During the 2025 legislative session, approximately 775 bills and resolutions were introduced during the 90-day session. Over one hundred of these passed both chambers and reached the Governor’s desk, with many signed into law and a few becoming law without the Governor’s signature. The Kansas Legislature officially adjourned sine die on April 11, 2025, following a brief two-day veto session held April 10–11. "Sine die" (Latin for “without day”) marks the formal end of the session, with no further meetings scheduled.
During the summer and fall, standing and special joint committees will meet to study key policy issues and develop recommendations. When the legislature reconvenes on January 12, 2026, lawmakers may resume work on bills from the 2025 session that were not passed or removed from consideration. Measures that advanced partway through the legislative process do not need to start over.
SENATE FLOOR ACTION
During the two-day veto session, the Kansas Senate voted to override 46 vetoes issued by the Governor, following two earlier overrides from previous weeks. These actions addressed a wide range of legislative priorities. Of the 46 overrides, 13 were individual bills—12 of which were also overridden by the House and have now become law. The remaining 33 were line-item vetoes within larger bills, and the House concurred on 15 of those.
Legislation Enacted Through Veto Overrides and Final Passage
SB 125: Enacts the annual budget for fiscal years. The veto overrides restore funding for key programs, including the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program, cerebral palsy research, aging support services to help seniors live independently, interpreter services for the deaf and hard of hearing, and the School Safety Mapping Grant Program.
SB 5 – Prohibits election officials from accepting federal funds unless approved by state law.
SB 29 – Protects the right to assemble by preventing public health officials from prohibiting gatherings and enhances due process protections.
SB 269 – Establishes a process to return revenue growth to Kansans through lower and simpler individual income tax rates.
SB 14 – Ensures continuous operation of state agencies, including public schools, by providing for funding continuity if a budget agreement is not reached by the end of the fiscal year.
HB 2062 – Creates a child tax credit for pregnant women and establishes child support obligations beginning during pregnancy.
HB 2311 – Affirms the protection of religious freedom for foster parents, helping ensure more placement opportunities for children in need.
HB 2291 – Creates a “regulatory sandbox” allowing small businesses to apply for relief from certain regulations to support innovation and growth.
HB 2217 – Requires an audit of state assistance programs to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
HB 2240 – Prohibits state agencies, beginning July 1, 2025, from seeking or implementing federal waivers that would expand eligibility or increase state costs for public assistance programs. It also requires legislative approval for certain changes affecting services for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
HB 2382 – Requires school districts offering instruction on human growth, development, or sexuality to include content on human fetal development.
HB 2033 – Adds nonprofit organizations accredited by the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council (IMSLEC) to the list of approved providers eligible to receive funding for at-risk educational programs.
HB 2284 – Directs the Department of Administration to adopt written policies for the negotiated procurement of Medicaid services and creates an appeals process overseen by a legislative committee.
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS
A conference committee is a small group of House and Senate members who work out differences between versions of a bill passed by both chambers. If they reach a compromise, the revised bill—called a conference committee report—is sent back for a final vote before going to the governor.
