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The Community Consortium has been hard at work, with a strong focus on Kansas, Missouri and federal legislation. In partnership with Empower Missouri, the Kansas Housing Advocacy Network (KHAN), and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the Consortium tracked key legislation and issued several Calls to Action encouraging members to contact their legislators.
The 2026 Kansas Legislative session has concluded but not without Kansas lawmakers overriding dozens of vetoes by Governor Laura Kelly. Below is a summary of select Kansas bills the Consortium monitored.
PASSED:
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HB 2357 Seals eviction filings until judgment, encourages mediation, and allows for expungement three years after an eviction.
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SB 391 Prevents localities from passing renter protection ordinances and limits the ability of cities and counties to restrict landlords from refusing tenants based on housing assistance (e.g., Section 8/Housing Choice Vouchers), eviction history or criminal history.
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SB 271 Updates the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility threshold, previously frozen at 250% of the 2008 federal poverty level. The bill introduces a sliding-fee premium scale and removes outdated waiting periods, expanding coverage to thousands of children.
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HB 2731 Expands SNAP work requirements to adults up to age 64, mandates data sharing across safety net programs for fraud investigations, restricts self-reporting of income and household size, and limits implementation of certain waivers without legislative approval.
FAILED:
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HB 2408 Would have changed how Community Land Trust are appraised for tax purposes.
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HB 2768 Would allow renters to pay rent in single or multiple payments, receive assistance with partial rent payments from family or charitable organizations, and allow landlords to look at all sources of income when tenants are applying for housing.
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HB 2634 Would have implemented a statewide default maintenance code for rental properties in cities or counties that had not adopted their own codes.
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SB 415 Would have applied the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) to the Kansas Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (KRLTA) when housing is deemed uninhabitable.
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SB 369 Would have required landlords to disclose all fees upfront and placed limits on late fees for rent under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
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SCR 1603 & SCR 1616 Would have rolled property valuations back to 2022 levels and capped future increases at 3%.
In addition to advocacy, the Consortium hosted an English and Spanish homeownership workshop in March. If you would like to watch the recording please click here.
Our next Community Consortium meeting will take place on June 16, 2026 from 10-11:30am. If you're interested in joining the Consortium and making an impact in your community, please reach out to our Community Engagement Director, Ahkeya Howard. Email: ahoward@nurturekc.org T: (816) 381-2528.
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