POLICY UPDATES

Kansas’ legislative work is done for the year – we’ll do a full wrap-up on that soon. Missouri has four more weeks of session, but the endgame is coming into focus there. Here’s the updates on the big-ticket items we’ve been watching in both.

*Updated through April 16th, 2026 at 10am

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

MISSOURI POLICY UPDATES

The Missouri General Assembly is still working legislation with about one month left on the calendar before the constitutionally defined end date of the second Friday of May, or May 15th this year.

With time winnowing down and an entire budget that needs to be on the Governor’s desk by May 8th, we’re at the point in session where there are fewer possible paths for bills to make it across the finish line.

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 deletes the specific revenue triggers, size of tax cuts, and inflation adjustments and instead creates a vague framework for the legislature to eliminate the income tax using sales taxes.

The legislation had bipartisan resistance and passed 18 in favor and 11 against, with several Senators absent. Since the Senate substitute differs substantially from the House version, they will need to go into a conference committee to get identical versions that need to be adopted by both chambers.

Given the likelihood of this going to the Governor's desk for signature and then going to a full statewide vote, building awareness of this legislation and what it would do to state services and programs in Missouri will continue.

No matter what the final legislation looks like, eliminating the state income tax will 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
Ill-Conceived Tax Proposals Would Increase Taxes for Most Missourians, Damage Communities and 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 would impose work requirements for people to access safety net services like Medicaid or food assistance. If this legislation passes, it will go to a vote of the people and be placed in the Constitution, meaning that even if the federal law - HR1 - was repealed, these requirements would still stand in Missouri.

This resolution passed the House on February 19th, 99 in favor and 48 against, and was referred to the Senate, where it had a hearing on April 8th. We, along with many other advocates, went on the record in opposition. REACH has opposed this legislation from the moment it began moving. Should this bill make it to the Senate Floor for debate, we will keep you informed and will continue direct advocacy with Senators to help them understand why this legislation will harm hundreds of thousands of Missourians.

Adopting this would be a strain across Missouri - for people using these programs and for the state, which is going to have to spend an estimated $300 million to implement the work requirements already included in the federal law, HR1. HJR 154 is even more restrictive and would almost assuredly cost more.

Resources:

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

HB 2592 restores the voting rights for individuals on probation and parole. We are happy to report that it has passed the House and has had a Senate hearing on April 15th.

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.

There are about 60,000 Missourians with probatory or parolee status who cannot currently vote. If this bill became law, Missouri would become the 24th state to allow current parolees or those on probation to be able to vote.

Resources:

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

We support SB 1562, which would increase the funding for the 988 mental health crisis hotline through a small surcharge on telecommunications device or service transactions.

We registered our support for this legislation during the Senate hearing on March 11th. It passed out of committee for consideration by the full Senate on April 15th. The best path for this bill to become law so late in the session is to get included in another, usually bigger, bill that can pass the Senate and then the House. We will continue to push for a path forward on this legislation to become law.

The 988 hotline has seen increased usage since the nationwide launch and has been effective in helping people in a mental health crisis.

Resources:

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

There are a couple of broad “health care omnibus” bills – HB 2372 and SB 841 – that have components we support around doula services, telehealth, and contracting with the Department of Health and Senior Services for public health services.

Both of these bills are under consideration in the Senate, with HB 2372 having passed the House in March and being heard in Senate committee on April 15th. SB 841 hasn't passed out of the Senate but is on the 'informal' calendar for consideration for full debate. We're unsure of the likelihood that either of these bills pass given the competing priorities in the legislature with only one month of session remaining.

Resources:

View the full HB 2372 bill
View the full SB 841 bill

Policy Shorts

Policy decisions at the state and federal level can shape access to health care, food assistance, childcare, and other essential services. In this Policy Shorts update, we share a quick look at the proposals and policy conversations we’re watching in Kansas and Missouri and what they could mean for communities across our region.

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