Capitol roundup: What happened to 60 bills and issues this session

(Updated April 4 to reflect bills signings and vetoes)

Well, the 2025 legislative session is about out of the way with several major issues left to decide when the Legislature returns to Topeka on April 10 to take up veto overrides.

With so much work already done, here’s a look at 61 major pieces of legislation that have been debated, passed or killed this year so far along with other key votes.

These are in no way ranked by order of importance, since every bill is nurtured and cared for by someone. We don’t want to play favorites.

The best we could is alphabetical order.

For what it’s worth, this list will be updated after the veto session in the event there are bills we overlooked or just plain missed.

So, here you go.

• Affordable housing tax credit: The Kansas House voted 85-36 to pass a bill abolishing a state tax credit created to encourage construction of affordable housing in Kansas. House members thought the bill would be too costly and would put the state on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars. The bill bogged down in the Senate, which tried to preserve the tax credits by limiting the state’s financial responsibility for the program. A conference committee has been unable to work out the differences between the House and the Senate. If the bill fails, the tax credits survive for another year.
• Artificial intelligence/sexual exploitation: Bill expands the crime of sexual exploitation of a child to include possession of any artificially generated visual depiction with intent to arouse or satisfy someone’s sexual desires. The bill would define “artificially generated visual depiction” as an obscene visual depiction produced through the use of computer software, digital manipulation or other means that creates an image or video depicting a child under 18 years of age shown or heard engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The House passed the bill unanimously. It has not been acted on by the Senate but is still alive.
• Aviation tax incentives: A bill that proposed tax incentives to help attract businesses engaged in electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles or aircraft production will have to wait for next year in the Legislature. Republican state Rep. Sean Tarwater, chair of the House Commerce Committee, said there were unanswered questions about the bill, which is intended to lure advanced, cutting-edge aerospace and manufacturing industries to Kansas. The bill — called AIM-K, short for Aviation and Innovative Manufacturing in Kansas — is intended to allow the state to compete for advanced aerospace projects.
• Banking: PASSED. The Kansas Legislature passed a bill that supporters said aims to redirect Kansas tax dollars back into the state’s economy by modernizing investment policies for local and state governments, encouraging deposits in Kansas banks rather than out-of-state investments. They said it introduces a single bank collateral pool program, increases oversight and safety measures for public funds, and provides flexibility in setting bank CD program rates to boost local lending and economic growth. The governor signed the bill. The bill passed 117-5 in the House and unanimously in the Senate.
• Board of Education pay: Lawmakers passed a bill allowing the state Board of Education to raise its own pay. The original bill called for paying board members for 36 days at a rate of $286 a day and 42 days at a rate of $172 a day — the latter similar to pay for an interim legislative committee. The Board of Education will have to take the money from elsewhere within its own budget for the pay raise. The bill passed 84-40 vote in the House and 31-9 in the Senate. The bill awaits action by the governor.
• Budget: The Kansas Legislature approved a $10.637 billion state general fund budget for fiscal year 2026 that includes a 1.5% across-the-board cut in state spending that is far more limited than what was originally proposed. The new state general fund budget crafted by the Legislature for 2026 is about $210.5 million less than what was approved for fiscal year 2025, although projections show the state’s ending balance could be nearly a half-billion in the red by 2028. By comparison, Gov. Laura Kelly had proposed a $10.65 billion state general fund budget. The budget was approved 24-16 in the Senate and 89-36 in the House. It awaits action by the governor.
• Budget impasse: The Legislature passed a bill changing the budget process in a way that supporters say will prevent a state government shutdown if the Legislature and the governor don’t agree on a spending plan. The bill – passed 81-41 in the House and 31-9 in the Senate – allows an existing budget to continue past the current fiscal year if a new budget isn’t passed by the start of a new year. The governor vetoed the bill. The Legislature returns April 10 to take up override votes.
• Campaign contributions:  The Kansas Legislature passed a bill raising the limits on campaign contributions for the first time in more than 40 years in order to keep up with inflation. The bill was approved on a 72-52 vote in the House and 26-14 in the Senate. The bill is an attempt to address concerns that Kansas’ current limits on political donations are unconstitutionally low and risk being challenged in court because they violate the right to free speech. The bill doubles limits for governor and other statewide officers as well as House and Senate candidates and Board of Education candidates. The bill awaits action by the governor.
• Car insurance verification: The Legislature passed a bill calling for the state to adopt real-time confirmation of insurance coverage for drivers. Instead of confirming insurance coverage when a vehicle is registered, during a traffic stop or after a crash, the state will be quickly notified when auto insurance coverage lapses. The Senate approved the bill on a vote of 39-1. It passed 124-1 in the House. It awaits action from the governor.
• Child care: The governor’s efforts to reform child care became mired in a conference committee right before the regular session ended last week. The bill has already passed the House 103-15. It has not been voted on in the Senate, and it’s unclear if it could be acted on during the upcoming veto session or wait until next year.
• Child support from conception: The Kansas Legislature approved a bill that would provide a tax exemption for a fetus as part of a broader bill holding fathers responsible for picking up the cost of child support from the moment of conception. The House voted 87-38 Thursday morning to approve the bill. It was passed 31-9 in the Senate. It awaits action by the governor. Here’s how the bill came to be.
• Citizen voting: A constitutional amendment that would tweak the language in the document to ensure that noncitizens are not allowed to vote is headed to voters in November 2026. The Kansas Senate voted 37-3 to approve the amendment. The bill passed 90-28 in the House.
  
