2026 Kansas Legislative Updates

2026 KANSAS LEGISLATURE CONVENES TODAY

The Kansas Legislature convenes on Monday, January 12^th for its 90-day general legislative session. Like last session, legislative leaders plan to run on a 90-calendar day, not 90-legislative day, schedule with a plan to adjourn in early April. This will be the second year in the current legislative biennium, which means bills from the 2025 session carry over for consideration in addition to newly drafted bills. We are also entering an election year for all statewide offices and 125 House seats. This fact generally impacts the duration of the session—legislators will strive for an abbreviated session so they can get to the business of fundraising and campaigning—and the tone and tenor of the issues they consider. In the world of campaign palm cards, mailers and social media posts legislators seeking reelection will look for issues that will differentiate themselves from potential opponents. Also, the majority party legislative leaders often avoid in election year sessions those issues and votes that may be considered controversial in certain vulnerable legislative districts. Striking the balance between pursuing policy goals and not putting colleagues in reelection harm’s way is often the theme in these years. However, this year may be different.

National politics and the balance of power within in the US Congress, led some states to redraw their congressional maps in a way that benefits the party in power in those states. The Trump administration pressured Kansas legislative leaders to return for a special session to draw a new map that would ensure the 3^rd Congressional District, currently held by Democrat Sharice Davids, could be won by a Republican. House leaders were unable to collect a supermajority of signatures needed to call a special session. However, leaders have since indicated that their chamber will not take action on a new map during the 2026 session. Further, there are a handful of legislators seeking statewide office, including Senate President Ty Masterson (R-Andover) for governor and Speaker Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) for Commissioner of Insurance. They could use their leadership positions to stake out their claim for higher office by pushing certain “red meat” legislation. Johnson County Democrat Senators Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher are also vying for governor.

Budget cuts will be a main focus in the 2026 session. While state revenues continue to outpace projections and there is a healthy ending balance, there is an anticipated $200 million annual shortfall over the next three years. Legislators began budget work during the interim session looking for ways to make significant cuts. Requests from those looking for a boost in state support will fall on deaf ears. The legislature was able to pass legislation that will cut both individual and corporate income tax rates based upon future revenue receipts. But far and away the issue that hounds them is property taxes. The legislature levies very little property tax as most is controlled by local taxing entities. But, the legislature will again look at a constitutional amendment that generally would place a cap on property taxes.

Beyond the politics of budget cuts and property taxes, we anticipate seeing several other policy debates which will grab the headlines this session. Energy rates, tax credit reform, legal reform, water, housing and economic development top the list of issues of interest among the Governor and many in the legislature. Legislators will also be looking at ways to impact policy on the many federal issues impacting states, like public assistance for the needy and rural health care. Additionally, Republican legislative leaders continue to signal that they plan their ongoing pursuit of policies creating more transparency in K-12 public schools and giving parents more choices in where they send their kids to school.

Republicans continue to enjoy a supermajority in the House and Senate which provides enough votes to potentially override any veto made by Democrat Governor Laura Kelly—the legislature successfully exercised this override power on some key issues last session. In her lame duck year as governor, Kelly may feel less inclined to reach across the aisle on the many hot-button issues. We’ll soon see how budget woes and election year politics influence the 2026 session.

WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST WEEK…

As noted above the session kicks off on Monday.  The first week of every session is mostly organizational as legislators return to Topeka, move back into their offices and hold introductory committee meetings. That’s no different this year, but the real work will start later in the week when Governor Kelly delivers her State of the State Address to the House and Senate on Tuesday evening.  We don’t expect her to present many details, but she will paint a broad picture for her agenda. We expect Kelly will focus on her legislative successes and broadly layout her policy objectives for the the final year of her administration, with a major focus on balancing the budget, early childhood initiatives, water resources, broadband access and economic development. The administration typically releases their budget recommendation to the legislature on this week to a joint meeting of the House and Senate budget committees.

