(March 4, 2026) – Yesterday, the Senate worked on its budget bill into the evening hours, making the following adjustments on the floor to Sub for Senate Bill 315.

• Adding a fund for the Property Tax Relief Fund.
• Adding $1 million to support services for intellectual and developmental disabilities, including housing and specialized mental health treatment, by reallocating funds from unencumbered state finance council funds in fiscal year 2027.
• Adding $1 million to the IDD employment transportation pilot program in Wichita by reallocating funds from public broadcasting and creative arts.
• Deleting funding for legislative software.
• Creating an interim study on the Kansas Highway Patrol Capital Improvement Projects.
• Cutting $1 million from the mental health pilot program in schools to allocate to special education funds.
• Adding transparency to the Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion legislation.
• Schools' truancy accountability for student protests.
• Removing the regular license plate fee for a specialized plate, keeping specialized plates at $11, and regular plates at $10.
• Subtracting $3 million to ensure Meals and Wheels investments go to Meals on Wheels.
• A change to the frail and elderly waiver to increase the physical disability and I/DD waivers.

Several amendments were also discussed but not passed by the Senate, including:

• Deleting $250,000 from Wichita State University.
• Increasing the community support waiver by $3.5 million.
• Adding $2.5 million from the legislative operating budget to eliminate a copay for those students on free and reduced lunch.
• Moving $5M from the Mental Health Pilot Program to go to funding the Dunbar Theatre in Wichita.
• Reducing the $4 modernization charge on vehicle registration.
• Moving funds to increase state employee pay by 2.5 percent.
• Amendment striking a Pooled Money Investment Board Proviso.
• Adding $24 million to special education from several budget sources.
• Requiring The University of Kansas Medical Center to cover parking for employees at the Cambridge facility.
• Pay adjustments for legislative research, revisors and legislative information technology staff.

The Senate vote on the budget was 21-19.