Bill Tracker

• HB 2485 – Requiring enrollment under the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement act to be determined using the current school year or the preceding school year and requiring any district that closed a school building in the preceding school year to use the current year enrollment count.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations on Monday, Feb. 19 and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
  • The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget passed out this bill as amended on Tuesday, March 5.
• HB 2489 – Limiting the legislative option to purchase school district buildings to buildings that were formerly used as attendance centers.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations on Monday, Feb. 19 and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
• Substitute for HB 2494 - Establishing policy requirements for cardiac emergency response plans for school districts, and providing a grant program for the implementation of such policy.
  • The House Committee on Education recommended HB 2494 be amended by substituting with a new bill to be designated as Substitute for HB 2494.
  • The amendment removed “school safety and security plans” from the bill.
  • The bill was passed as amended in the House on Thursday, Feb. 22, 117-2. It was received and introduced in the Senate, then referred to the Senate Committee on Education.
• HB 2499 – Prohibiting the use of mobile phones by anyone under 18 years old while operating a motor vehicle; and prohibiting the use of mobile phones by anyone while operating a motor vehicle in a school or construction zone.
  • The bill was passed in the House 86-30, then was received and introduced in the Senate.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Thursday, March 7 in the Senate Committee on Transportation.
• HB 2506 – Authorizing students enrolled in virtual schools to participate in activities that are regulated by the Kansas State High School Activities Association at such student’s resident school district without a minimum enrollment requirement in such resident school district.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 19 and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
• HB 2514 - Revising school district open enrollment procedures and requirements to prioritize students who are residents of Kansas over students who are residents of another state, providing for continued enrollment of students who attended a school district of non-residence in school year 2023-2024, authorizing school districts to deem students as not in good standing prior to enrollment and requiring publication of nonresident student transfer policies on the school district website.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-2 Education Budget on Feb. 19.
• HB 2521 – Requiring the Kansas State Board of Education to authorize teaching licenses for individuals who complete an alternative teacher certification program.
  • This bill was passed out of the House Committee on Education favorably on Feb. 20.
  • It was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Friday, Feb. 23.
  • This bill was passed out of the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget favorably as further amended on Tuesday, March 5.
• HB 2547 – Authorizing schools to maintain certain emergency medication kits and to administer such medication in emergency situations.
  • The House passed this bill 116-4 on Feb. 22. It will now go to the Senate.
  • It was referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare on Feb. 28. A hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 12 in the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare.
• HB 2567 – Establishing the Kansas National Guard Educational Master’s for Enhanced Readiness and Global Excellence (EMERGE) program.
  • The House passed this bill as amended 114-5 on Feb. 22.
  • A hearing for this bill is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in the Senate Committee on Education.
• HB 2594 – Establishing the Education Funding Task Force and abolishing the Special Education and Related Services Funding Task Force.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 19.
• HB 2613 – Creating the statewide drug abuse resistance education (D.A.R.E.) program educator position, establishing the drug abuse resistance education fund and providing funding for such fund by annual transfer of state monies.
  • The House passed this bill 105-15 on Feb. 22.
  • It was received and introduced in the Senate, then referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Feb. 29.
• HB 2650 – Requiring each school district to establish an at-risk student accountability plan and to show academic improvement in certain student subgroups and students identified as eligible for at-risk programs; Prohibiting the Kansas State Board of Education from revising the curriculum standards in English language arts and mathematics until 75% of all students achieve proficiency; and requiring school districts to comply with all state laws and rules and regulations to main accreditation.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 19.
• HB 2669 - Codifying the Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT) program administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) in state statute.
  • This bill was passed as amended in the House on Feb. 22, 101-18.
  • It was received and introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, Feb. 28 and referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Friday, March 1.
• HB 2703 – Including placement in foster care as a criterion for a student to be eligible for at-risk programs and services.
  • This bill was passed in the House 119-0 on Feb. 22.