HB 2231 would modify Kansas income tax personal exemption provisions, redefine “income” for a refund option within the Homestead Property Tax Refund Act, amend the apportionment of income of multistate corporations and make associated changes, and exempt certain personal property from taxation. The bill would beginning in tax year 2024, head-of-household filers and 100% permanently disabled veterans receive an additional $2,320 personal exemption; starting in 2025, “income” for Homestead Property Tax Refunds will be defined as Kansas adjusted gross income; beginning in 2027, multistate corporations must apportion Kansas income based on in-state sales; the bill also includes a corporate tax rate reduction and a deferred tax deduction. HB 2231 passed the Senate 40-0; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 156 would increase the reimbursement limit for inmate claims paid by the Secretary of Corrections from $500 to $750. For claims exceeding $750, the bill would require an inmate to provide notice to the Secretary of the nature, time, date, and place of the claim. SB 156 passed the Senate 40-0. Having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 186 would amend criminal procedure laws related to the availability of probable cause information, issuance of search warrants, setting bond for persons charged with certain sex offenses, forfeiture of appearance bonds, and the regulation of compensated sureties. The bill also would revise the Kansas Criminal Code definition of certain sex crimes to include conduct related to artificially generated visual depictions and define related terms. SB 186 passed 40-0. Having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 204 would require the sealing of certain records relating to case information, warrants, and subpoenas in certain criminal and juvenile cases; and amend law concerning the selection of attorney members of county law library (CLL) boards of trustees and fees that may be used for enhancing and facilitating the functions of the district court in the county. SB 204 passed 40-0; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 237 would amend the Scrap Metal Theft Reduction Act by authorizing Kansas law enforcement officers to conduct investigations of violations of the Act. The bill would require, upon an investigation’s conclusion, investigative reports to be submitted to the Attorney General, regardless of whether any local action was taken. SB 237 passed 38-2; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
HB 2045 would establish the Kansas Office of Early Childhood, update law regulating child care centers and child care homes, and provide certain definitions, staffing requirements, and requirements for professional development training. HB 2045 passed 30-10; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor.
HB 2335 would authorize issuance of the Hunter Nation distinctive license plate on and after January 1, 2026, for use on a passenger vehicle or truck registered for a gross weight of 20,000 pounds or less. HB 2335 passed 39-1; having also passed the House, it’s now headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 24 would expand the eligibility requirements for postsecondary education institutions to participate in the Kansas Promise Scholarship Program and increase the maximum amount that could be appropriated to the program. SB 24 passed the Senate 40-0; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
HB 2125 would reauthorize the statewide school finance mill levy, modify certain dates related to municipal budgeting, modify the form required for revenue neutral rate notices and continue the state reimbursement of printing and postage costs associated with such notices, and prohibit filing fees at the State Board of Tax Appeals when prior appeals remain pending. HB 2125 passed 39-1; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
HB 2275 would authorize the submission of local sales taxes to voters in Finney, Jackson, Pawnee, and Seward counties; modify the apportionment of countywide sales taxes; and specify that a sales tax exemption certificate is not required for the sales tax exemption for certain custom meat processing services. HB 2275 passed 40-0; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SR 1716 approves an amendment to the gaming compact with the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska concerning sports wagering. SR 1716 passed 39-1. I voted yes.
HB 2007 would reconcile amendments to statutes that were amended more than once during the current and prior legislative sessions. HB 2007 passed 40-0; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
HB 2289 would make changes to the Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit and Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit programs and provide for the incremental discontinuation of the Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit Program. HB 2289 passed 33-7; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
SB 98 would provide a sales tax exemption to certain firms making eligible investments in a qualified data center, as defined by the bill. SB 98 passed 26-8; having also passed the House, it’s headed to the governor. I voted yes.
BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW
Below are several noteworthy bills that were signed into law:
SB 125 – Annual Budget. While the governor line-itemed many items, the annual budget was signed into law.
SB 35 removes the state from the business of directly assessing property taxes by eliminating the statewide mill levies of 1.0 mills for state educational buildings and 0.5 mills for state institution buildings.
HB 2022 requires all special elections (often to pass a bond or a sales tax hike) to be held in March on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March or on the same day as a primary or general election.
SB 9 creates the Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act, which prevents foreign adversaries from owning land within 100 miles of a military installation in Kansas. The legislation was designed to cover most of Kansas. It 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.
SB 250 is the Right to Try bill. The bill authorizes a manufacturer operating in an eligible facility to make available individualized investigative treatments and allow individuals with life-threatening or severely debilitating illnesses to request an individualized investigational drug, biologic product, or device from such manufacturers.
HB 2228 requires any political subdivision to hold an open meeting before approving a contingent fee contract for legal services and require such contract to be approved by the Attorney General before becoming effective.
