Legislative Update Wk #10 - March 21, 2026
- Mar 21
- 6 min read
By Reily Goyne, AIA Kansas Advocacy Manager
General Statehouse Update
Friday, March 20, was the last day for non-exempt bills to be passed out of the second chamber. The legislature spent most of the week on the floor debating dozens of bills. The week took an unexpected turn when the House abruptly adjourned early Thursday afternoon without taking action on several bills it had planned to discuss. On Friday, non-exempt bills left on the calendar were procedurally dead for the session.
Next week, legislators will alternate between floor debates and work in conference, where conferees will negotiate the differences between each chamber’s positions on bills. This is also the time when bill numbers change, through bundling and gut-and-gos. All work, including the budget, must be completed by next Friday, which is the First Adjournment.
HB 2798 - Amended and Passed by the House- Threatens Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS)
HB 2798, the bill introduced last Wednesday and heard Thursday, was worked on Monday, March 16, in the House Higher Education Budget Committee, amended, and passed out as a substitute bill with several significant changes (watch here).
AIA Kansas members and lobbyists worked over the weekend to draft a narrow amendment to preserve the qualifications-based selection process for procuring architectural, engineering, and land surveying services. Rep. Paul Waggoner (R-Hutchinson) agreed Monday morning to sponsor and introduce the amendment, which unfortunately did not pass.
On Tuesday, March 17, the bill was scheduled for floor debate and a vote by the House (watch here). Rep. Kristey Williams (R-Augusta) had an amendment regarding easements for utilities. Then, Rep. Susan Estes (R-Wichita) brought forward an amendment that prohibits the use of a contractor and an architect employed by the same business entity. Both amendments went on, and HB 2798 passed out 111-12.
AIA Kansas is still working on ways to preserve qualifications-based selection in HB 2798. If you would like to assist, either by speaking with legislators, university representatives, reviewing legislation, or sharing additional suggestions, please contact Reily Goyne.
House Passes Bill Approving By-Right Development
On Wednesday, March 18, the House debated and passed SB 418, the bill lowering barriers with the goal of increasing housing development (watch here). The bill does the following:
Requires approval within 30 days of all single-family homes, townhomes, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) if they meet existing zoning and land-use requirements.
Allow cities to use third-party reviewers for residential documents and development inspections, provided that the reviewers are qualified as described in the bill.
Require cities to allow single-family homes with less than 2,000 square feet of living space to be built to the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC).
Require all land zoned for residential use within a city’s limits to permit single-family homes.
Amend the law to prohibit owners from initiating a protest petition against single-family residential development.
Due to the amendments made by the House, it now goes back to the Senate for a vote of concurrence. If the Senate agrees, it will go to Governor Laura Kelly; if not, a conference committee will be appointed to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate positions.
Senate Amends Townhome Fire-sprinkler Bill to Accelerate State Fire Code Adoption
On Thursday, March 29, the Senate took up HB 2739, a bill that requires fire sprinklers or fire-suppression walls in multi-unit townhomes up to four attached units (watch here). Current law includes a definition of “apartment home” that includes all residences of three or more attached units. The bill brought before the Senate simply repealed the definition of “apartment home” in K.S.A. 31-132a.
Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi (R-Wichita) introduced an amendment that accelerates the adoption of the 2024 fire code. This amendment drew passionate support from Sen. Tory Blew (R-Great Bend), but skepticism from other Senators. Ultimately, the amendment went on the bill. The amendment does not implement the 2024 codes, but allows the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to bypass the economic impact statement requirement and requires the Attorney General’s office to respond within 120 days after receiving the proposed regulations.
AIA Kansas would like to note that OSFM presented at the 2020 annual conference about its work to update to the 2018 codes.
Bills to Watch
If you have questions or suggestions about the following bills, please reach out to Reily Goyne.
SB 30 was replaced with the contents of SB 229, requiring the adoption of new occupational licenses and material changes to existing licenses to be approved by the legislature. It was amended in conference committee to include the Board of Technical Professions. The House approved the new language and sent it to the Senate for a vote.
SB 148 excludes from sales taxation the service of installing or applying tangible personal property for the reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, renovation, repair, or replacement of a building or facility. It had a hearing on Tuesday, March 10, in the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, and is exempt from deadlines.
SB 222 prohibits deference to a state agency's interpretation of a statute, rule, or regulation, or document by a state court or an officer hearing an administrative action. It is dead for the session; however, the contents can still be included in a conference committee report.
SB 283 eliminates the Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit and other tax credit programs. It had a hearing in 2025 in the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, and is exempt from deadlines.
SB 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 residential land within the corporate limits of a city to be considered zoned for single-family residential use. The House passed it 97-27on Thursday, March 19. It now goes to the Senate for a vote of concurrence.
SB 519 exempts agritourism locations from local code enforcement. It had a hearing on Wednesday, March 11, in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Its contents were amended into HB 2111 and passed by the Senate on Thursday, March 19, with a vote of 26-14. It now goes to the House, which will likely vote to nonconcur and appoint a conference committee.
HB 2119 discontinues the Kansas affordable housing tax credit for qualified developments receiving a 4% federal tax credit. It is in Senate Commerce and is exempt from deadlines.
HB 2162 excludes from sales taxation the service of installing or applying tangible personal property for the reconstruction, restoration, remodeling, renovation, repair, or replacement of a building or facility. It had a hearing on Wednesday, February 25, in the House Taxation Committee, and is exempt from deadlines.
HB 2588 establishes statewide electrician licensing by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. It is dead, but can be included in a conference committee report.
HB 2739 prohibits municipalities from requiring fire sprinklers in multifamily residential dwellings with up to four units. The Senate significantly amended and passed it 39-1, and it now goes to the House for a vote of concurrence.
HB 2798 exempts KU, K-State, and Wichita State from certain statutory requirements and Board of Regents oversight regarding procurement and contracts, including for architectural design, engineering, and construction services. It was passed by the House on Tuesday, March 17, with a vote of 111-12. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Education.
Cities and counties have advisory boards and commissions making decisions for their communities, and these groups are a great way to get involved in your community. Below is a list of boards with vacancies or soon to be vacant positions in the largest Kansas cities. Visit your city's website regularly to see any future openings, or email Reily Goyneif you would like assistance identifying opportunities.
Code Appeals Board
Downtown Business Improvement District Advisory Board
Historic Resources Board
Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board
NOTO Business Improvement District Advisory Board
Affordable Housing Trust Fund Review Committee
Topeka Sustainability Advisory Board
Topeka Land Bank
Topeka Shawnee County Riverfront Authority Board
Landmarks Commission
Park Board
Board of Code Standards and Appeals
Community Service Block Grant Review Committee
Delano Design Advisory Committee
District Advisory Boards
Historic Preservation Board
Metropolitan Area Planning Commission
Wichita Land Bank Board of Trustees
Wichita Sustainability Integration Board
Wichita/Sedgwick County Access Advisory Board
About AIA Kansas
AIA Kansas is a state chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The organization provides services and programs to meet the professional development needs and interests of Kansas architects and to develop public awareness for the value of architects and architecture.
Our 650-plus members are leaders in building healthy, sustainable communities that will serve our citizens into the future.
www.aiaks.org | 785-357-5308 | info@aiaks.org