  • A hearing for this bill is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in the Senate Committee on Education.
• HB 2717 – Establishing requirements for the determination of virtual school state aid for adult students.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Feb. 19 in the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
• HB 2731 – Requiring the Kansas State Board of Education to submit annual reports to the legislature on certain statistics of students who take the statewide assessments.
  • A hearing for this bill is set for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 in the House Committee on Education.
• HB 2738 – Revising the special education state aid statewide excess costs calculation to count additional funding; requiring the State Board of Education to determine each school district’s excess costs and to establish a special education state aid equalization distribution schedule to distribute certain amounts of special education state aid; and requiring school districts to transfer amounts attributable to the special education weighting from their supplemental general funds to their special education funds.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 19.
• HB 2785 - Transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas Office of Early Childhood; and separating licensing duties between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment secretary and the executive director of early childhood.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the House Committee on Appropriations and re-referred to the House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Thursday, March 7 in the House Committee on Commerce, Labor and Economic Development.
• SB 386 - Requiring enrollment under the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement act to be determined using the current school year or the preceding school year.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and referred to the Committee of the Whole on Feb. 28.
• SB 387 – Providing for the continued enrollment of students who attend a school district of non-residence pursuant to the school district open enrollment law.
  • The bill was passed in the Senate 37-3 on Feb. 21.
  • It was referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 23. A hearing was held on Monday, March 4 (see below).
• SB 407 – Requiring the Kansas State Board of Education to authorize teaching licenses for individuals who complete an alternative teacher certification program.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and referred to the Committee of the Whole on Feb. 28.
• SB 427 – Requiring school districts to publicly list the names and email addresses of current school board members; authorizing local school board members to add new items to board meeting discussions, ask questions or engage in discussion with members of the public and access school property; authorizing members of the public to address school boards at board meetings; and authorizing payment of annual dues to any not-for-profit organization that provides services to member school districts.
  • A hearing for this bill is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 in the Senate Committee on Education.
• SB 428 – Requiring that each attendance center’s needs assessment be conducted by the local board of education and include input from board members, teachers, school site councils and school administrators, and that board members receive certain state assessment data; and identifying allocations of money in the school district budget and budget summary.
  • A hearing for this bill is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13 in the Senate Committee on Education.
• SB 438 – Eliminating the requirement to subtract other aid from the state payment in the AO-K program.
  • This bill was passed in the Senate 40-0 on Feb. 22.
  • It was received and introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
• SB 469 – Establishing the Sunflower Education Equity Act to provide education savings accounts (ESAs) for certain students.
  • This bill was withdrawn from the Senate Committee on Education and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 23.
  • It was re-referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Feb. 28.
• SB 509 - Establishing the Education Opportunity Tax Credit to provide an income tax credit for taxpayers with eligible dependent children not enrolled in public school.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation on Feb. 14.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Wednesday, March 6 in the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation.
• SB 531 – Creating a civil cause of action against schools that give or make available harmful material to minors; and removing the affirmative defense to promotion to minors of material harmful to minors for public and nonpublic schools.
  • This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Feb. 23.
• SB 532 – Establishing a blueprint for literacy to create a literacy advisory committee, appoint a director of literacy education, require the Kansas State Board of Regents (KBOR) and the Kansas State Board of Education to collaborate on a literacy micro-credential and professional development, authorize KBOR to recommend diagnostic and formative literacy assessments, authorize university presidents and deans of education oversight over postsecondary literacy courses and require a plan to establish centers of excellence in reading.
  • This bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Friday, Feb. 23.
  • An informational briefing for this bill was held Monday, March 4 in a joint information briefing in the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education (see below). A hearing was held Thursday, March 7 in the Senate Committee on Education.

