SB 471 would raise Kansas' minimum wage to $16 per hour for workers already covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), such as most hourly employees in retail, hospitality, and service industries. It amends Kansas law to set this new $16 hourly rate as the minimum for employers and employees subject to federal wage rules, replacing the current $7.25 rate. The bill specifically targets workers who fall under federal FLSA protections, ensuring Kansas' minimum wage aligns with and exceeds the federal standard for these employees. It repeals the existing state minimum wage provisions and takes effect upon publication in the statute book.
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 2597 requires all Kansas employers to provide employees with paid sick leave starting January 1, 2027. Employees earn at least two hours of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 40 hours per year, which can carry forward annually. The bill allows use for personal illness, caring for sick family members, addressing domestic violence, or handling emergencies like school closures due to weather. It applies to most employees but explicitly excludes independent contractors, with rules to be implemented by the Kansas Secretary of Labor.
SB 311 eliminates Kansas state income tax on specific types of overtime pay earned by workers. It modifies Kansas tax law to exclude "certain qualified overtime compensation" from taxable income when calculating state adjusted gross income. This means eligible workers will not pay state income tax on qualifying overtime earnings, directly affecting Kansas residents who receive this type of compensation. The bill amends K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 79-32,117 to add this exclusion as a subtraction modification.
HB 2598, the Kansas Paid Family Leave Act, creates a state-run program providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for eligible workers in Kansas to bond with a new child (birth, adoption, or foster placement), care for a family member with a serious health condition, recover from their own serious health condition, or address military family needs. It covers most full- and part-time employees who worked 26 weeks (20+ hours/week) or 175 days (less than 20 hours/week) in the prior year, plus self-employed individuals who opt into the program. Benefits will equal 67% of an employee's average weekly wage (capped at $1,000/week starting in 2028), funded through payroll deductions of employee premiums beginning January 2027. The program launches for eligible workers on July 1, 2027, with benefits paid from the Family and Medical Leave Insurance Fund.
HB 2151 would raise Kansas' state minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour for most hourly workers. The bill amends Kansas law (K.S.A. 44-1203) to establish this new rate and repeals the current minimum wage provisions. It directly affects most employees in Kansas, excluding specific categories like agricultural workers, domestic workers, and certain executive or administrative staff as defined in the law. Employers covered by federal minimum wage law would still follow the federal $7.25 rate, but all other Kansas employers would be required to pay at least $15 per hour.
HB 2239 requires most Kansas employers to provide employees with a 30-minute uninterrupted meal period during work shifts of 6 to 8 hours, and additional periods for longer shifts (e.g., two periods for shifts over 14 hours). It prohibits combining meal and rest periods, allows employees to waive meal periods only with written consent they can revoke, and bans employer coercion in such waivers. Employers may seek exemptions for "undue hardship" (defined as significant difficulty or expense relative to business size/resources), but cannot exempt workers under 16. Violations carry fines up to $2,000 per incident. The law directly affects all Kansas employers with hourly or salaried workers.
HB 2264 restores authority to Kansas cities and counties to set their own wage, compensation, and benefits requirements for construction projects by repealing state laws that previously invalidated local ordinances conflicting with state standards. The bill removes provisions (K.S.A. 12-16,132 and 19-26,114) that declared local wage rules void if they conflicted with state statutes (12-16,130/131), allowing local governments to establish their own requirements without state override. This directly affects construction workers, contractors, and local governments participating in public construction projects across Kansas. The policy change enables communities to tailor labor standards to local economic conditions without state-level interference.
SB 297 limits local government authority to set wage standards for construction projects. It amends Kansas statutes to declare city ordinances or county resolutions that conflict with state wage laws (K.S.A. 12-16,130 and 12-16,131) void, effectively preventing cities or counties from establishing higher wage requirements than state law. The bill repeals existing sections (12-16,131, 12-16,132, and 19-26,114) that previously allowed local control over these standards. This directly affects local governments seeking to implement higher wages for construction workers on public projects and contractors working under such local ordinances. The bill establishes that state-level wage rules override local regulations for construction projects.
HB 2123 increases Kansas' minimum wage for tipped employees from $2.13 to $6.15 per hour. It requires employers to pay this base rate, and if the employee's tips plus this base rate total less than $7.25 per hour (the standard minimum wage), the employer must cover the difference. This directly affects restaurant workers, servers, and other service employees in Kansas who rely on tips as part of their income. The bill amends Kansas law to ensure tipped workers earn at least the full minimum wage when combining tips with their base pay. It does not apply to workers covered by federal minimum wage rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
