(Feb. 17, 2026) – Today, the Senate is slated to debate into the evening and take votes on the following bills
Senate Bill 473 authorizes Audubon of Kansas to convey certain property in Wabaunsee County and requires any deeds or conveyances related to such property be reviewed and approved by the Kansas Historical Society.
Senate Bill 362 requires the office of each state officer to keep and maintain records of information concerning all travel locations and expenses of the state officer that were paid or reimbursed by the state during each fiscal year and provide such records of information upon request by a member of the public.
The Senate also voted to override House Sub for SB 244. The legislation requires the designation of multiple-occupancy private spaces in public buildings for use by only one sex and imposes criminal and civil penalties for violations, defining the term "gender" to mean biological sex at birth for purposes of statutory construction, directs the division of vehicles to invalidate and reissue driver's licenses when necessary to correct the gender identification on such licenses and directs the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics to invalidate and reissue birth certificates when necessary to correct the sex identification on such certificates. The veto override received a vote 31-9.
The following are bills slated for debate during today's session.
Senate Bill 445 provides that the law enforcement officers memorial advisory committee may receive requests for the Kansas Highway Patrol and Kansas Bureau of Investigation to provide temporary personal and other assistance in support of funeral services honoring law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the service of the state.
Senate Bill 426 enacts the Kansas Transparency in Consumer Legal Funding Act.
Senate Bill 425 increases the maximum annual registration fee limit for seed retailers and wholesalers and authorizes a late fee for registrations renewed after the registration deadline.
Senate Bill 380 requires retail electric suppliers to provide nondiscriminatory rates and services to entities that provide electric vehicle charging services and prohibits any costs and expenses associated with a retail electric supplier's electric vehicle charging stations from being recovered in electric rates.
Senate Bill 317 provides additional requirements for applications to the Water Technical Assistance Fund and the Water Projects Grant Fund, including the requirement that applicants demonstrate the availability of a 25-year water supply, prohibits grants for issues related to water rights that are impaired by another other water right, prioritizes applications based on various criteria and mandates annual submissions on Sept.15. The Senate further amended and recommended favorably for final vote.
Senate Bill 408 excludes a child engaging in age-appropriate independent activities from the definition of a child in need of care in the revised Kansas Code for Care of Children.
Senate Bill 353 designates an official Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame and establishes the Kansas Railroad Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Senate Bill 390 prohibits certain additives in food provided by schools as part of certain food service programs and requires schools to certify that school facilities do not serve food that contains such food additives.
Senate Bill 427 clarifies that the chairperson and vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Confirmation Oversight shall have access to review tax information from the Kansas Department of Revenue and Kansas Bureau of Investigation background checks on persons appointed to state offices who are subject to Senate confirmation.
Senate Bill 448 permits the use of expedited partner therapy to treat a sexually transmitted disease.
Senate Bill 413 prohibits counsel from suggesting an amount of damages for noneconomic loss in civil actions.
Senate Bill 356 provides federal firearms licensees immunity from civil liability for returning a firearm to the firearm owner at the termination of a firearm hold agreement.
Senate Bill 335 requires public construction contracts to include a Mutual Waiver of Consequential Damages.
Senate Bill 368 enacts the Health Care Sharing Ministries Tax Deduction Act to provide a subtraction modification for qualified health care sharing expenses paid by a qualified individual and certain qualified health care shares received by a qualified individual. The bill was further amended and recommended favorably for final vote.
Senate Bill 379, Authorizing the state 911 board to establish a statewide program for emergency medical dispatch and telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation, medical direction and quality assurance services. The bill was further amended and recommended favorably for final vote.
Senate Bill 325 restricts the use of material or objects covering a license plate for motor vehicles.
Senate Bill 372 enacts the App Store Accountability Act to regulate app store and developer operations with respect to minors, creates requirements for age verification and parental consent and provides for enforcement under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and through a private cause of action. The bill was further amended and recommended favorably for passage.
House Bill 2223 modifies certain provisions of the optometry law relating to the scope of practice, definitions and credentialing requirements. The bill was further amended and recommended favorably for passage.
House Bill 2274 removes the active requirement from military service members for occupational licensure.
House Bill 2329 provides for increased placement of juvenile offenders in non-foster home beds in youth residential facilities, requires the secretary of corrections to pay for the costs associated with such placements and authorizes the secretary to make expenditures from the evidence-based programs account of the State General Fund moneys to contract for such beds in youth residential facilities.
Senate Bill 418 enacts the By-Right Housing Development Act to provide a streamlined permit approval process for by-right housing developments, allows third-party review of new residential construction development documents and inspection of improvements, requires political subdivisions to allow certain building provisions for single-family residences of a certain size, excludes owner initiated rezoning to a single-family residential district from protest petition provisions and provides for all land within the corporate limits of a city to be considered zoned for single-family residential use.
Senate Bill 391 prohibits cities and counties from adopting or enforcing any ordinance or resolution that requires landlords to lease housing to tenants receiving financial assistance from or through the housing choice voucher program or any other housing assistance program or that otherwise restricts a landlord's ability to consider the income source of a prospective tenant.
Senate Bill 459 changes the membership of the Prisoner Review Board and requires parole hearings to be postponed if proper notice of the public comment session is not made to the victim.
Senate Bill 392 prohibits the filling of a vacancy in the joint candidacy of the governor and lieutenant governor and provides for when a candidate may withdraw in city, school district and community college elections.
Senate Bill 65 specifies when boards of directors for irrigation districts of 35,000 or more acres may conduct board member elections by mail ballot and establishes the terms for such members.
Senate Bill 410 provides that earned wage access service registrants are subject to the Kansas Financial Institutions Information Security Act.
Senate Bill 422 reorganizes certain provisions that apply to foreign insurance companies seeking authorization to do business in Kansas, authorizes the suspension or revocation of a nonresident agent's license without notice and opportunity for a hearing following notification to the commissioner of insurance that such nonresident agent no longer holds a home state license and requires agents and public adjusters to respond to inquiries from the commissioner.
Senate Bill 436 increases the cost threshold for when a county shall use the public bidding process in awarding a construction contract.
Senate Bill 407 authorizes the adoption of certain rules and regulations related to hazardous waste monitoring and permits application fees by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Senate Bill 398 requires a proponent to demonstrate that it is more likely than not that certain specialized knowledge will help the trier of fact to understand evidence before certain qualified witnesses may testify.
Senate Bill 451 requires campaign finance treasurer reports to include the products and services provided by vendors that are paid by an advertising agency, public relations firm or political consultant from a campaign account expenditure.