7 pilot, told the Senate Education Committee that her building implemented a 60-minute recess model and saw fewer office referrals, fewer nurse visits, and increased time-on-task during academic blocks. FGA Action, Aligned, and several citizen witnesses all testified in support. Linda Highland of Wamego, a council member of Kansas Make America Healthy Again, urged the committee to go further and guarantee a full hour.
But the institutional opposition was unified. The Kansas Association of School Boards, United School Administrators, and Olathe Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brent Yeager all opposed the bill on local-control grounds—even as Yeager noted that Olathe elementary schools already provide 35 minutes of daily recess. The most telling split came from within the Kansas State Board of Education itself: District 10 board member Debby Potter submitted proponent testimony, explicitly disclaiming that she was speaking for herself and not the board as a whole, while the board's own legislative liaisons testified in opposition. The liaisons raised a specific technical concern: current KSDE guidance allows only 30 minutes of recess (two 15-minute increments) to count toward required school hours, and the bill's aspirational 60-minute target creates confusion about how much recess time actually counts toward the school term.
That was all testimony on the original three-page bill. The version heading to the House today is far more ambitious—adding the 60-minute moderate physical activity mandate, a heart-rate threshold that could be difficult to measure in a school setting, and an annual statewide fitness test with no dedicated funding. Whether the House committee trims SB 339 back toward Shane's original scope or advances the full Senate package will say a lot about how seriously the chamber takes the unfunded-mandate concerns that are certain to surface today.
Nonaccredited Private School Students Could Play on Nonpublic School Teams Under SB 515
SB 515, introduced by Sen. Renee Erickson (R), passed out of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill would allow nonpublic schools to let students enrolled in nonaccredited private elementary and secondary schools participate in activities regulated by the Kansas State High School Activities Association—and it makes it unlawful to exclude eligible students based solely on enrollment status. It is the last item on today's Senate General Orders calendar.
Here's what that could look like in practice: under SB 515, a student could enroll in the cheapest nonaccredited private school in Johnson County, skip the tuition at a school like St. Thomas Aquinas, and still try out for Aquinas athletics. The bill only requires the student to pay the same activity participation fees charged to every other athlete—not tuition. Aquinas's governing body would have to grant permission, and the student would face the same tryouts and age requirements as enrolled students. But academic eligibility would be determined by Aquinas itself, using transcripts from a school with no accreditation framework. That's a lot of discretion with limited external oversight.
The bill's most consequential provision is its nondiscrimination mandate. Section 1(g) doesn't just open a door for participation; it prohibits both the nonpublic school's governing body and KSHSAA from discriminating against students who meet the bill's eligibility criteria based on enrollment status. That's a statutory constraint on KSHSAA's authority to set its own membership and participation rules, and it's the provision most likely to draw opposition. Erickson, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, has previously championed school-choice and student-activity legislation. Opponents are likely to focus on competitive fairness and recruiting concerns, such as the possibility that students could enroll in nonaccredited settings with potentially looser academic oversight while competing for high-profile nonpublic school programs. The bill also doesn't address homeschool or public school students participating at private schools…but by establishing enrollment status as a protected basis in statute, it could lay groundwork for future efforts to expand that principle further.
New Bills Introduced
Education
🐝🐝 HB 2798: Research universities gain control over contracts and property
Elections & Government
🐝 SB 533: Limits county commissioner ban to same‑county offices
Taxation
Uncategorized
HR 6036: Congratulating Stryten Energy on the 50th anniversary of its battery manufacturing facility in Salina.
SR 1733: Recognizing the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for their outstanding service to the citizens of our state, our nation, and the international community and for their promotion of sisterhood, scholarship and service.
HR 6034: Commemorating the life and service of Representative Robert Tomlinson.
HR 6035: Commending Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and acknowledging the patriotic commitment of all Kansas employers who support their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve.
SR 1731: Recognizing Barry Ward as the 2026 Kansas State Balladeer
SR 1732: Commending Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve and acknowledging the patriotic commitment of all Kansas employers who support their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve.