• Class-action lawsuits: The Kansas Legislature gave Attorney General Kris Kobach oversight of local governments that bring class-action lawsuits similar to litigation seeking damages resulting from vaping, opioid abuse and climate change. The bill requires the attorney general to approve any contingency fee contracts for legal services entered into by local governments. The House voted 73-52 to pass the bill. It was approved 28-12 in the Senate. It awaits action by the governor.
• College degree requirements: The governor signed a bill prohibiting state employers from making hiring decisions based solely on whether someone has a college degree. The House voted 90-32 to approve the bill. It was approved 39-1 in the Senate. The bill is intended to address workforce demands by dealing with what the bill calls “degree inflation” as more employers rely on college degrees over relevant work experience in making hiring decisions.The provisions of the bill would not apply to any state positions for which a postsecondary degree is justifiably necessary. Currently, less than 15% of state employees work in jobs that require a postsecondary degree.
• Data centers: A new tax incentive for data centers passed the Senate but failed in the House. Data centers, which consume large volumes of electricity, are what enable the “cloud” where Americans store their photos, videos and documents. The bill passed in the Senate on a 34-6 vote but didn’t get a vote in the House chamber. The House sent the bill back to the tax committee at one point because of tepid support.
• Data center electric discounts: A bill prohibiting reduced electric rates for data centers that don’t employ enough people didn’t get out of a Senate committee this session. It could return next session.
  
