Updates and Alerts

STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE (MAR. 9-13)
Beginning of the Session’s End

Last week marked the final full week for committees to meet for the 2026 state legislative session, and action was heavy as lawmakers worked to advance priority legislation ahead of another major deadline on Friday, March 20. Both the House and Senate planned to address property tax legislation, a major topic all session, but action on the issue stalled after the House did not advance a Senate proposal and negotiations between the chambers continues.

Committees will wrap up their work for the year on Tuesday, after which the House and Senate will spend the remainder of the week primarily convened in floor action as lawmakers move toward Friday’s second Turnaround deadline – when bills must be acted on by the opposite chamber in order to continue to advance (House bills out of the Senate, Senate bills out of the House) – followed by adjournment of the regular session on March 27.

Read highlights and action from Week Nine below, as well as a look at the week ahead.

Taxation
Discouraging Property Tax Growth. The Senate Taxation Committee amended, approved and forwarded to the full Senate for consideration HB 2745, but Senate leadership rereferred it back to committee – a signal that they are continuing to work on the issue. As amended by Senate committee, the bill authorizes voter protest petitions if a local government seeks to collect more in property taxes than it did the year before plus the Midwest consumer price index, up to a 3% maximum increase, whichever is less. A successful protest petition would require signatures from at least 10% of the registered voters as of Jan. 1 in the taxing jurisdiction where the protest petition was filed. If the petition is successful, the local government budget would be returned to the same level of property taxes it collected the year before. There are no exceptions to the limitations on revenue (for example, debt service payments, newly-annexed real property.) The bill also reinstates the “revenue neutral rate” process. The legislation would apply to local taxing jurisdictions, including schools. Read a summary of the Senate committee’s version of the bill.
       The House previously passed its version of the bill (76-45). As approved by the House, the bill authorized voter protest petitions if a local government sought to collect more than a 3% increase in property tax revenues for the next year from what they took in the year before. A successful protest petition, which would require signatures from not less than 5% of voters who cast a ballot in the last secretary of state election, would veto the local government budget beyond the maximum 3% increase allowed. The limitation on revenue had some exceptions (for example, real property newly annexed or that’s changed use.) The bill also eliminated the current “revenue neutral rate” process. The bill would not apply to schools or the State. Read a summary of the House’s version of the bill.
      The House amended the original bill to remove an annual state-funded $60 million property tax relief fund that would have provided transfers from that fund to local governments that limit property tax revenue increases to less than 3% and to lower the threshold for a successful protest petition from 10% of voters in the last presidential election.

Limiting Property Valuation Increases. The House failed by voice vote to recommend favorably for passage SCR 1616, putting forth a proposed state constitutional amendment limiting real property valuation increases to no more than 3% annually with some exceptions. The bill remains on the House calendar and could be revisited. A similar measure last year also failed in the House. Proposed state constitutional amendments require 2/3 approval in both the House and the Senate to advance to a statewide vote. The limit would not apply when the property includes new construction or when improvements have been made (normal maintenance and repair would not be considered “improvements” for purposes of the limitation), the property class changes, the property becomes disqualified from exemption, the property is first listed for taxation or first listed as escaped or omitted property, or the legal description of the parcel changes. The benefits of the valuation limitation would remain in place when title to the property is transferred, changed, or conveyed to another person. A House committee amended the bill to change the statewide election from August 2026 to November 2026. The Department of Revenue estimates adoption of the resolution would reduce revenues of the statewide school finance mill levy by $218.6 million in FY 2028, $244.2 million in FY 2029, $271.6 million in FY 2030, $301.0 million in FY 2031, and $332.4 million in FY 2032, which under the current school finance formula would be offset from the state income/sales tax-funded State General Fund. Opponents fear the measure would primarily shift property tax burden to agricultural and commercial properties. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (30-10).

Repealing Sales Tax on Remodeling Services. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SB 148, excluding from sales taxation the service of installing or applying personal property for the reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, renovation, repair or replacement of a building or facility. Under current law, no sales tax is imposed for the service of installing or applying personal property in connection with original construction of a building or a facility that becomes part of real estate. This bill would extend this sales tax exemption to include reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, and similar non-original construction services. This bill was held over from the 2025 session; it did not receive a committee hearing. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House Taxation Committee held a hearing on a mirror House bill, HB 2162.

