Key Votes

SB 391 permanently blocks Kansas cities and counties from passing local ordinances that protect renters — including rules limiting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records to screen tenants. The bill uses the same state preemption playbook that already stripped local governments of the power to set their own minimum wage. For union members with records who got back to work through fair chance hiring, this law slams the door on local fair chance housing protections that could help them stay housed.

This bill requires county jail staff to carry out federal immigration detention duties — including paperwork, notifications, and custody holds for ICE — with no funding for training, staffing, or compensation. It also allows individual sheriffs to enter federal enforcement agreements without approval from the county commission, bypassing the governing body that employs and is accountable for jail workers. A NAY vote on the veto override would have upheld the Governor's veto and protected county employees from these unfunded mandates.

This bill blocks workers from recovering damages in negligence cases if they were engaged in any "wrongful conduct" — a definition broad enough to sweep in undocumented workers injured on the job in meatpacking, construction, and agriculture. It also shields product manufacturers from public nuisance lawsuits and gives the Attorney General sole control over multi-county claims like PFAS contamination cases that firefighter locals are pursuing nationally. The law applies retroactively to pending cases, killing active lawsuits against polluters and other bad actors as of July 1, 2026.

SB 462 blocks injured workers from filing negligence claims if they were involved in any "wrongful conduct" — a definition broad enough to sweep in undocumented workers in meatpacking and construction who are hurt on the job. It also bars cities and counties from filing public nuisance lawsuits against polluters without permission from the Attorney General, blocking the legal strategy firefighter unions use nationally to fight PFAS contamination from toxic firefighting foam. The legislature voted to override the Governor's veto, enacting retroactive protections for corporations that apply even to lawsuits already in court.

SB 391 permanently bans Kansas cities and counties from requiring landlords to accept housing vouchers or from limiting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records when screening tenants. This blocks local communities from passing fair chance housing protections that help workers with records stay housed after getting back to work. The bill uses the same state preemption approach that already stripped cities of the power to set their own minimum wages — expanding a playbook that undermines local authority on issues that matter to working families.

SB 363 raises the age limit for SNAP work requirements from 49 to 64, forcing older displaced workers to meet strict work hour mandates or lose food assistance. It also requires quarterly Medicaid eligibility paperwork — a burden that causes eligible working families to lose health coverage through administrative red tape — and eliminates existing exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and former foster youth. The bill also bars the governor from issuing emergency waivers during recessions or plant closures, removing a critical safety net for workers when they need it most.

SB 452 makes it a crime to come within 25 feet of a first responder — including federal immigration agents — after being told to back away, even during lawful picketing where police are present. It also shields state and local officials from civil lawsuits when they help enforce federal executive orders, including immigration raids at workplaces. Together, these provisions threaten workers' ability to picket freely and create a chilling effect on organizing at meatpacking plants, farms, and construction sites where immigrant coworkers could face enforcement actions.

This bill creates a new exception to Kansas law that previously banned prison-made homes from competing with construction workers and manufactured home builders. While contractors must pay regional average wages, that money goes to the state — not the incarcerated workers doing the job — giving contractors a workforce that can't quit, organize, or file safety complaints. The bill undermines building trades workers by allowing a private company to use prison labor for home construction at the Hutchinson correctional facility, setting a dangerous precedent that could expand beyond this pilot program.

This bill doubles the maximum time juveniles can be held in detention (from 45 to 90 days), increases penalties for young offenders, and requires the state to contract with private residential facilities for juvenile beds. The mandatory private contracting provision routes state dollars to private operators with no requirements for fair wages, adequate staffing levels, or worker protections — undermining public-sector corrections workers who provide these services today. It sets a troubling precedent for privatizing juvenile justice functions without any labor standards attached to the contracts.

HB 2504 prohibits cities and counties from passing local laws that protect renters who use housing vouchers or have criminal or eviction histories. The bill strips local governments of the power to require landlords to give these tenants a fair chance at housing — undermining the same fair-chance principles labor has fought for in hiring. This hurts working families trying to find stable housing, especially low-wage workers and those rebuilding their lives after incarceration.

SB 391 prohibits Kansas cities and counties from passing local laws that protect tenants who use housing vouchers or other rental assistance. It also bars local governments from restricting landlords' use of criminal history, credit scores, and eviction records when screening tenants — blocking fair chance housing policies that help working people with records stay housed after getting back to work. This bill uses the same state preemption playbook that has already been used to strip local minimum wage authority from Kansas communities.

SB 462 shields corporations from public nuisance lawsuits by prohibiting claims based on the design, manufacturing, or marketing of legal products — the same legal theory communities used to hold opioid manufacturers accountable. The bill also bars private class actions for public nuisances, hands sole authority over multi-county cases to the Attorney General, and retroactively applies to cases already pending in court. For workers and their families harmed by corporate pollution, chemical exposure like PFAS, or future public health crises, this bill shuts the courthouse door.

This bill gives the Attorney General's inspector general sweeping new powers — including subpoenas, search warrants, and criminal jurisdiction — to investigate families who receive food assistance (SNAP), cash assistance (TANF), and Medicaid. Many union members in lower-wage jobs rely on these programs to make ends meet, and healthcare and social service workers at Medicaid-participating facilities could be compelled to turn over records or testify against their own employers. Labor opposes this bill because it builds a coercive enforcement apparatus targeting working families who depend on the safety net, while doing little to hold large contractors accountable.

This bill gives the Inspector General sweeping new powers — including subpoenas, search warrants, and criminal jurisdiction — to investigate families who receive food assistance (SNAP), cash assistance (TANF), and Medicaid. Many working families rely on these programs to make ends meet when wages fall short, and this law creates a hostile, punitive environment around accessing benefits they've earned. It also allows the IG to compel healthcare and social service workers to turn over records and testify in fraud investigations of their own employers. The Governor vetoed this bill, and this vote was to override that veto.