• Discount drugs: The Kansas Senate approved a bill barring drug manufacturers from limiting safety-net providers from accessing a federal discount program for prescription drugs. The Senate passed the bill on a 34-6 vote. The bill, however, was stopped in the House where it was referred to two committees – a procedural technique used to kill a bill. Joined by a state network of community-based health clinics, hospitals asked the Legislature to pass a bill that would fight back against a practice they say undermines patient access to the 340B Drug Discount Program that’s been in place since 1992. The bill also would bar drug manufacturers from requiring covered entities under the 340B program to submit health information, claims data or other purchasing information unless voluntarily provided or required by other laws.
• Disease control: The Kansas Legislature has passed a bill banning counties, joint boards of health or local health officers from prohibiting public gatherings in order to stem the spread of infectious diseases. The bill was expanded in the House to require the state health secretary to establish probable cause before taking action to prevent the introduction or spread of an infectious disease. The bill passed 31-9 in the Senate and 88-36 in the House. The governor vetoed the bill.
• E-Verify: Attorney General Kris Kobach’s effort to require all Kansas employers to use a federal internet-based system to verify the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States was derailed in a Senate committee. The Federal and State Affairs Committee narrowly voted down the bill, even after it was pared back in scope to apply only to government employers, although there were questions raised about whether it would apply to independent contractors.
• Ethics law: The Legislature eased the state ethics law after the ethics commission issued an opinion last year saying that a school-choice group could not provide free travel and lodging to state legislators under state law. The Legislature overwhelmingly passed the bill, which opens the door for more nonprofits to reimburse state officials for traveling to events and conferences. The bill gives more latitude for the executive branch to accept gift or discounted tickets to entertainment or sporting events.The bill passed 75-47 in the House and 35-5 in the Senate. The bill awaits action by the governor.
• Excessive speeding: A bill that would get tougher on drivers who hit 100 mph or more on the highway moved out of a Senate committee but didn’t advance further. The bill would have added driving at 100 mph or more to the crime of reckless driving. The bill also would have made driving at more than 35 mph over the posted speed limit fall within the crime of reckless driving. The Kansas Highway Patrol said that because reckless driving is so broadly defined in law, it’s difficult for law enforcement to determine when exactly a driver’s speed alone constitutes reckless driving.
• False representation of an election official: The Legislature is trying fix a state law that prohibited masquerading as an election officer. Last year, the state reached an agreement with a coalition of civic groups to permanently not enforce the 2021 law that the Kansas Supreme Court found made “honest speech” criminal. The new bill revises the crime of false representation of an election official to include representing an election official by using any official seal or insignia of the secretary of state or any county election office in any communication with voters. The bill also removes language from the original law that barred anyone from “engaging in conduct that gives the appearance of being an election official.” The bill also includes intent to cause a person to believe that the person is an election official. The bill passed 88-37 in the House and 34-6 in the Senate. It awaits action by the governor.
• Fetal development presentations: The Kansas Legislature passed a bill requiring  any school district that offers courses or instruction about human growth, development or sexuality to include a human fetal development presentation. The bill — which passed on an 84-40 vote in the House and 31-9 in the Senate — would require the presentation to be three minutes long and be a “high-quality, computer-generated animation or a high-definition ultrasound.”
• Film tax credits: The Kansas Senate voted 33-7 to approve a bill intended to lure film and television productions to the state with up to $5 million in yearly tax credits. The bill is still awaiting action in the House and could be picked up next session where it leaves off this year if not acted on. The Kansas movie bill calls for providing filmmakers with a 30% income tax credit, which can increase to up to 40% under certain circumstances. The nonrefundable income tax credit is eligible for film projects approved by the Commerce Department. The tax credits are transferable and can be carried forward for 10 years.
• Firearms constitutional amendment: A constitutional amendment that expands gun rights to protect ammunition as well as firearm accessories and components didn’t get past the House this year. It did advance out of committee. It can return next year. The amendment sets out that any law regulating guns or their components would be subject to the heightened legal standard of strict scrutiny, meaning the government would have to demonstrate a compelling interest to adopt a regulation in a narrowly tailored way.
• Firearms education: A bill allowing local school boards to provide firearm safety education programs didn’t move in the House. It can return next year. Under the bill, the State Board of Education would have been directed to establish curriculum guidelines for a standardized firearm safety education program, which the bill would require to include accident prevention.
• Food assistance: Budget withholds $3.7 million from the state Department for Children and Families until the agency has certified that it has sought a federal waiver exempting candy and soda from purchases covered by federal food assistance benefits. The budget is awaiting action from the governor. A bill doing the same thing was passed 29-11 in the Senate and 65-58 in the House but was vetoed by the governor.
