Legislative Update Wk #11 - March 28, 2026

Mar 28
4 min read

By Reily Goyne, AIA Kansas Advocacy Manager

General Statehouse Update

Friday, March 27, was the First Adjournment of the legislature, marking the end of the regular Session. The legislature will break and return for the Veto Session on April 9th.

Deliberations during the Veto Session are limited to: overriding vetoes by the Governor, the Omnibus appropriations act, and the Omnibus reconciliations spending limit bill. By agreement, the legislature can suspend the rules to consider other legislation.

Chiefs Sports Authority Bill

Late in the session, the sports authority bill for the Kansas City Chiefs’ relocation was introduced, an essential part of the team's move. The bill is now part of the conference committee report (CCR) for HB 2466, and establishes an 11-member board to oversee the STAR bond district, obligations, and development. The authority is also responsible for liabilities and debt, rather than the state.

QBS Saved: Universities Must Adopt QBS Procurement Guidelines

Introduced on March 11, HB 2798, which exempted the largest regents universities from Kansas procurement laws, was put on a fast track.

AIA Kansas partnered with ACEC Kansas to save Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) and draft an amendment requiring universities to use QBS as the basis for any new procurement processes and regulations they promulgate.

AIA Kansas published a member call to action, and architects and associate architects contacted their legislators. AIA, ACEC, and Malcolm Watkins, AIA, helped draft a compromise amendment that was offered to the universities, the Governor, and legislators. These efforts proved successful when the final, agreed-upon amendment was adopted in a conference committee between the House Higher Education BudgetCommittee and the Senate Education Committee.

The Committee amended the contents of HB 2798 to replace the contents of HB 2560 in a “gut-and-go”. The Senate adopted the conference committee report (CCR) by a vote of 39-0, and the House adopted it by a vote of 120-0. It is now on its way to Governor Laura Kelly.

Legislature Passes a Bill to Accelerate Adoption of New State Fire Code

HB 2739, the bill that would no longer require fire sprinklers in residential buildings of up to four units, has changed significantly. The Senate amended it last week to strike most of the bill's provisions and simply repeal the definition of “apartment home” set forth in K.S.A. 31-132a. It was further amended to accelerate the adoption of the new state fire code, moving from the 2006 standards to the 2024 standards.

The House Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee met in conference to negotiate differences between the two bills. The final conference committee report(CCR) clarified that the legislature must still ratify the new fire code before it can be enforced, and also changed it from "national fire protection association standards" to "international fire code". The Senate adopted the CCR 38-1, and the House adopted it 97-24. It now heads to Governor Laura Kelly for her action.

By-Right Housing Bill on its way to the Governor with Strong Support

The House Commerce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee and the Senate CommerceCommittee met in conference several times throughout the week to discuss SB 418. This bill establishes the by-right housing act and makes several additional changes to accelerate the development of single-family homes (read the brief here).

The by-right housing act requires local governments to approve housing development “by-right” if it meets existing zoning and land-use requirements, contains no more than 12 attached units as part of a townhouse project, does not affect drainage in a special flood hazard area, and is not in a historical district or area requiring historic preservation review. The act also sets timelines within which applications must be denied or approved by right.

The bill establishes standards for new-construction single-family residences. If the homes are less than 2,500 square feet and on separate lots, they can be built to the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC), with a single-car garage, a single side of architectural finish, and a minimum lot size of 3,000 square feet. If the homes are larger than 2,500 square feet, they are subject to local codes, ordinances, regulations, and other requirements.

SB 418 also allows cities to opt in to third-party reviews and inspections, considers all land zoned for any residential use to also be considered zoned for single-family residential, and amends property owner-initiated protest petition provisions.

The House adopted the conference committee report (CCR) for SB 418 117-5, and the Senate adopted it 35-4.

SB 30, Creating New Requirements for State Licensing Agencies, On Its Way to the Governor

On Tuesday, March 24, the Senate voted 30-10 to adopt the Conference Committee Report (CCR) on SB 30, a bill requiring legislative approval for new or substantively changed occupational licenses. This bill includes the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions (KSBTP).

Under the bill, licensing boards will also have to submit an annual report to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and Regulations on the number of licenses in each license category they oversee, and the rationale for requiring such licenses.

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.

Manhattan

Code Appeals Board
Downtown Business Improvement District Advisory Board
Historic Resources Board
Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board

Topeka

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

Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS

Landmarks Commission
Park Board

Wichita

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
Steering Committee For Midtown Neighborhood Plan Update
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.