Requiring Certain Valuation Adjustments and Reviews. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on HB 2644, requiring a county appraiser to adjust the value of residential and commercial real property and residential personal property upon a final determination of valuation appeal or obtain an independent fee simple appraisal if the appraised value exceeds a 5% increase each year for five years. The House committee amended the bill to include residential personal property. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (119-0).

Eliminating Property Taxes. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SCR 1621, proposing a state constitutional amendment prohibiting the levy of any property tax by the state or any political or taxing subdivision of the state after December 31, 2027. Proposed state constitutional amendments require 2/3 approval in both the House and the Senate to advance to a statewide vote. An online summary of the bill is not yet available.

Phasing Out Property Taxes and Replacing the Revenue. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SB 488, providing for the phased elimination of property taxation and for revenue replacement grants to taxing subdivisions, establishing the Kansas fair share purchase surcharge and distribution of such revenue, and providing for freedom dividend rebates. Read a summary and fiscal note of the bill.

Ending School District Property Tax Levies for Certain Residential Property. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SCR 1625, proposing a state constitutional amendment exempting from all school levies residential property owned by and principal residence of a person age 60 years or older. Proposed state constitutional amendments require 2/3 approval in both the House and the Senate to advance to a statewide vote. An online summary of the bill is not yet available.

Creating a New Universal Residential Property Tax Exemption. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SB 489, exempting the first $10,000 of appraised valuation of any residential real property starting in TY 2028, in addition to the residential property tax exemption from the statewide school finance levy and any other refund or exemption to which the owner would be entitled. The bill provides that school districts would be reimbursed from the State General Fund for revenues lost due to the exemption. Read a summary of the bill.

Phasing Out Property and Income Taxes. The House Taxation Committee held a hearing on HCR 5034, proposing a state constitutional amendment establishing a citizens freedom review board to review tax exemptions and approve or eliminate such exemptions, eliminate motor property vehicle taxes and fees, state property taxes, and state income and privilege taxes. Proposed state constitutional amendments require 2/3 approval in both the House and the Senate to advance to a statewide vote. An online summary of the bill is not yet available.

Rounding of Cash Transactions As The Penny Phases Out. The House Taxation Committee held a hearing, amended, approved and forwarded to the full House for consideration HB2797, providing guidelines for the rounding of the final transaction amount for sales tax purposes if a payment is made with cash. The bill sets guidance for retailers and consumers for cash transactions as the penny phases out now that the U.S. Treasury has ceased production. The bill outlines that transactions ending in 1,2,6, or 7 cents change shall be rounded down to the nearest nickel. Transactions ending in 3,4,8, or 9 cents change shall be rounded up to the nearest nickel. The House committee amended the bill to clarify that in mixed credit-cash transactions, the rounding guidelines would apply only to the cash portion of the transaction. On online summary of the amended bill is not yet available.

Economic/Workforce Development
Supporting Sports Tourism. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on HB 2346, establishing a Kansas sports tourism grant program to provide matching grants to communities from a $1.5 million statewide fund to support and enhance sports tourism events in Kansas. Grants may be for new or recurring eligible sporting events; grants would generally not be available for most professional, college, and high school sporting events, except for exhibition games. Grant funds would be awarded following a post-event report determination, and the grants would match funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis with sponsor funds. Proponents of the measure said currently at least 23 states have state-supported sports tourism incentive programs (with more states considering it), leaving Kansas at a competitive disadvantage in attracting and retaining this important economic driver. This bill was held over from the 2025 legislative session – it was originally approved by a committee but never considered by the full House. Earlier this year it was rereferred back to committee for additional work. The full House made technical amendments to the bill. Read a summary of the bill.
The House previously passed the bill (95-21).

Encouraging Investment in New Innovative Businesses. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on HB 2466, extending the sunset for the angel investor tax credit to 2031. The program, which supports entrepreneurism by encouraging investors to provide seed capital financing to early-stage innovative Kansas businesses, is set to expire in 2026. The Committee previously approved and forwarded to the full Senate a mirror Senate version of the bill, SB 429; the full Senate has not yet taken action. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (93-28).