Legislative Calendars: Calendars - January 2026 | Kansas State Legislature

Prefiled Bills

There have been very few prefiled bills this session; however, the bills are often of interest.  These bills are generally pet projects or political statements for the legislator prefiling the legislation.  Links to the full list of prefiled bills are below.

House Prefiled Bill List: 2026_Prefiled_Bills.pdf

Senate Prefiled Bill List: 2026_senate_prefiled_bills.pdf

Legislative Leadership:

House

• Speaker – Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita)
• Speaker Pro Tem – Blake Carpenter (R-Derby)
• Majority Leader – Chris Croft (R-Overland Park)
• Assistant Majority Leader – Kyle Hoffman (R-Coldwater)
• Majority Whip – Nick Hoheisel (R-Wichita)
• Majority Caucus Chair – Kristey Williams (R-Andover)
• Minority Leader – Brandon Woodard (D-Lenexa)
• Assistant Minority Leader – Mike Amyx (D-Lawrence)
• Minority Whip – Jo Ella Hoye (D-Lenexa)
• Minority Caucus Chair – Barbara Ballard (D-Lawrence)
• Minority Agenda Chair – Jerry Stogsdill (D-Prairie Village)
• Minority Policy Chair – Dan Osman (D-Overland Park)

Senate

• President – Ty Masterson (R-Augusta)
• Vice President – Tim Shallenberger (R-Baxter Springs)
• Majority Leader Chase Blasi (R-Wichita)
• Assistant Majority Leader – Caryn Tyson (R-Parker)
• Majority Whip – Rick Kloos (R-Berryton)
• Minority Leader – Dinah Sykes (D-Lenexa)
• Assistant Minority Leader – Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-Wichita)
• Minority Whip – Cindy Holscher (D-Overland Park)
• Minority Agenda Chair – Marci Francisco (D-Lawrence)
• Minority Caucus Chair – Ethan Corson (D-Prairie Village)

Updated Legislative Rosters and Committee Lists

The Kansas Legislature’s website has been updated to include the most current roster of members and committee memberships.  The rosters and committee pages provide pertinent information, like contact information and meeting times and locations.  Below are links to areas of interest that we hope you’ll find useful as we kick-off the 2025-26 cycle.

House Roster: Roster | House | Kansas State Legislature

Senate Roster: Roster | Senate | Kansas State Legislature

Committee Lists: Committees | Kansas State Legislature

2025 Legislative Session Deadlines:

The following dates are the deadlines for introduction and consideration of bills for the 2025 Session, pending adoption as part of the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives. (2026_deadlines.pdf)

January 26th

Last day for member or members to REQUEST bill drafts from Revisor’s Office.

February 2nd

Last day for non-exempt Committees to REQUEST bill drafts from the Revisor’s Office. NOTE: This is the last day requests for introduction can be on non-exempt committee agendas

February 4th

Last day for Individuals to INTRODUCE bills in originating chamber. NOTE: Bills must be submitted to chamber staff during daily session for Introduction.

February 6th

Last day for non-exempt Committees to INTRODUCE bills in originating chamber. NOTE: Bills must be submitted to chamber staff during daily session for Introduction.

February 16th

Last day for committees to meet before Turnaround Day

February 19th (Turnaround Day) 

Last day to consider non-exempt bills in house of origin.

March 17th

Last day non-exempt committees can meet, consider bills

March 20th

Last day to consider non-exempt bills not in originating chamber.

March 27th (Drop Dead Day/First Adjournment) 

No bills considered after this date except bills vetoed by governor, omnibus appropriations act and omnibus reconciliations spending limit bill.

April 9th (Veto Session Anticipated to Begin)

Veto Session where the legislature considers gubernatorial vetoes and puts finishing touches on budget.

Exempt committees: House and Senate Federal and State Affairs, Senate Ways and Means, Senate Assessment and Taxation, House committees on Calendar and Printing, Appropriations, Taxation or select committees of either house when so authorized. Exempt bills are those sponsored by, referred to or acted upon by an exempt committee.

