(Feb. 18, 2026) – Today, the House had a day full of work before them and is likely to run late into the evening hours. The House started the day by taking final action votes on the following:
House Bill 2214 enacts the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment (SAVE) Act to limit compensation for assisting in veterans benefits matters. Passed as amended 81-43.
House Bill 2220 permits local authorities with jurisdiction over city residence districts to reduce the maximum speed limit to 25 miles per hour without an engineering and traffic investigation. Passed as amended 111-13.
House Bill 2642 removes the obsolete reference to global intangible low-taxed income provided for under the federal Internal Revenue Code in determining Kansas adjusted gross income. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2364 prohibits certain health insurers from requiring cost-sharing for nonopioid prescription drugs or providing less favorable coverage for such drug than that for opioid or narcotic prescription drugs for the treatment of pain. Passed 123-1.
House Bill 2374 creates the Specialty Practice Student Loan Program and the Specialty Practice Student Loan Repayment Fund, allows for the transfer of funds from the OB-GYN and Psychiatry Medical Student Loan Repayment Funds to the Specialty Practice Student Loan Repayment Fund and abolishing the OB-GYN and Psychiatry Medical Student Loan Repayment Funds. Passed as amended 119-5.
House Bill 2393 authorizes the Supreme Court to impose a charge to fund the costs of non-judicial personnel through June 30, 2030. Passed as amended 117-7.
House Bill 2408 provides that leased ground owned by a county-recognized community land trust shall be considered as a factor in determining fair market value for property tax purposes. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2412 increases the criminal penalties for endangering a child if the child is less than six years of age. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2437 authorizes the use of additional resources for verifying voter registration records, removes individuals disqualified for voting from such records and provides an open records request exemption for certain information related to such records. Passed as amended 85-39.
House Bill 2444 provides that jail credit when consecutive sentences are imposed shall not apply to more than one case, creates special sentencing rules when a felony is committed by certain offenders while on probation, parole or post-release supervision for a prior felony and requires secured minimum bonds for certain defendants who commit a new felony while on probation, parole, postrelease supervision or bond for a prior felony unless the court makes certain findings. Passed as amended 88-36.
House Bill 2451 prohibits the use of public assets by government officers and employees to advocate for or against proposed amendments to the Constitution of the State of Kansas and ballot questions submitted to qualified electors. Passed as amended 88-36.
House Bill 2453 requires applications for advance voting ballots be filed by the 14th day prior to election day, that advance voting in person be completed by 12:00 p.m. on the Sunday prior to election day, extends the time for transmittal of advance voting ballots to 22 days prior to an election and ends the time for voter registration at 23 days prior to election day. Passed as amended 86-38.
House Bill 2460 provides an exception to the Kansas Open Records Act that authorizes members of the legislature to have identifying information restricted from public access on public websites that identify home addresses or home ownership. Passed as amended 97-27.
House Bill 2462 requires the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to adopt rules and regulations that allow for the direct and indirect potable reuse of treated wastewater. Passed as amended 123-1.
House Bill 2477 requires the Kansas Department of Agriculture to publish a map on the department's official website showing the location of all applied for diversions of water, including requested changes in the point of diversion by more than 300 feet, and expands the current individual notice requirement to apply to all landowners that are within half a mile of such applied for diversions or changes. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2481 removes the two-bedroom requirement to qualify as hotel, motel or tourist court requiring collection of tax from all such qualifying rentals. Passed 110-14.
House Bill 2485 authorizes the chief executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents to negotiate and settle any repayment obligations arising under any scholarship, grant or other financial aid program administered by the board and prohibits the payment of additional funds to any student who is subject to repayment obligations under such financial aid programs. Passed 123-1.
House Bill 2489 requires school districts to provide fentanyl abuse education programs and maintain supplies of naloxone in each school. Passed as amended 123-1.
House Bill 2491 requires state agencies to make quarterly reports to the secretary of state with the names and addresses of non-citizens receiving public benefits. Passed as amended 87-37.
House Bill 2497 prohibits the assessment of a prepayment penalty against any party more than six months after the execution of a note evidencing a home loan made primarily for personal, family or household purposes secured by a real estate mortgage. Passed 87-37.
House Bill 2501 provides for immunity from civil liability to federal firearms licensees for returning a firearm to the firearm owner at the termination of a firearm hold agreement. Passed as amended 122-2.