Bills no longer alive

The following bills did not get voted out of their committees before Turnaround, which means they are no longer “alive.” The bills themselves should no longer see movement this session.

• HB 2251 – Authorizing the Kansas State Department of Education to contract with a private vendor to install and operate school bus cameras.
  • Referred to House Committee on Education on Feb. 1.
• HB 2475 – Prohibiting the commencement of the school term prior to Labor Day.
  • Referred to House Committee on Education on Jan. 8.
• HB 2480 – Requiring each school district to employ an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder specialist.
  • Referred to House Committee on Education on Jan. 8.
• HB 2509 – Providing reimbursement payments for the cost of career technical education assessments to school districts under the career technical education credential and transition incentive for employment success act.
  • Referred to House Committee on Education on Jan. 16.
• HB 2539 – Removing the Kansas residency requirement for eligibility for a Kansas promise scholarship and modifying the definition of part-time student under such program.
  • The House Committee on Education on Feb. 21 recommended this bill be passed as amended.
  • The bill was stricken from the House Calendar on Feb. 23, which means the bill is dead in its form, but its contents can appear in another bill.
• HB 2555 – Authorizing schools to maintain emergency albuterol kits for asthma and administer such medication in emergency situations.
  • Referred to House Committee on Health and Human Services on Jan. 18.
• HB 2574 – Establishing term limits for members of Fort Leavenworth Unified School District 207 school board.
• HB 2600 – Establishing a feminine hygiene product grant program and grant fund to award monies to qualifying Title 1 schools to provide feminine hygiene products to students at no cost.
  • Referred to the House Committee on Education on Jan. 25.
• HB 2612 – Requiring school districts to be in compliance with all state laws, and rules and regulations to be accredited; and requiring the Kansas State Board of Education to establish a process to challenge determinations of such compliance.
  • A hearing on this bill was held Feb. 5 in the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget.
• HB 2641 – Requiring school districts to prohibit the use of privately owned electronic communication devices during school hours.
  •  A hearing on this bill was held on Wednesday, Feb. 14 in the House Committee on Education.
• HB 2658 – Authorizing school districts to require a student to attend virtual school when the student is returning to school after having been expelled.
  • A hearing on this bill was held on Feb. 13 in the House Committee on Education.
• HB 2659 – Transferring teachers from the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) 3 cash balance plan to the KPERS 2 plan and defining teachers for the purpose of KPERS.
  • Referred to the House Committee on Financial Institutions and Pensions on Feb. 1.
• HB 2700 – Establishing the school library rating system task force to develop a rating system for materials available to students in public school libraries and requiring school districts to implement such rating system.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Feb. 14.
• HB 2701 – Expanding the income tax credit for school and classroom supplies to increase the tax credit to $500 with an annual adjustment for the cost of inflation and to allow additional school employees to claim the credit.
  • Referred to the House Committee on Taxation on Feb. 6.
• HB 2702 – Specifying the eligibility requirements to participate in activities governed by the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) for students enrolled in a nonpublic school.
  • Referred to the House Committee on Education on Feb. 6.
• HB 2709 – Establishing Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Week for public middle schools and high schools to educate students on the abuse of and addiction to fentanyl and other opioids.
  • A hearing on this bill was held on Feb. 14 in the House Committee on Education
• HB 2718 – Eliminating school district open enrollment requirements and authorizing school districts to determine nonresident student enrollment.
  • Referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 6.
• HB 2719 – Extending the time that school districts may provide notice to parents of the administration of any nonacademic test, questionnaire, survey or examination, and requiring school districts to contact parents if any such test, questionnaire, survey or examination indicates concern.
  • A hearing for this bill was held in the House Committee on Education on Feb. 20.
• HB 2727 – Requiring all public schools and public postsecondary educational institutions to make feminine hygiene products available at no cost to students and establishing a state grant program for such purpose.
  • Referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 6.
• HB 2726 – Requiring school districts to provide timely implementation of an individualized education program (IEP) and advanced enrollment for certain children who are new to the district.
  • Referred to the House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Feb. 6.
• HB 2730 – Expanding the tax credit for low-income students scholarship program act to allow students enrolled in underperforming school districts to be eligible for a scholarship.
  • Referred to the House Committee on Education on Feb. 7.
• HB 2732 – Authorizing school districts to employ or accept chaplains as volunteers.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Feb. 19 in the House Committee on Education.
• HB 2769 – Requiring public schools and school districts to participate in federal meal programs; and providing for reimbursement for free meals at all public schools and school districts.
  • This bill was referred to the House Committee on Education on Feb. 8.
• SB 348 – Requiring that the appointment of the executive director of the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund be confirmed by the Senate.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Jan. 17.
• SB 351 – Establishing policy requirements for school safety and security and cardiac emergency response plans and providing grant programs for the implementation of such policies.
  • Referred to Senate Committee on Education on Jan. 18.
• SB 358 – Prohibiting school districts and local libraries from prohibiting, banning or restricting books or other media unless certain requirements are met.
  • Referred to Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Jan. 19.
• SB 401 – Requiring critical thinking be integrated into elementary and secondary instruction.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Education on Jan. 26.
• SB 437 – Establishing the Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP) to provide educational awards to elementary and secondary school students for qualifying expenses for educational goods and services.
  • The Senate Committee on Education voted to pass this bill out of committee on Feb. 19, but the vote failed and the bill remains in Committee.
• SB 465 – Authorizing school districts to levy an annual levy of up to two mills for the purposes of school building safety, security and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and including the levy in the capital outlay state aid determination for such school districts.
  • A hearing for this bill was held on Thursday, February 15 in the Senate Committee on Education.
• SB 470 – Including Wichita Technical Institute as an eligible postsecondary educational institution in the Kansas Promise Scholarship Act.
  • Referred to Senate Committee on Education on Feb. 7.
• SB 501 – Transferring certain child care programs to the Kansas Office of Early Childhood; and separating licensing duties between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment secretary and the executive director of early childhood.
  • Referred to the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare on Feb. 12.