Exempt bills are those sponsored by, referred to or acted upon by an exempt committee.

The legislature will wrap up the first half of the regular session this week. Many committees are set to meet on Monday to finish work on non-exempt bills. Then, ahead of the Turnaround deadline—the deadline when non-exempt bills must pass their house of origin—on Friday, the House and Senate will spend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on their respective floors churning through the many bills that have made it through the committee process.

Like last year, this session has followed a 90-calendar day rather than 90-legislative day schedule. As such, the pace is particularly fast, and we may experience one of the shortest sessions in decades. The legislature will consider and pass many bills this week, but so far it has been a relatively unproductive year. Headline issues have included a transgender bathroom bill, which was vetoed, property taxes, pharmacy benefit management, cell phone ban in K-12 schools and the budget. But, little of substance has yet to cross the finish line.

Fortunately, the issues and legislation impacting agents and brokers have kept up with the deadlines. The KAIA has weighed in several issues publicly in committee hearings and in the hallways with the legislators and the Department of Insurance. From lawsuit reform to insurance savings accounts, the voice of independent agents has been heard. Here are the major items we have worked on so far:

• HB2430, which enacts the Insurance Savings Account Act. The bill would allow individuals and corporations to open insurance savings accounts with Kansas financial institutions insured by the FDIC or NCUA to pay for eligible expenses, which include premiums for property and casualty insurance and deductibles paid on claims. Annual contribution limits are $6,000 for individuals, $12,000 for married couples filing jointly, and $25,000 for corporations. The bill was heard in the House Committee on Taxation on 1/26. We expect the committee to mark up and pass the bill out of committee on Monday.
• SB413, which prohibits attorneys and parties in civil actions from suggesting specific amounts to juries for awards of noneconomic damages, a practice known as “jury anchoring.” Under the new law, no party or counsel may offer suggestions to the jury regarding an amount to award as damages for noneconomic loss through several methods. These prohibited methods include stating a specific dollar amount, providing a range of dollar amounts, presenting a mathematical formula or units of time, or making reference to objects or values that lack any relevant connection to the facts proved by the evidence. This bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary on 2/11. We anticipate the full Senate to take up this measure this week.
• SB422, is a bill to correct a revising error from last session’s HB2043. It says insurance agents and public adjusters are now required to respond to inquiries from the commissioner of insurance within 14 calendar days when the inquiry concerns a complaint or relates to a particular matter. Failure to respond within this timeframe can be grounds for license denial or disciplinary action. However, the bill also includes a new provision about notice and hearings for nonresident agents. The bill allows the commissioner to suspend or revoke a nonresident insurance agent's license without providing notice and a hearing if 30 days have passed since the commissioner learned that the agent no longer holds a license in their home state. The KAIA has worked with the legislature and the Department on an amendment to SB422 which would make it clear that “notice” would need to be provided that the license is being revoked without a hearing. We anticipate the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance to mark up and pass this bill on Monday.

• SB147, would make significant changes to automobile insurance coverage related to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. The core change requires that all automobile liability insurance policies must include uninsured motorist coverage with limits equal to the liability coverage limits for bodily injury or death in the base policy. This requirement applies to all motor vehicles registered or principally garaged in Kansas. However, insurers are not required to offer this coverage in excess policies, umbrella policies, or policies that don't provide primary motor vehicle insurance. The bill also mandates that uninsured motorist coverage must include an underinsured motorist provision with coverage limits matching the uninsured motorist coverage. Importantly, the bill prohibits reducing the amount of underinsured motorist coverage due to any liability limit or payment made by the other vehicle's owner, operator, or any third party. The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance held a hearing on this bill on 2/10. We do not expect the committee to take action on the bill.

After a brief break, the legislature will return on Tuesday, February 24 for the second half of the session. The bills that each chamber sent to other will have three weeks of committee consideration, followed by a week of floor debate. The legislature will adjourn the regular session on March 27, which is the Drop Dead Day/First Adjournment deadline, after their floor work. Veto Session is set to begin on April 9 and will last a few days.

