POLICY UPDATES

Kansas Policy Updates

After a condensed session, the Kansas Legislature adjourned sine die in the early hours of Saturday, April 10th. Barring unexpected or extreme circumstances, they will not reconvene until January 2027.

Overall, session ended with some mixed results – especially when the legislature considered which vetoes by Governor Kelly to override as she used her veto pen on almost 30 bills this session.

Despite the tenacious advocacy of so many people and organizations throughout Kansas, SB 363 (now Sub for HB 2731) is now law. Governor Kelly vetoed the legislation just before the legislature reconvened on April 9th for their short session to override vetoes from the Governor - and that's exactly what happened with this legislation. It was close, however, as the bill received the minimum number of 84 votes in the House to override.

REACH opposed this legislation during the entirety of session because it unnecessarily imposes harsh work requirements on the people who are paid extremely low wages even though they already qualify for safety net programs like Medicaid, food assistance, and childcare subsidies.

The silver lining in this is that, throughout the entire legislative process, advocates showed up in committee hearings and one-on-one legislator meetings to share stories and data on how this bill would harm Kansans. Because of that, many of the most harmful provisions of the bill were removed, such as frequent renewal reviews for Medicaid. It also ensured that exemptions for a variety of groups, such as those with intellecual or developmental disabilities, were included.

Resources:

Read the full bill – Sub for HB 2731
If you’d like to thank your Representative or Senator for voting to sustain the veto, you can find their contact information here.

The CHIP fix bill for the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is now officially law and that's great news! It passed both the House and Senate chambers unanimously and was signed by the Governor on April 9th.

This small-but-important piece of legislation fixes a drafting error in legislation from 2008 that linked eligibility to that year's poverty level, meaning fewer and fewer people qualified for CHIP with each passing year.

Many childhood and health advocacy organizations have been working on getting this fix passed into law for years. This shows that advocacy isn't a short-term game and takes time and investment - plus a little creativity - to get the win. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to get this passed!

Resources:

View the full SB 271 bill

The Governor line-item vetoed a budget proviso would've required the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to implement the new vaccine schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or lose funding. This is a problem because the new vaccine schedule removed recommendations for rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, meningococcal diseases, and COVID. Undoubtedly, this would harm Kansas kids and adults.

Fortunately, the veto was sustained, and this proviso is not included in the final budget. It was close, though, as the House voted to override the veto with the minimum 84 votes. When it was sent to the Senate for consideration, they declined to take it up for an override. This was a welcome surprise to those of us who were advocating against this component of the budget.

While we can be happy with this win in Kansas, it still remains that the CDC changed the recommended vaccine schedule with no scientific rationale or data to drive their decision. We recommend that instead of following the CDC schedule, people should be using the recommended schedule by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Resources:

View the full bill – HB 2513
Vaccines schedule (American Academy of Pediatrics)

SB 522, known as the Kansas Medical Freedom Act, is officially dead with the adjournment of the legislature!

We opposed this bill as it would've been harmful to the most vulnerable Kansans, like children and immunocompromised people as it would've banned vaccine requirements to attend school or daycare, or to work in resident health care or health care facilities operated by public entities.

Resources:

View the full bill – SB 522

Kansas Legislative Session Wrap-up

This Kansas legislative wrap-up covers key bills and policy issues REACH followed during the 2026 session, including work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program “CHIP Fix,” vaccine-related legislation, public health funding, in-state tuition access and water fluoridation.

Throughout the session, REACH weighed in through testimony, letters, direct conversations with legislators and partnership with advocates across the state. Watch the latest Policy Update to learn what passed, what did not, and what REACH will continue tracking beyond the regular session.

MISSOURI POLICY UPDATES

The Missouri General Assembly concluded their regular business at the constitutionally scheduled deadline of May 15th.

The session ended with some notable legislation that passed with significant pieces that we supported. However, the legislature did send HJR 173/174 to voted on by the people of Missouri. On May 22nd, the Governor announced that the vote would happen during the August 4th primary.

HJR 173/174 is the legislation that would allow the Assembly to get rid of the state income tax by increasing sales taxes and expanding the sales tax to services.