• Foreign land ownership: Bill would require foreign principals from “countries of concern” that own or acquire any interest in nonresidential real property within 100 miles of a military base in Kansas or an adjacent state to the register with the attorney general. Countries of concern include the People’s Republic of China, Cuba, Iran, Russia and Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The bill also prohibits government agencies from purchasing or acquiring drones whose critical components were produced in a country of concern, or whose critical components were produced or owned by a foreign principal. The bill passed 38-1 in the Senate and 98-24 in the House. The bill was less controversial this year because it wasn’t retroactive.
• Freedom from Taxes Fund: A top House Republican introduced a new constitutional amendment that’s intended to reduce taxes with proceeds generated from the elimination of sales tax exemptions. Republican state Rep. Blake Carpenter, the House speaker pro tem from Derby, rolled out an amendment that would create a special fund that would be dedicated to cutting taxes. The bill was not acted on this year.
• Home-based businesses: A bill that would limit local governments’ ability to regulate what is described as a “no-impact” home-based business failed to get out of a Senate committee. The Senate Commerce Committee voted down a bill limiting city regulations on a “no-impact” home based business despite attempts to allow a little more municipal regulation. The League of Kansas Municipalities warned at one point that the bill could leave cities unable to address neighborhood safety issues and disruptions.The bill had already passed the House 74-49. The bill would have prohibited a municipality from requiring a “no-impact” home-based business in an urban or rural area to apply, register or obtain any permit or license to operate its business.
• Income taxes: The Kansas Legislature approved a bill gradually moving the state to a single tax rate as income tax revenues beat inflation. The bill passed the Senate on a 30-10 vote. It passed the House on an 84-38 vote. The bill gradually cuts individual income taxes to 4% when the state generates $5.96 billion dollars that come from income taxes plus inflation. The bill would keep taxes from being lowered if the state’s rainy-day fund, which totals about $1.7 billion currently, dips below 15% of state general fund tax receipts. Individual income tax rates would be reduced first and then the tax rates for corporations as well as banks and credit unions.
• In-state tuition: A bill advocated by Attorney General Kris Kobach that bans immigrants living in the United States illegally from receiving most state or local benefits, including in-state tuition at state colleges and universities, failed to advance this session. A divided Senate committee approved a version of a bill that has been kicked around at the Capitol for years but got new life with the election of President Donald Trump and a renewed emphasis on tackling illegal immigration. The committee approved the bill in early March, but it idled on the Senate calendar.
• Judicial nominee: The Kansas Senate unanimously confirmed Lori Bolton Fleming to the Kansas Court of Appeals.
• Local government spending: A bill that was intended to entice cities and counties to hold down spending and not raise property taxes failed to get out of the Senate during the regular session after drawing fierce opposition from local governments. The bill tried to offer local governments a carrot in the form of state funding if they held spending below inflation. But the bill also gave voters the power to fight against spending increases they might oppose by getting to vote against local government spending that exceeded inflation.
• Media access: The House voted 35-87 to reject a proposed amendment to the House rules that would have allowed credentialed media on the House floor. The amendment came after the House speaker limited press access on the floor of the chamber. Reporters can no longer work at a long desk adjacent to the House leadership offices and next to the speaker’s dais.
• Medicaid expansion: Senate voted 12-28 to reject an amendment to a bill expanding Medicaid. The House voted down a similar amendment to the budget on a 34-82 vote.
• Medicaid inspector general’s expanded powers: The Legislature passed a bill expanding the power of the Medicaid inspector general — a division of Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office — to investigate welfare benefits for fraud. The Senate voted 30-10 to approve the bill. The bill passed the House 85-37. The governor vetoed the bill. The bill would change the legal power of the Medicaid inspector general from only Medicaid investigations to overall statewide health care and welfare programs, including cash, food and health assistance programs. The expansion is estimated to cost about $1 million with the addition of nine new staffers.
• Midnight rule: Effort failed to restore a rule that was intended to keep the chamber from working after midnight. The rule was adopted after former state Rep. Bob Bethell died in a car wreck returning home from Topeka. The rule was voted down 41-82.
• Move-over law: PASSED. The governor signed into law a bill expanding the state’s move-over law statute. Currently, state law requires drivers approaching stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, utility trucks and garbage trucks to move out of the lane nearest the emergency vehicle or slow to a speed safe for conditions. The bill expands the law to cover all vehicles flashing their hazard lights or where flares or other warning signals are deployed. The bill adds a fine of $75 for a violation of the law.
• Occupational licenses: The House voted 86-38 to pass the bill requiring the Legislature to approve any new occupational license or change to an existing license adopted by an agency after July 1 of this year. In September of each year, each agency would be required to submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations listing each license the agency oversees. The list would be required to contain certain information related to the rationale, administration and regulation of each occupational license administered by the agency. The bill has not been acted on yet by the Senate. The bill would still be alive next session if not approved during the veto session.
• Pronouns: A bill prohibiting school district employees from addressing minor students with a pronoun inconsistent with their biological sex without their parent’s permission didn’t get past the House. The bill passed the Senate 26-14. The bill can return in 2026.
  