House Bill 2504 prohibits cities and counties from restricting the discretion of landlords not to rent residential or commercial property on grounds including prospective tenants receipt of housing assistance or eviction or criminal history, and permits cities and counties to prohibit discrimination by landlords on the basis of receipt of veterans benefits. Passed 84-40.
House Bill 2505 provides an exception for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks records regarding the location of any species that is threatened, endangered or in need of conservation from the disclosure requirements of the Kansas Open Records Act. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2507 removes the requirement for migratory waterfowl stamps to be validated by a signature across the face of each such stamp and increases the fees for such stamps, Passed 122-2.
House Bill 2511 permits moneys received from agricultural production on a state-owned property to be used for the management of all state-owned properties.
House Bill 2518 increases the criminal penalties for certain violations of the crime of breach of privacy and modifies the culpable mental state required to commit such crime. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2530 provides for the transferability of credentials earned through ACT Workkeys Career Readiness Assessments toward a degree. Substitute passed 124-0.
House Bill 2536 requires proposed guardians for certain adults who have a cognitive impairment or are diagnosed with a neurological condition to complete training approved by the secretary for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services prior to appointment as a guardian. Passed 124-0
House Bill 2537 increases the penalties for the crime of sexual extortion when an offender is 18 years of age or older and the victim is less than 18 years of age or a dependent adult, creates the crimes of aggravated sexual extortion causing great bodily harm and aggravated sexual extortion causing death and requires the attorney general to prepare and provide educational materials and information concerning such crimes. Passed as amended 124-0
House Bill 2555 requires grant applications, expenditure information, reports and other documentation concerning the Rural Health Transformation Program to be presented and provided to the Kansas Finance Council, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the Legislative Budget Committee. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2560 authorizes the Kansas Board of Regents to sell and convey certain real property in the city of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas, on behalf of the Kansas State University. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2562 permits the issuance of a special license plate or permanent or temporary placard for a person with a disability based on documentation of satisfactory proof of disability from a physical therapist. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2590 enacts the Kansas Community Property Trust Act to authorize the use of community property trusts during the marriage of settlor spouses and amends the Kansas Uniform Trust Code to allow trustees to reimburse settlors of grantor trusts, authorizes the use of designated representatives for trusts and permits the terms of a governing instrument to expand, restrict or eliminate certain general rules applicable to fiduciaries, trusts and trust administration. Passed 123-1.
House Bill 2591 authorizes financial institutions to report suspected financial exploitation of an adult account holder to a designated agency, notifies any adult designated as a trusted contact by such account holder of suspected financial exploitation and places a temporary hold on certain transactions or disbursements. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2594 modifies the elements of the crime of blackmail related to threatened dissemination of any videotape, photograph, film or image of another identifiable person who is nude or engaged in sexual activity by removing the connection to breach of privacy and describing the content of the videotape, photograph, film or image. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2602 establishes requirements for a portable benefit plan for independent contractors, determines the types of contributions to such plans and provides a subtraction modification for Kansas income tax purposes. Passed 103-21.
House Bill 2603 prohibits regulation of battery-charged security fences by municipalities. Passed 86-38.
House Bill 2604 includes gross vehicle weight in the definitions for classes of commercial motor vehicles for drivers' license purposes and modifies the definition of commercial motor vehicle and creates a definition of air mile and gross vehicle weight in the Kansas Uniform Commercial Drivers' License Act. Passed 122-2.
House Bill 2605 designates a portion of U.S. Highway 36 as the Deputy Sheriff Brandon Gaede Memorial Highway. Passed as amended 124-0.
House Bill 2606 modifes the definition of conviction in the Kansas Uniform Commercial Drivers' License Act. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2610 limits the use of a summons instead of a warrant for the arrest of a defendant to misdemeanor crimes and requires that any bond set on a warrant issued after a failure to appear in response to a summons shall not allow release on the defendant's own recognizance. Passed 88-36.
House Bill 2635 enacts the Pregnancy Center Autonomy and Rights of Expression Act to protect the ability of private pregnancy centers to provide life-affirming care. Passed 87-37.
House Bill 2663 modifies the requirements for student cohorts and achievement goals for school district at-risk accountability plans. Passed 124-0.