This legislation was quickly brought to the Senate floor late on April 15th where it was passed, though it was changed from the original legislation that came from the House. The Senate substitute deleted specific revenue triggers, size of tax cuts, and inflation adjustments and instead created a vague framework for the legislature to eliminate the income tax using sales taxes. The House agreed to this version on April 21st.

On May 22nd, the Governor used his authority to determine ballot measure elections to place HJR 173/174 on the August 4th primary ballot and is now known as Amendment 5.

If this were to pass at the ballot box, eliminating the state income tax would lead to cuts in health care, food assistance, and other safety net programs. Analysis by the Missouri Budget Project shows how the $5 billion budget hole would impact local schools - and that's just the beginning. Additionally, the vast majority of Missourians would see an increase in their overall tax bill.

Resources:

View the full HJR 173/174
Amendment 5 Would Increase Taxes for Most Missourians, Damage Communities & Economy. (Missouri Budget Project)
Eliminating the income tax would create a $5 billion hole in Missouri’s budget, leading to cuts for local public schools. (Missouri Budget Project)

HJR 154 - a resolution to impose work requirements for people to access safety net services like Medicaid or food assistance - failed to be adopted by both chambers of the Assembly and died at the end of session.

This legislation moved through the House of Representatives very quickly and passed on February 19th. However, it stalled out on the Senate side before getting a hearing in early April. After another couple weeks' delay, Senators amended the resolution to give the legislature the authority to potentially impose work requirements concurrent with, or in addition to, what passed federally with H.R. 1.

This was a good outcome as this would have placed these measures into the Missouri constitution, if passed. This would have required another ballot measure to undo.

Resources:

View the full HJR 154 bill
Missouri Lawmakers Weigh $294M Price Tag to Carry Out New Federal Medicaid Rules (Missouri Independent)

HB 1871, a broader elections bill, includes a provision that restores the voting rights for individuals on probation and parole. This part of the bill was originally in HB 2592, but, usually towards the end of session related bills - in this case on elections - can be bundled together in what's known as an 'omnibus'. In this case, HB 2592 was able hitch a ride to full passage by being included in HB 1871.

We registered our support for this legislation as civic engagement has been identified as a key social determinant of health since more ease of access to the ballot is associated with better health outcomes.

Resources:

View the full HB 2592 bill
Here’s a map of each state’s criminal disenfranchisement law status.

We supported SB 1562, which would have increased the funding for the 988 mental health crisis hotline through a small surcharge on telecommunications device or service transactions. The 988 hotline has seen increased usage since the nationwide launch and has been effective in helping people in a mental health crisis.

Though this bill passed out of its committee on April 15th and included our testimony in support, it did not proceed any further and died at the end of session. We will continue support opportunities to ensure that the 988 hotline is well resourced, especially as budget years become tighter.

Resources:

View the full SB 1562 bill
Research Finds 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Effective (Psychology Today, June 2026)

A broad health care 'omnibus' bill - HB 2372 - passed the legislature in the final week. It included pieces that REACH and partners supported, such as doula services being covered for Medicaid patients and making telehealth a more viable route to establish care with a doctor.

We also supported a piece that allowed for contracting with the Department of Health and Senior Services for public health services but, unfortunately, that was removed before final passage. We would like to see that in future legislation and will advocate for that next year.

Resources:

View the full HB 2372 bill

Missouri Legislative Session Wrap-up

This Missouri legislative wrap-up covers key bills REACH followed during the 2026 session, including proposed changes to Missouri’s tax structure, Medicaid work requirements, health care access, telehealth, doula services and voting rights restoration.

With more than 3,000 bills introduced this session, REACH focused its advocacy on policies tied to health equity, access to care and the systems that support community well-being. Watch the latest Policy Update to learn what passed, what did not, and what we’ll continue tracking in the months ahead.

The Impact of Expiring ACA Subsidies Across Kansas and Missouri

With the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, many Kansas and Missouri residents are facing higher health insurance costs and difficult coverage decisions.

This policy explainer breaks down what these changes mean, what early data is showing, and what to watch in the months ahead as the full impact on the ACA marketplace becomes clearer.

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