• Property appraisal caps: A constitutional amendment capping property appraisals at 4% for tax purposes died in the House. The House voted down the proposal 37-88. It passed the Senate on a 27-13 vote on March 27. There were several votes in the Senate on the bill or versions of the legislation during the session. The Senate voted 28-11 to pass the amendment with a 3% cap on Feb. 6.
• Property appraisal cap (rolling average): The Kansas House approved a constitutional amendment placing a cap on property tax appraisals softer than one passed by the Senate. The House voted 117-4 to approve an amendment proposing a system limiting appraisal increases for residential and commercial property to a rolling average of property values across the state or the current fair market value, whichever was less. The Senate later gutted this bill and replaced it with the hard cap that died.
• Property tax cuts: The Kansas Legislature approved a bill eliminating the state’s 1.5-mill property tax levy that funds maintenance and renovations of some state buildings. The Senate voted unanimously for a bill that eliminates one mill of a tax that goes to state universities and the half mill that goes to state hospitals, veterans homes and the schools for the deaf and blind. The bill passed the House on a 96-26 vote. The bill is now awaiting action from the governor.
• Public assistance programs: The Legislature passed a bill prohibiting state agencies – without legislative approval – from seeking authorization from the federal government that would expand eligibility for any public assistance program or would increase any cost to the state. The bill would also prohibit making certain changes to services for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities without the express consent or approval of either the Legislature or the Legislative Coordinating Council. The bill passed 90-35 in the House and 31-9 in the Senate. The bill awaits action from the governor.
• Recorded votes: The House voted 49-73 to reject a proposal that would have directed House committees to record the final votes on bills. Lawmakers’ votes in committee are now only recorded on request.
  