House Bill 2700 establishes the Kansas Right-to-Repair Act to provide the right for persons who purchase or lease digital electronic equipment to obtain the legal authorization and necessary documentation and parts from original equipment manufacturers to diagnose, maintain and repair such equipment. Passed as amended 122-2.
House Bill 2727 provides for the plaintiff to elect to limit recovery in claims brought for violations of the Woman's-Right-to-Know Act and makrd the laws providing for medical malpractice screening inapplicable when such election is made. Passed 87-37.
House Bill 2729 requires the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to provide forms and notices to physicians pursuant to the Woman's-Right-to Know Act. Passed 87-37.
House Bill 2737 enacts the Taxpayer Agreement Act to provide for an alternative method of tax increment financing of municipal economic development projects through taxpayer agreements. Passed as amended 110-14.
House Bill 2747 specifies that courts shall consider certain factors in determining whether a prior violation of law is comparable to any act described in certain driving under the influence crimes when calculating a person's criminal history score under the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act. Passed as amended 124-0.
These bills will all now go to the Senate for further review.
Next, the House is slated to go late in the evening and has the following bills listed for debate:
House Bill 2435 authorizes natural gas public utilities to recover certain growth-related investments in the gas system reliability surcharge, increases the cap on the amount that the monthly-fixed charge may be increased for residential customers and reduces the time for the Kansas Corporation Commission to act on gas system reliability surcharge filings.
House Bill 2647 authorizes the Kansas Department of Transportation to establish a statewide fiber system.
House Bill 2574 removes the expiration on certain cybersecurity requirements, modifies the duties of chief information security officers and cybersecurity programs, requires assessment of executive branch agency compliance with cybersecurity requirements, provides for consideration of such compliance by the legislature during the budget process and creates the Judicial Branch Technology Oversight Council.
House Bill 2731 requires the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Office of Inspector General to exchange information and documents related to cash assistance, childcare assistance and food assistance fraud investigations.
House Bill 2738 directs the secretary for the Kansas Department for children and families to request or update a pending waiver application from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would allow the state to prohibit the purchase of food commonly marketed, advertised or recognized as candy and soft drinks.
House Bill 2502 requires the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to offer discounted resident senior combination hunting and fishing passes to residents of this state who are 65 years of age or older and removes the expiration date for Kansas kids lifetime combination hunting and fishing licenses.
House Bill 2633 increases the service charge fee for each license, permit, stamp or other issue of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to an amount of not to exceed $2.00 and, in the case of each migratory waterfowl habitat stamp, an amount of not to exceed $1.00.
House Bill 2509 adds advanced practice registered nurse to the definition of health care provider for purposes of the Healthcare Provider Insurance Availability Act.
House Bill 2520 increases the number of allowed residents in a home plus facility from 12 to 16.
House Bill 2521 expands the Kansas Tort Claims Act to include child placement agencies that contract with the secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
House Bill 2320 authorizes children in the custody of the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families to attend school in any school district, requires records for such students to be timely transferred between school districts and requires a transportation plan if the child remains in the school of origin.
House Bill 2522 permits highway construction and maintenance vehicles in road construction zones to display flashing amber, white or green lights at all times or flashing white and blue lights under certain conditions.
House Bill 2552 requires criminal presentence investigation reports and journal entries to be completed and submitted in the form and manner prescribed and approved by the Kansas Sentencing Commission.
House Bill 2618 requires the Kansas Board of education to report to the legislature on federal moneys that are received by the state.
House Bill 2524 permits the secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families to license family foster homes when certain persons reside in such home and creates an appeal process for family foster homes when licenses are not granted.
House Bill 2627 expands permissive preference in private employment to include current service members and eligible spouses.
House Bill 2569 requires actions challenging the constitutionality of an election statute to be brought in the District Court of Shawnee County.
House Bill 2703 enacts the Kansas Health Insurance Affordability Transparency Act to require a report specifying the financial impact to covered individuals resulting from the passage of certain health insurance legislation.
House Bill 2626 expands the veterans preference in government employment to include current members of the national guard and such members' eligible spouses.
House Bill 2732 directes the state registrar of vital statistics to provide death certificates to survivors of deceased veterans with a service-connected disability that state in such certificates the relationship between the cause of death and the service-connected disability of such veterans.