Repealing Underutilized Income Tax Credit Incentives and Clarifying Provisions of the HPIP Program. The House Commerce Committee held an informational hearing on HB 2757, a bill the House Taxation Committee previously amended, approved, and forwarded to the full House for consideration. It awaits debate by the full House, where House leadership has expressed concerns with the HPIP program. The bill discontinues certain income tax credit incentives that are unused, underutilized, or have previously been repealed and makes clarifying revisions to the High Performance Incentive Program (HPIP). The House Taxation Committee amended the bill to remove provisions extending income tax credits for angel investors and for aviation-related employment set to expire in 2026 if not extended (extension of those programs is being addressed in other bills), to remove revisions to HPIP creating an alternative wage standard of 125% of the aggregate average wage in all non-metro counties (projected to have an expensive $153 million fiscal impact), and to reinstate three tax credits proposed for elimination (disabled access credit, environmental compliance credit, and friends of cedar crest association credit.) As introduced, the Department of Revenue had projected the aviation ($8.2M), angel investor ($8M), and HPIP ($153.9M) provisions in the bill together would reduce state revenues by an estimated $170 million in FY 2028. The changes to the bill were anticipated, in order to mitigate its high fiscal impact. Read a summary of the bill.
This bill is being sought by a working group of business, economic development, and CPA organizations, who spent the legislative interim reviewing incentive programs and tax credits to determine what changes, if any, could improve and clean up the state’s incentive toolbox.
Credits suggested for repeal include abandoned well plugging credit, agritourism liability insurance credit, alternative fuel tax credit, assistive technology contribution credit, biomass-to-energy plant tax credit and deduction, carbon dioxide capture and sequestration tax deduction, electric cogeneration facility credit and deduction, employer health insurance contribution credit, petroleum refinery credit, regional foundation credit, storage and blending equipment credit and deduction, and swine facility improvement credit.
Proposed HPIP changes include addressing a discrepancy between C-Corps and pass-through entities (such as LLCs and S-Corps) regarding transferability of HPIP credits and clarifying the treatment of ESOP-structured S-Corps under the program. The HPIP program provides an income tax credit equal to 10% of qualifying capital investment by an eligible company.

Cultivating Aviation/Aerospace Workforce. The Senate Taxation Committee amended, approved, and forwarded to the full Senate for consideration HB 2464, extending a program that provides tax credits for contributions to graduates of aerospace and aviation-related educational programs and employers of program graduates. The program, which attracts and cultivates workforce serving an important industry in Kansas, including a meaningful cluster in Lenexa and Johnson County, is set to expire in 2026 and as amended would be extended for three years. The Senate committee amended the bill to reduce the extension period from 10 years to 3 years. An updated summary of the bill is not yet available.
       The House previously passed the bill (81-39) with the 10-year extension.

Creating An Alternative to TIF. The Senate Local Gov’t, Transparency & Ethics Committee amended, approved, and forwarded to the full Senate for consideration HB 2737, providing for alternative financing of economic development projects through “taxpayer agreements,” instead of Tax Increment Financing (TIF). TIF utilizes incremental property tax revenue increases attributable to the increased valuation from a project to reimburse private and public stakeholders for certain development costs; TIF is traditionally utilized where there are development challenges or higher-than-usual development costs. These “taxpayer agreements” are being utilized in several states, including Oklahoma. The Senate committee amended the bill to add additional consent provisions and make technical amendments. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (110-14).

Encouraging Child Care Assistance. The Senate Taxation Committee held a hearing on SB 521, providing for credits for payment of employee’s child care and contributions to a third party for increased childcare options. An online summary of the bill is not yet available.

Enacting “By-Right” Housing Development.” The House Commerce Committee amended, approved, and forwarded to the full House for consideration SB 418, enacting a by-right housing development act providing a streamlined permit approval process for by-right housing developments, allowing third-party review of new residential construction development documents and inspection of improvements, requiring government to allow certain building provisions for single-family residences of a certain size, and excluding owner-initiated rezoning to a single-family residential district from protest petition provisions. The House amended the bill to refine the definition of “by right housing,” revise certain timelines and appeal procedures, and reduce the maximum allowable size. While most bills are introduced as committee bills, this bill was introduced by Sen. TJ Rose, R-Olathe, and Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (35-5).