Floor Votes
Wednesday, March 11
Business & Commerce
House
SB 331: PASS — Passage (122 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent). Removes Saturday/holiday rule for negotiable payments
SB 300: PASS — Passage (122 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent). Bars state agencies from receivership of fintech fiduciaries
SB 410: PASS — Passage (122 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent). Add earned-wage access firms to KS data security law
Elections & Government
Senate
SB 299: PASS — Concurrence (38 Yes, 1 No, 1 Absent). Opens Supreme Court Nominating Commission records
House
SB 412: PASS — Passage (122 Yes, 0 No, 2 Absent). Conservators must notify asset holders within 15 days
Tuesday, March 10
Budget & Appropriations
Senate
HB 2513: PASS — Passage (39 Yes, 1 No). State Pays Small Property Claims
Business & Commerce
Senate
SR 1728: PASS — Passage (37 Yes, 3 No). Approves Wyandotte Nation–Kansas gaming compact
Criminal Justice
House
SB 445: PASS — Passage (123 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent). Directs KHP and KBI to assist line-of-duty funerals
Senate
HB 2422: PASS — Passage (40 Yes, 0 No). Make theft of large grain or hay a felony
HB 2479: PASS — Passage (40 Yes, 0 No). Authorizes GPS monitoring with victim alerts pretrial
Education
House
HB 2299: PASS — Concurrence (84 Yes, 39 No, 1 Absent). Bans student phone use, limits staff social media contact
Senate
SB 339: FAIL — Amendment (17 Yes, 23 No). Schools must provide daily recess and fitness testing
SB 339: PASS — Passage (24 Yes, 15 No, 1 Absent). Schools must provide daily recess and fitness testing
SB 263: PASS — Passage (38 Yes, 1 No, 1 Present). Establishes standards for school active-shooter drills
SB 419: PASS — Passage (29 Yes, 11 No). Creates statewide free-speech rules for public colleges
Elections & Government
House
HB 2332: PASS — Concurrence (113 Yes, 10 No, 1 Absent). Sets official seals and rules for KS House, Senate
Senate
HB 2733: PASS — Final Vote (40 Yes, 0 No). Requires continuous residency for many elected offices
HB 2711: PASS — Final Vote (40 Yes, 0 No). Sets election timing and rules to dissolve small cities
Healthcare
Senate
HB 2555: PASS — Final Vote (40 Yes, 0 No). Adds legislative oversight for rural health grants
Housing
House
SB 146: PASS — Passage (110 Yes, 13 No, 1 Absent). Extends Osawatomie land reversion to 2046
Infrastructure
Senate
SB 404: PASS — Passage (33 Yes, 7 No). Tie personalized plate term to issue date; allow higher fees
Senate
HB 2557: PASS — Passage (39 Yes, 1 No). Adopts updated interstate compact for child placements
Taxation
House
SB 368: PASS — Passage (87 Yes, 36 No, 1 Absent). Creates tax subtraction for health care sharing ministry payments
Senate
HB 2468: FAIL — Amendment (7 Yes, 29 No, 4 Absent). Joins federal SGO credit and raises scholarship tax cap
HB 2468: PASS — Passage (27 Yes, 13 No). Joins federal SGO credit and raises scholarship tax cap
SB 498: PASS — Passage (38 Yes, 1 No, 1 Present). Creates E15 $0.05/gal tax credit; ends new alt-fuel credits
Committee Actions
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bills Reported Out
Assessment and Taxation
Bills Reported Out
HB 2745 (substitute bill be passed): Creates voter petition to block certain tax hikes
Commerce
Bills Reported Out
HB 2719 (bill be passed as amended): Streamlines technical rule changes and priority tracking
Commerce, Labor and Economic Development
Bills Reported Out
Education
Bills Reported Out
SB 387 (bill be passed as amended): Requires income proof to count students as at-risk
SB 438 (bill be passed as amended): Schools must annually consider joining free-meal CEP
SB 515 (bill be passed): Allows nonaccredited private students to join activities
SB 441 (bill be passed): Allows private ABA therapy in schools
Elections
Bills Reported Out
SB 231 (substitute bill be passed): Move local elections to even-numbered years
Federal and State Affairs
Bills Reported Out
SB 391 (bill be passed as amended): Blocks local rules forcing landlords to accept vouchers
HB 2501 (substitute bill be passed): Protects dealers, legalizes suppressors, ups penalties
HB 2569 (bill be passed as amended): Route statewide election-constitutional cases to Shawnee
HB 2372 (substitute bill be passed): State allows sheriffs to honor ICE detainers
Financial Institutions and Insurance
Bills Reported Out
Financial Institutions and Pensions
Bills Reported Out
Government Efficiency
Bills Reported Out
Health and Human Services
Bills Reported Out
SB 448 (bill be passed): Allows treating partners for STDs without exam
Judiciary
Bills Reported Out
SB 481 (bill be passed): Municipal judges can order competency exams
SB 427 (bill be passed): Allows Senate leaders to review confirmation vetting
SB 454 (bill be passed as amended): Increase penalties and training for transnational repression
SB 358 (bill be passed): Hold certain felony convicts without bond until sentencing
Local Government
Bills Reported Out
SB 396 (bill be passed): Removes Ohio Township from Clearwater cemetery district
Public Health and Welfare
Bills Reported Out
HB 2533 (bill be passed as amended): Allows OTs to practice across state lines
HB 2534 (bill be passed as amended): Allows respiratory therapists to work across state lines
HB 2763 (bill be passed as amended): Allows multi-state practice for athletic trainers
HB 2587 (bill be passed as amended): Allows private psych hospitals to keep emergency med kits
HB 2760 (bill be passed as amended): Creates esthetics interstate licensure compact
HB 2702 (bill be passed): Requires PA criminal checks and updates collaboration
Taxation
Bills Reported Out
Transportation
Bills Reported Out
HB 2471 (bill be passed as amended): Designates Deputy Sam Smith Memorial Highway on I-35
HB 2647 (bill be passed as amended): KDOT can build statewide fiber conduit system
HB 2579 (bill be passed as amended): Name K-49 segment as Pvt Michael E. Gerber Memorial
HB 2542 (bill be passed as amended): Name US-56 segment the Bill Tucker Memorial
HB 2615 (bill be passed as amended): Designates US‑75 segment as Brig Gen George H. Wark memorial
SB 321 (bill be passed as amended): Names two Kansas highway bridges as memorials
SB 366 (substitute bill be passed): Ban handheld phone use in school and work zones
SB 353 (bill be passed as amended): Establishes Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame in Wichita
SB 403 (bill be passed as amended): Creates Pheasant, Quail & Delta Waterfowl license plates
SB 325 (bill be passed as amended): Ban on license plate covers and obstructing frames
Utilities
Bills Reported Out
HB 2435 (bill be passed): Allows utilities to recover more gas infrastructure costs
Ways and Means
Bills Reported Out
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