Last week marked Turnaround Week for the legislature. Between the two chambers, roughly 150 bills were considered. The House and Senate spent most of the week on the floor debating legislation that had advanced out of committees during the first few weeks of the session. Unless a bill was introduced in an exempt committee, deemed “blessed” by leadership, or passed its chamber of origin, it is now considered dead for the session.

Of all the bills worked and the hours spent debating bills neither chamber took up their idea for property tax relief. Both the House and Senate adjourned for turnaround without acting on their respective property tax measures. However since the taxation committees are considered exempt committees, the bills remain in play for action when legislators return. SCR 1616 is the Senate’s constitutional amendment to cap assessed valuations. The House’s proposal is HB 2745. The bill creates a state property tax relief fund, transferring at least $60 million annually to counties that stay within the property tax limit, providing financial incentives to curtail property tax growth. The fund would be established for counties and cities to utilize, but a county or city cannot utilize the funds unless they adopt a budget that is equal to or less than the previous year’s budget, plus an inflation adjustment as well as an adjustment for new construction or significant renovations.

Neither chamber took action on the budget last week, meaning tax relief and budget discussions will remain a focus when legislators return on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Lawmakers are now working toward their next deadline, just three weeks away, Mar. 17, the final day for non-exempt committees to meet and consider bills. That will be followed by floor debate, conference committees, additional floor work, and first adjournment on March 27. The end of the 2026 legislative session is quickly coming into view.

INSURANCE ISSUES

• HB2430, which enacts the Insurance Savings Account Act. The bill would allow individuals and corporations to open insurance savings accounts with Kansas financial institutions insured by the FDIC or NCUA to pay for eligible expenses, which include premiums for property and casualty insurance and deductibles paid on claims. Annual contribution limits are $6,000 for individuals, $12,000 for married couples filing jointly, and $25,000 for corporations. The House Committee did not take action on the bill before Turnaround. The bill is exempt from the legislative deadlines and we believe the bill will get worked. We anticipate an amendment to remove corporate provisions and one to reduce the annual contribution limits.
• SB413, which prohibits attorneys and parties in civil actions from suggesting specific amounts to juries for awards of noneconomic damages, a practice known as “jury anchoring.” Under the new law, no party or counsel may offer suggestions to the jury regarding an amount to award as damages for noneconomic loss through several methods. These prohibited methods include stating a specific dollar amount, providing a range of dollar amounts, presenting a mathematical formula or units of time, or making reference to objects or values that lack any relevant connection to the facts proved by the evidence. The full Senate passed SB413 on a 29-11 majority. It heads to House Committee on Judiciary where we expect a hearing to be scheduled soon.
• SB422, is a bill to correct a revising error from last session’s HB2043. It says insurance agents and public adjusters are now required to respond to inquiries from the commissioner of insurance within 14 calendar days when the inquiry concerns a complaint or relates to a particular matter. Failure to respond within this timeframe can be grounds for license denial or disciplinary action. The original bill included a new provision about notice and hearings for nonresident agents. The KAIA has worked with the legislature and the Department on an amendment to SB422 which makes it clear that “notice” would need to be provided that the license is being revoked without a hearing. The full Senate sent the bill to the House on a 40-0 vote.
• SB147, would make significant changes to automobile insurance coverage related to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. The core change requires that all automobile liability insurance policies must include uninsured motorist coverage with limits equal to the liability coverage limits for bodily injury or death in the base policy. This requirement applies to all motor vehicles registered or principally garaged in Kansas. However, insurers are not required to offer this coverage in excess policies, umbrella policies, or policies that don't provide primary motor vehicle insurance. The bill also mandates that uninsured motorist coverage must include an underinsured motorist provision with coverage limits matching the uninsured motorist coverage. Importantly, the bill prohibits reducing the amount of underinsured motorist coverage due to any liability limit or payment made by the other vehicle's owner, operator, or any third party. The Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance did not take action on the bill and it is dead for the session.