Changing Electrician Licensing. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on HB 2588, providing for electrician licensing by the State Fire Marshal. Electricians licensed before July 1, 2026, would be exempt from reexamination and new licensure, but the bill does not exempt existing licensees from additional education requirements upon renewal of an existing license. Cities and counties would be prohibited from issuing electrician licenses after July 1, 2027. The House made technical amendments to the bill.  Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (113-9).

Education
Expanding School Choice. The Senate passed (27-13) HB 2468, electing to have Kansas participate in a federal tax credit program for individual contributions to scholarship granting organizations and increasing the aggregate tax credit limit on the state’s existing Low Income Students Scholarship (LISS) granting program. A House committee amended the bill to say Kansas can’t impose rules or regulations more stringent than federal law and to require annual reporting. The Senate committee amended the bill to remove a provision authorizing additional program cap increases tied to program usage and the amount of credits claimed, up to a maximum of $30 million. Read a summary of the bill. The House did not concur with the Senate’s changes to the bill, and it has been referred to a House-Senate conference committee to negotiate differences in the versions.
       The LISS program provides up to $8,000 per school year to eligible students for costs including tuition, fees, and expenses to attend an eligible nonpublic school. Contributors to the LISS program receive a state income tax credit currently equal to 75% of their contribution. The program has a $10 million cap that would be increased to $20 million under this bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (70-49).

Restructuring Higher Education Governance. The House Higher Education Budget Committee held hearings on HB 2798, granting autonomous authority to the state’s research universities (KU, KSU, WSU) over transactions involving real property, buildings, infrastructure, easements, and procurement unless state funds are involved and exempting such universities from statutes governing such transactions. Governance and authority of the regional universities PSU, FHSU, and ESU would continue under the current framework, overseen by the Board of Regents. Supporters of the measure say research universities need the ability to be more nimble and innovative, while the Regents expressed concern it would reduce oversight and accountability. The bill was introduced by House Majority Leader Chris Croft, R-Overland Park, and the Governor’s Chief of Staff also testified in support of the bill. An online summary of the bill is not yet available. The Committee is scheduled to consider and take possible action on the bill on Monday.

Legal
Prohibiting “Jury Anchoring.” The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on SB 413, prohibiting trial attorneys from suggesting an amount of damages for noneconomic loss in civil actions. Known as “jury anchoring,” opponents to anchoring allege it sets a baseline in jurors’ minds that can unfairly influence deliberations regarding damages and drive up awards. This bill is a tort reform measure backed by the Kansas Chamber and representatives from health care, transportation, insurance, and agriculture; it is opposed by the Kansas Bar Association, who say prohibiting it would leave juries without context, adding more uncertainty to awards and leading to fewer settlements and more litigation. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (29-11).

Creating New Requirements for Certain Expert Witness Testimony. The House Judiciary Committee amended, approved, and forwarded to the full House for consideration SB 398, requiring 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 expert witnesses may testify. This bill is a tort reform measure backed by the Kansas Chamber that codifies changes to federal evidentiary standards (Daubert standard.) The House committee amended the bill to conform certain provisions with Federal Rule of Evidence 701. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (40-0).

Preempting Local Regulation of Residential/Commercial Landlord Discretion Regarding Tenants. The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on HB 2504, prohibiting cities and counties from restricting the discretion of landlords not to rent residential or commercial property on certain grounds including prospective tenants receipt of housing assistance or eviction or criminal history, and permitting cities and counties to prohibit discrimination by landlords on the basis of receipt of veterans benefits. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (84-40).

Enacting the Kansas Medical Freedom Act. The Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee held a hearing on SB 522, enacting the Kansas medical freedom act prohibiting private entities from denying, restricting or otherwise penalizing any individual’s access to certain services, products, venues or transportation based on such individual’s medical choices, subject to civil penalties. Public and private entities would also be prohibited from requiring medical interventions as a condition of employment. Medical interventions would include, but not be limited to, masks, vaccines, biologics, swabs, tests, including genomic tests, pills, capsules, creams, sprays, liquids, injections, chips, devices, and monitors – PPE could be required in certain circumstances. Read a summary of the bill.