Informational briefing on SB 532

The Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on Education held a joint informational briefing on SB 532 on Monday, March 4.

If passed, the bill would establish the Literacy Advisory Committee, composed of 15 voting members as outlined in the bill. Non-voting members would include the Kansas Commissioner of Education or designee and any members appointed by the Director of Literacy Education. Members would be appointed on or before July 1, 2024, and voting members would serve a four-year term.

The Committee would have several duties including:

1. Monitoring the progress of literacy training for in-service and pre-service teachers and literacy education of elementary and secondary students.
2. Attaining the transformation goal to have 100% of the Kansas elementary teacher workforce achieve a micro-credential in the science of reading and structured literacy by 2030, leading to 85% of Kansas fourth graders achieving a level two or above on the English language arts state assessment by 2033.
3. Making recommendations to the House and Senate Education Committees on the implementation of the goals of the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy and any changes necessary to achieve such goals.
4. Submitting a plan to the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) on the establishment of centers of excellence in reading on or before Jan. 1, 2025.

As the bill is currently written, KBOR, in collaboration with postsecondary educational institutions and research experts, would establish a comprehensive reading and literacy assessment system with universal screening measures, diagnostic, formative and summative assessments to be used by each school district. The assessment system would allow teachers to adjust instruction to meet specific needs of students. KBOR would be required to make recommendations to the Kansas State Board of Education on the assessment system and ensure that it is available to school districts on or before May 1, 2025. KBOR member Dr. Cindy Lane testified on the bill and requested the addition of an amendment to clarify the literacy assessment system would be used in teacher preparation programs rather than school districts.

The Literacy Advisory Committee would develop a plan to establish six regional centers of excellence in reading as outlined in the bill. If passed, the bill would go into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Register.

A hearing on SB 532 was held on Thursday, March 7 in the Senate Committee on Education. To read more about SB 532, click here.

Hearing on SB 387

The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget on Monday, March 4 held a hearing on SB 387. If passed, the bill, as amended, would modify a provision governing open enrollment in the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act to provide for the continued enrollment of nonresident students in a school district until the student graduates from high school.

SB 387 would clarify that any student enrolled as a nonresident in a school district during the 2023-2024 school year will be permitted to continue their enrollment and attendance in that school district, as long as the student is deemed in good standing. The student would not be required to go through the lottery process to remain enrolled at the school district for the 2024-2025 school year.

The bill also would specify that no school district would be required to provide transportation to nonresident students unless otherwise required by applicable law.

Additionally, the bill would add a deadline of July 30 of each year to a current notification requirement of school districts to notify the parent of the student’s denied enrollment and creates the ability for the parent to appeal the denial to the school district’s board of education. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the parent would be permitted to appeal to the Kansas Commissioner of Education, who would be required to conduct a hearing.

To read more about SB 387, click here.

Hearing on SB 509

The Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation on Wednesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 7 held a hearing on SB 509. If passed, the bill would provide a refundable tax credit, referred to as the Education Opportunity Tax Credit, to certain taxpayers who have a dependent child enrolled in a private school who are also eligible to enroll in a public school.

For taxpayers who have a child enrolled in an accredited private school, the tax credit would be equal to 75% of the Base Aid for Student Excellence (BASE) for each dependent child enrolled during the tax year. For a child enrolled in a non-accredited private school, the tax credit would be equal to 50% of the BASE. The BASE in the calculation would be for the school year in effect on Jan. 1 of each tax year.

A taxpayer would have to provide a valid social security number issued by the Social Security Administration for each dependent child to receive the tax credit. The Kansas Department of Revenue would be required to consult with the Kansas Department of Education for determining whether a dependent child of a taxpayer is enrolled in a public school during the tax year for which the credit is claimed.

If passed, the bill would become effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

The hearing continued Thursday. You can read more about the bill at this link.

Up Next

The House is adjourned until 8:30 a.m. Friday, March 8. The Senate is adjourned until 9 a.m. Friday, March 8.

The Senate Committee on Education is scheduled to hold a hearing on HB 2567 and HB 2703 at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12.

The House Committee on Education is scheduled to take final action on HB 2731 and receive an update on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. This will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12.

The House Committee on K-12 Education Budget doesn’t have any meetings scheduled for next week as of now but may begin work on KSDE’s budget next week.

Click here (Welcome | Kansas State Legislature (kslegislature.org) to see calendars of the House and Senate, track bills, and view agendas for committees.