• Rules and regulations constitutional amendment: The Kansas House made another run at getting voters to approve a constitutional amendment giving lawmakers the power to revoke or suspend rules imposed by the executive branch. The House voted 86-37 to approve a constitutional amendment similar to one that Kansas voters opposed in 2022. The bill did not advance in the Senate. It’s still alive for 2026.
• Rural justice incentives: A plan to offer incentives to encourage attorneys to practice in rural Kansas stalled during the regular session and will have to wait until next year. The Legislature did not advance either of two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, although committees held hearings on both. The proposals would have given financial aid to lawyers and law students who practice law in rural areas. They came in response to a 2024 report that documented the shortage of rural Kansas lawyers.
• Sex offenders and schools: Bill makes it unlawful for certain sex offenders to enter school property or attend a school activity. The bill would create an exception to allow an otherwise prohibited person to attend a religious service on school property. The bill would apply to any registered sex offender who is at least 18 years old and convicted of a crime requiring registration involving a victim less than 18 years of age. The Senate passed the bill 36-4. It was not acted on by the House but is still alive. Sen. Kellie Warren of Leawood introduced the bill after getting complaints from Blue Valley School District parents about an elementary school dance attended by a sex offender.
• Single-factor apportionment tax: The Kansas House approved a bill changing how corporations that do business in multiple states are taxed. The House voted 109-9 to pass a bill that would eliminate the current three-factor formula to apportion business income for tax purposes. The bill is now awaiting action in a conference committee and could be acted on when the Legislature returns April 10. Under current law, Kansas uses a three-factor formula to apportion business income for tax purposes using a proportion of sales, property and payroll in Kansas. The bill would require corporations with income in multiple states to apportion their income for Kansas income for tax purposes based on their total sales that occur in Kansas.
• Supreme Court elections: The Kansas Legislature passed a constitutional amendment calling for the election of justices to the Kansas Supreme Court. The measure will go on the ballot in August 2026, a primary election when turnout tends to be lower and dominated by Republicans. The amendment passed the House on an 84-40 vote. The Senate passed the amendment on a 27-13 vote.
• Tenure: A bill that critics said would weaken protections for tenured faculty and limit academic freedom failed to get out of committee this year, but it could still return next year. The bill was opposed by presidents of the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, the American Association of University Professors and the Council of Faculty Senate Presidents of the Kansas Board of Regents.
• Third-party litigation agreements: The Legislature passed a bill requiring the disclosure of third-party litigation funding agreements. The bill requires a party to provide an agreement to the court for private review, unless otherwise stipulated by the parties or ordered by the court. Kansas has been wrestling for several years with third-party litigation agreements where parties unrelated to a lawsuit – usually a hedge fund or some other financier – invest in a plaintiff’s case in exchange for a slice of a settlement or judgment. Critics say the practice of third-party funded lawsuits gives secret funders control of legal strategy at the expense of plaintiffs with the potential for allowing foreign interests to bankroll lawsuits against American companies. Supporters say the practice opens access to the judicial system and evens the legal playing field between big and small litigants. The bill passed 87-31 in the House and unanimously in the Senate. It awaits action by the governor.
• Three-day grace period: The Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill repealing a 2017 law that gave voters a three-day grace period for their mail ballots to arrive at election offices. The Senate voted 30-10 to override the veto. The House voted 84-41 to override the governor’s veto.
• Transgender medical treatment: The Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill banning surgery and the use of puberty blockers for treating transgender children in Kansas. The Kansas Senate voted 31-9 to override the governor’s veto, while the House voted 85-34 for the override. The vote made Kansas the 27th state to limit access to gender-affirming care.
• Tuition scholarship tax credits: A bill expanding a state program intended to encourage school choice by awarding tax credits for donations to private school scholarships passed the Senate but didn’t get out of the House. The Senate passed the bill on a 24-16 vote. The House did not act on the bill, which is still alive for next year. The bill broadens a program – started in 2015-16 – that gives up to $10 million a year in state tax credits to entice businesses and individuals to donate money to a scholarship program for private schools. The bill would have expanded the cap to $15 million a year. If it was determined that the amount of credits exceeded 75% of the limit, the cap would be increased by 25% for the succeeding year to a maximum of $25 million.
• United Nations/World Health Organization: A bill declaring that the World Health
  Organization, the United Nations and the World Economic Forum have no jurisdiction or power within the State of Kansas. The bill passed out of a House committee but was not debated by the full chamber.
• U.S. Senate vacancies: PASSED. A bill giving the Kansas Legislature a voice in picking vacancies for the U.S. Senate, insurance commissioner and state treasurer was allowed to become law without the governor’s signature.The House voted 84-36 to approve the bill. It passed 31-9 in the Senate. Gov. Laura Kelly allowed the bill to become law without her signature.
• Utility wildfire liability: The Legislature approved a bill capping punitive damages resulting from out-of-control fires blamed on electric utilities in Kansas. The bill would limit punitive damages for a wildfire to $5 million a claim, an amount already spelled out elsewhere in the law. The bill would establish a two-year statute of limitations on fire claims, beginning on the date of the damage from the fire event. The bill would also require state regulators to convene a workshop to assess wildfire risk and mitigation on or before July 31, 2026. The bill passed 109-16 in the House and 36-2 in the Senate.
• Wildlife commission powers:  A proposal giving members of the Wildlife and Parks Commission the power to propose rules and regulations died in the Senate. The bill was rejected on a 17-23 vote.
• Wildlife secretary nomination: The Kansas Senate approved Gov. Laura Kelly’s nominee to lead the Department of Wildlife and Parks after he faced stiff questions about his role in Missouri working with diversity, equity and inclusion. The Senate voted 23-12 to approve Chris Kennedy’s nomination as the new wildlife secretary after a difficult series of confirmation hearings that focused on his work with DEI and his plans to relocate staff.