Regulating Apps With Respect to Minors. The House Federal & State Affairs Committee tabled action on SB 372, enacting the app store accountability act regulating app store and app developer operations with respect to minors and providing for enforcement under the Kansas consumer protection act. Although the bill could be pulled back up for further consideration, the Committee recommended the bill be studied over the legislative interim. Businesses expressed concerns with some of the bill’s provisions as well as its scope; a similar bill passed in Texas was ruled unconstitutional. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (34-6). A Senate committee removed a provision authorizing a private cause of action, which had raised concerns among the business community, and revised certain enactment timelines. The full Senate further amended the bill with a definition clarification.

Revising Public Construction Contract Requirements. The Governor signed into law SB 335, requiring public construction contracts to include a mutual waiver of consequential damages. Read a summary of the bill.
       The bill previously passed the Senate (37-2) and the House (84-34).

Health
Regulating Pharmacy Benefits Managers. The House Insurance Committee held a hearing on SB 360, enacting the Kansas consumer prescription protection and accountability act providing for new regulation and registration of pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). PBMs manage prescription drug plans and benefits among drug manufacturers, pharmacies, insurers, certain employers, and patients. House leadership later withdrew the bill from the committee and rereferred it to the House Health & Human Services Committee. There are currently 54 licensed PBMs in Kansas. The role of PBMs and their impact on health care costs has been a matter of national discussion amid calls for lower prescription drug costs, with Congress recently approving new national regulations. The bill drew support from regulators and independent pharmacies who say it will lower drug costs, add transparency and fairness, and benefit patients. As currently written, the plan has been opposed by insurers, self-insured employers, and PBMs who say it imposes a costly new dispensing fee “pill tax” on prescriptions, adds administrative overhead, and won’t actually reduce costs. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (32-8). The full Senate amended the bill to limit or remove certain reporting requirements.

Human Resources
Continuing to Modernize and Reform UI Law. The House passed (83-36) SB 229 (formerly HB 2764), making clarifying revisions to unemployment security law, following up on the comprehensive UI legislation passed in recent sessions aimed at compensating injured workers while protecting the integrity of the employer-funded Employment Security Trust Fund.  The House committee amended the bill to narrow its scope, focusing on an updated framework for temporary lay-offs and guidelines for supplemental unemployment benefit plans. The full House further amended the bill with technical changes. Originally the bill included provisions clarifying UI oversight, payment of benefits, extended benefits, benefit eligibility, filing and appeal procedures, KDOL reporting and notice requirements, and employer classification, contribution, and rate assignments. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate nonconcurred with the House’s “gut and go” changes to the bill – UI and the provisions of the bill have not yet formally been considered in the Senate this session – and the bill has been referred to a House-Senate conference committee for review and negotiation.

Mandating Paid Family Leave. The House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee held an informational hearing on a Paid Family Leave Act. The issue is not expected to advance.
       HB 2598, instituting a Kansas Paid Family Leave Act, was introduced this year but failed to receive a hearing and did not survive the earlier Turnaround deadline. This bill would establish a new tax on employers and employees and create a new trust fund, similar to unemployment insurance, for circumstances of paid family leave.

Mandating Option for State-Managed Retirement for Private Employees. The House Financial Institutions and Pensions Committee held an informational hearing on a proposal to mandate Kansas businesses give employees the option to have their retirement account managed by the State of Kansas. The issue is not expected to advance.
       HB 2649 was introduced this year but failed to receive a hearing and did not survive the earlier Turnaround deadline. It would enact the “Kansas empowerment savings program.” Concerns have been raised among the business community about the program being mandated rather than optional for employers to offer.

Expanding Permissive Hiring Preferences to Include Servicemembers & Eligible Spouses. The Senate Select Committee on Veteran Affairs held a hearing on HB 2627, expanding permissive preference in private employment to include servicemembers and eligible spouses. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (111-11).

Energy
Addressing Natural Gas Infrastructure Investment. The Senate Utilities Committee approved and forwarded to the full Senate for consideration HB 2435, enacting the natural gas infrastructure availability act outlining mechanisms a natural gas public utility would be allowed to use to establish rates to recover costs associated with new infrastructure investments. This bill is similar to comprehensive legislation enacted addressing the electric utility industry, aimed at promoting infrastructure investment while protecting ratepayers. Read a summary of the bill.
       The House previously passed the bill (115-7).