House Bill 2519 continues in existence certain exceptions to the disclosure of public records under the Kansas Open Records Act.
House Bill 2528 requires all Kansas State Board of Nursing actions related to nonpractice violations be void, allows for late license renewal for professional, practical and advanced practice registered nurses, sets fees for late license renewal, limits unprofessional conduct to acts related to the practice of nursing, prohibits the board from taking retaliatory action against a licensee based on certain lawful actions and creates a civil cause of action for violation thereof, requires that board members be subject to Senate confirmation and requires the board to issue refunds for overpayment or duplicate payment.
House Bill 2564 provides for the election of alternative payment methods by a dental provider and allows such payment method to remain in force for the duration of a contract with a dental benefit plan.
House Bill 2568 authorizes the adoption of certain rules and regulations related to fees, registrations and other charges by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
House Bill 2765 adds and removes certain substances in Schedules I, III and IV of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act and makes conforming changes to the Criminal Code definition of fentanyl-related controlled substance.
House Bill 2676 permits a pharmacist to initiate therapy for certain conditions consistent with the pharmacist's education, training and experience.
House Bill 2218 amends the definition of "psilocybin" in the Uniform Controlled Substances Act to exclude the pharmaceutical composition of crystalline polymorph psilocybin and addd crystalline polymorph psilocybin to Schedule IV of the Uniformed Controlled Substance Act.
House Bill 2588 provides for statewide electrician licensing by the Board of Technical Professions.
House Bill 2760, enacts the Esthetics Licensure Compact to provide Interstate Practice Privileges for estheticians.
House Bill 2761 enacts the Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Act to provide for the licensure of speech-language pathology assistants.
House Bill 2702 provides that applicants for a physician assistant license submit to a criminal record check, provides for the collaboration between physicians and physician assistants and requires the revocation of a physician assistant license under certain circumstances.
House Bill 2736 requires hospitals to screen all patients for eligibility for such hospital's financial assistance program or charity care policy.
House Bill 2250 defines emergency opioid antagonist as including an expired emergency opioid antagonist for a person rendering aid to another in reasonable need of medical assistance.
House Bill 2740 adopts compounding standards established by the United States Pharmacopeia and allows for exemptions from such standards.
House Bill 2762 modifes the crime of unlawful sexual relations to describe who is a person in a position of authority for a school.
House Bill 2527 prohibits courts from assigning a defendant to work release if the defendant has any prior conviction or adjudication of a crime that requires registration as a sex offender and prohibits the secretary of corrections from granting an inmate leave from confinement for work release or educational release programs if the inmate has any prior conviction or adjudication of a crime that requires registration as a sex offender.
House Bill 2609 enacts the Supported Decision-Making Agreements Act to provide a statutory framework for allowing an adult to receive decision-making assistance from one or more other adults, requirements for decision-making agreements and duties related thereto.
House Bill 2573 amends statutes concerning the Kansas Board of Accountancy; relating to licensure requirements for certified public accountants.
House Bill 2539 requires that the members of the Eudora Community Library District Board of Directors be elected to such positions.
House Bill 2571 requires cost-sharing agreements between municipalities for the maintenance of shared roads.
House Bill 2482 removes the requirement that the Kansas Board of Education use a certain exam provider to deliver certain college entrance and career readiness exams and requiring the board to provide for such exams using any provider.
House Bill 2596 permits the secretary of corrections to enter into certain contracts for the production of manufactured or modular homes under the Prison-Made Goods Act.
House Bill 2688 provides that a nondisclosure agreement by any party in an action related to childhood sexual abuse or human trafficking shall not be judicially enforceable in a dispute involving childhood sexual abuse or human trafficking allegations or claims.
House Bill 2593 requires that a political subdivision hold an open meeting to discuss a contingency fee contract for legal services before approving such contract and requiring the attorney general to approve such contracts.
House Bill 2595 enacts the Attorney Training Program for Rural Kansas Act, providrd stipends to law students who meet certain requirements and agree to practice law in rural areas and provides loan forgiveness to lawyers who meet certain requirements and practice law in rural areas.
House Bill 2503 repeals the Mail Ballot Election Act.
House Bill 2553 provides for the Public Broadcasting System Kansas distinctive license plate.
These bills, if passed by General Orders, will go for a final vote tomorrow before the House.