SB 114 authorizes non-public school students and virtual school students participating in a school activity governed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) to also participate in certain ancillary school district activities. Current law allows for non-public school and virtual students who meet the requirements of law to participate in activities that are regulated, supervised, promoted, and developed by the KSHSAA.
HB 2054 modernizes our campaign finance statutes by increasing contribution limits to candidates and political parties.
ADDITIONAL BILLS SIGNED – APRIL 25TH
SB 186 – protects Kansans by combating online sexual crimes and strengthens protections for survivors of sexual assault, among other related public safety issues.
Senate Sub HB 2007 – reconciles multiple amendments to certain statutes for 2025 legislative session.
Senate Sub HB 2125 – modifies the deadline for mailing property tax statements to taxpayers and the deadline for governing bodies to certify the amount of property tax to be levied to the county clerk. Also provides for the country clerk’s use of the previous year’s budget when a taxing subdivision fails to file its budget in a timely manner, among other changes.
HB 2289 – modifies the Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit and Housing Investor Tax Credit programs.
HB 2231 – provides personal exemption for head of household tax filers and increases the personal exemption for certain disabled veterans for purposes of income tax, modifies the definition of household income and increases the household income and the appraised value thresholds for eligibility of older adults/disabled veterans related to increased property tax homestead refund claims.
Senate Sub HB 2125 – authorizes certain local governments to submit local sales tax proposals to voters for various projects.
HB 2335 – authorizes the issuance of the Hunter Nation distinctive license plate starting January 1, 2026.
SB 98 – creates a sales tax exemption for qualifying data center projects. Also gives the state another tool to bring jobs and infrastructure to Kansas communities through economic development.
SB 156 – increases the reimbursement amount the Kansas Department of Corrections may make to compensate inmates for losses for personal injury or property damage.
SB 204 – creates a new process for the appointment of trustees to county law libraries. Senate Bill 204 also requires that certain sensitive information about cases, warrants and subpoenas in criminal and juvenile cases be kept confidential to protect the privacy of Kansans.
SB 237 – authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct investigations of violations of the Scrap Metal Theft Reduction Act.
Vetoed bill - SB 24 would expand the postsecondary educational institutions eligible to participate in the Kansas Promise Scholarship Program and raise the maximum annual appropriation limit.
CONFIRMATION
By a vote of 40-0, the Senate confirmed Rebecca Dickinson to the Kansas Crime Victims Compensation Board.
Kansas Legislature Website - Home page of the Kansas Legislature
Kansas Legislature Streaming – Follow the legislature in committee and on the floor
WhiteHouse.gov – President Trump’s Executive Actions are included here.
Transcript – President Trump’s Address to Congress
COGE Portal – Committee on Government Efficiency Portal
SESSION END
WATCH RE-RUNS OF LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER AND COMMITTEE ACTION
If you would like to review the past session - Senate and House floor activity or watch committee hearings from each Chamber – you are able to find many choices at Kansas Legislature YouTube and Kansas Legislature Audio.
OFF-SESSION CONTACT INFORMATION
The 2026 Kansas Legislative Session will begin on January 12 at 2:00 p.m., when we return to our offices at the Capitol in Topeka.
During the summer and fall months, I can be reached at my legislative email, [email protected], or at my work email, [email protected]. My office is located at 212 E. 6th St., Concordia, KS 66901, and if you’re in the area, feel free to stop by. You can also reach me during the day at 785-243-3325, ext. 2.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns, or ideas for legislation for the upcoming session. For more information during the interim, I encourage you to visit www.kslegislature.org, which offers helpful resources on legislators, committees, current and past bills, internships, and more.
It is truly an honor to serve you in the 36th Kansas Senate District, and I welcome the opportunity to hear from you anytime.
Senator Elaine BowersKansas State Capitol Building Room 223-E300 SW 10th St.Topeka, KS 66612