Elections
Changing Local Election Years. The House Elections Committee amended, approved, and forwarded to the full House for consideration SB 231 (formerly HB 2452), changing local elections to even-years beginning in 2028 and requiring municipal official terms of either 2 or 4 years. Currently local elections for cities, school boards, community colleges, and other municipal offices occur in odd-years. This bill would move them to even-years alongside federal, state, and county elections. Supporters say the bill is intended to increase voter participation in local elections and that it will save county staffing and resources by consolidating elections. The measure was introduced by Rep. Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, Chairman of the House Elections Committee and a candidate for Kansas Secretary of State in 2026. Read a summary of the bill.

THE COMING WEEK
Committees who have not yet completed their work will meet on Monday and Tuesday to finish committee action for the 2026 session. The rest of the week House and Senate lawmakers will be convened in floor action considering bills ahead of Friday’s legislative deadline known as second Turnaround, when non-exempt bills must be acted on  by the opposite chamber in order to continue to advance.

Budget
Limiting State Budget Expenditures. On Tuesday the House Appropriations Committee will consider and take possible action on SB 181, limiting the annual amount of expenditures from the State General Fund to the preceding year’s budget plus CPI and providing for additional requirements on the governor’s and legislature’s budget plans and legislative measures. This bill was held over from the 2025 session. Read a summary of the bill.
       The Senate previously passed the bill (32-8) in 2025.

Education
Restructuring Higher Education Governance. On Monday the House Higher Education Budget Committee will consider and take possible action on HB 2798, granting autonomous authority to the state’s research universities (KU, KSU, WSU) over transactions involving real property, buildings, infrastructure, easements, and procurement unless state funds are involved and exempting such universities from statutes governing such transactions. Governance and authority of the regional universities PSU, FHSU, and ESU would continue under the current framework, overseen by the Board of Regents. Supporters of the measure say research universities need the ability to be more nimble and innovative, while the Regents expressed concern it would reduce oversight and accountability. The bill was introduced by House Majority Leader Chris Croft, R-Overland Park, and the Governor’s Chief of Staff also testified in support of the bill. An online summary of the bill is not yet available.

LENEXA-AREA LEGISLATOR GUIDE
Kansas Senate

Kansas House of Representatives

Interested in a bill and want to learn more?

  • Explore the legislature’s website kslegislature.org to find House and Senate calendars, links to proposed bills, and committee information including live meeting audio links and posted testimony.
  • Watch House and Senate sessions and many committee meetings via the Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel.
  • Access archived committee meeting audio recordings here.
  • Follow legislative action simultaneously detailed on X/Twitter using the hashtag #ksleg.
  • Call the State Library’s toll-free legislative hotline at (800) 432-3924. Calls and questions are confidential.
  • Ask questions such as how to read the calendar, what’s existing law and what would change in a proposed bill, etc, by contacting Ashley Sherard at asherard@lenexa.org or (913) 888-1414.

 

STATE LAWMAKERS VISIT THE CHAMBER

On Friday, January 16, several Lenexa-area lawmakers brought the State Capitol to the Chamber, joining a packed house of Legislative Affairs, Board of Directors, and Economic Development Council members to provide their insights on the new 2026 state legislative session and answer attendees’ questions about business issues and the legislative process.

Special thanks to Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa, House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, Representative Jo Ella Hoye, R-Lenexa, and Representative Laura Williams, R-Lenexa, for sharing their time and experience, and to our 2026 Legislative Affairs Chair Dave Kepper of Security Bank of KC for keeping the meeting on track!

 

CHAMBER BOARD APPROVES 2026 STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

The Lenexa Chamber Board of Directors has approved a legislative platform to guide our advocacy in the upcoming 2026 state legislative session.  The platform addresses a spectrum of issues important to the business community including tax policy, key business costs and regulations, K-12 and higher education, health care, transportation, economic development, and others.

Click here to view the Chamber’s 2026 State Legislative Agenda.

Questions or feedback?  Call Ashley Sherard, CEO, at 913-888-1414 or email asherard@lenexa.org.