SB 514 allows Kansas students who transfer mid-year to immediately join school activities (like sports, music, or drama) at their new school, unless they were recruited or induced primarily to join for athletic purposes. Students must still meet basic eligibility standards (academic requirements, behavior, skill assessment, and team capacity limits). The rule specifically delays athletic participation for one year if a student transferred solely for sports recruitment, but does not affect eligibility for nonathletic activities like music or debate. Schools cannot delay eligibility for nonathletic transfers or impose unnecessary barriers.
HB 2785 renames Kansas' "Utilization of Unused Medications Act" to the "Medication Donation Program" and updates its rules. The bill allows pharmacies, manufacturers, and patients to donate unused drugs to qualifying centers (like indigent clinics, community mental health centers, and pharmacies), which then distribute them to medically indigent Kansas residents who are uninsured or underinsured. Key changes include updated eligibility criteria for donations, new annual reporting requirements for centers (detailing drugs received, patients served, and handling fees), and clarifications that federal Medicaid-funded drugs cannot be part of the program. The program aims to safely redirect unused medications to low-income residents while ensuring centers follow safety standards.
HB 2784 lowers the property tax rate for Kansas school districts from 20 mills to 19 mills for the 2026-2027 school year. It directly affects school districts by reducing their local property tax revenue and requires the state to transfer funds from the general fund and budget stabilization fund to the state school district finance fund to offset this loss. The bill amends tax laws to automatically calculate and transfer the revenue difference based on the rate decrease, ensuring school districts maintain funding levels. This change applies specifically to the 2026-2027 school year as defined in the bill.
HB 2663 modifies how Kansas school districts track progress for students in at-risk programs. It requires districts to identify specific student groups (including those eligible for free meals) and set four-year academic improvement goals for each group in English language arts and math. Districts must implement 2-4 state-approved interventions for these groups and evaluate progress using state assessments and other approved measures. The bill aims to ensure targeted support and measurable progress toward state goals for all students, without allowing districts to change established goals once set.
HB 2684 requires all health insurance plans in Kansas (issued after 2026) to cover insulin medications and diabetes management devices. It limits insured people's out-of-pocket costs to $35 per month for any insulin medication and $100 for devices like glucose test strips or monitors. The bill mandates coverage for all insulin types (rapid-acting, long-acting, etc.) and diabetes self-management education. This directly affects people with diabetes who have health insurance, ensuring predictable costs for essential diabetes care.
HB 2664 creates a legal framework for private energy campuses - such as large data centers, manufacturing facilities, or hydrogen plants - located on contiguous private property to generate and sell electricity exclusively to businesses on the same site. It exempts these private energy sales from standard public utility regulations and net metering requirements, while allowing campuses to connect to the broader grid for emergency backup or energy exports through voluntary agreements with electric utilities. The bill requires utilities to approve these agreements (with state commission oversight for regulated utilities), but keeps utility rates and terms for private campus-to-campus power sales outside regulatory jurisdiction. This directly affects large industrial and data center enterprises seeking self-sufficiency, without altering service for residential or small commercial customers.
HB 2640 requires Kansas' Secretary of State to conduct two annual checks comparing the statewide voter registration database against the federal SAVE database (which verifies immigration status for benefits). This process flags potential noncitizen registrations for county election officials to verify, with voters notified and placed in "pending verification" status before any removal. The bill mandates an annual report to the legislature by January 31, detailing the number of checks performed, flagged voters, removed registrations, and recommendations for improving accuracy. It applies directly to state and county election officials managing voter rolls, while ensuring secure handling of personal data and compliance with privacy standards.
HB 2757 repeals multiple existing Kansas income tax credits, including those for agritourism liability insurance, alternative fuel, disabled access, and aviation-related employment. It extends the tax credit for angel investors (investors in early-stage businesses) and modifies the high-performance tax credit program to offer expanded options for rural businesses, including adjusted wage requirements. The bill directly affects businesses and investors who previously claimed these credits, particularly agritourism operators, angel investors, and qualifying rural employers. Key changes include eliminating 10+ specific credits while extending benefits for angel investors and providing new flexibility for rural business tax credit usage.
HB 2683 allows Kansas healthcare providers to charge patients or their authorized representatives for copying medical records, setting a maximum fee of $0.60 per page plus labor costs (capped at $25 for off-site storage). It also clarifies that providers may share a deceased patient's medical records with specific individuals, prioritizing surviving spouses first, followed by adult children, parents, siblings, or legal guardians, all requiring a written statement verifying their relationship. Providers must obtain written permission from the patient for record sharing during their lifetime, and records can only be disclosed after death if the patient didn't object in writing. Fees for record copies will adjust annually based on medical care inflation starting in 2027.
HB 2677 requires all Kansas health insurance plans (excluding small employer plans and limited-benefit policies) to cover hearing aids and related services for insured children under 18 with diagnosed hearing impairments, effective January 1, 2027. The coverage includes devices, evaluations, programming, repairs, ear molds, and auditory training, with a $5,000 maximum per child over 48 months. Insurers cannot deny coverage or terminate plans based on a child's hearing impairment. This applies to all plans issued, renewed, or modified in Kansas, excluding small employer group plans and certain specialized policies.
HB 2650 requires noncompete agreements between employees and employers to be reasonable and necessary for protecting the business. It makes such agreements automatically unenforceable if the business is sold or if ownership changes. This directly affects employees who might face restrictions after leaving a job, as well as employers who use noncompete clauses. The bill replaces the default enforceability of these agreements with these two specific conditions.
HB 2641, the Kansas Property Rights Protection Act, requires state and local governments to pay landowners compensation when government actions (like approving projects or enacting land-use rules) reduce property value. It mandates 110% compensation for temporary impacts (e.g., construction delays) and 150% for permanent value loss (including a buyout option if value drops over 10%). Governments must pay within 90 days or face daily penalties, and can later seek reimbursement from developers responsible for the project. The law excludes actions solely for public health/safety (e.g., nuisance abatement) but covers most development projects like wind farms or data centers.
