Votes at a glance: Kansas House advances multiple bills on water, taxes, agritourism, budget and health measures

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas House on March 11 recorded final action or committee recommendations on a slate of bills spanning water conservation, public finance, agritourism, budgeting rules and health‑care related statutes.

Key outcomes (roll calls where recorded):

- House Bill 21‑11 (water; Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program): Passed on final action by roll call, 115 yeas, 8 nays. The bill increases acreage caps for CREP from 40,000 to 60,000 acres, adjusts eligibility criteria and reporting requirements, and allows certain exceptions for high‑priority conservation areas.

- Substitute House Bill 21‑52 (public monies; deposit and investment of public funds): Passed on final action by roll call, 119 yeas, 4 nays. The bill revises requirements for public depositaries, instructs the state treasurer to establish procedures, and addresses reporting and certification requirements for municipal investment pool participation.

- House Bill 2,400 (agritourism; property tax valuation): Passed on final action by roll call, 110 yeas, 13 nays. The measure adds trail rides as an agritourism activity for purposes of agricultural property tax valuation; Representative Orapeza recorded a floor explanation opposing the bill because it bypassed committee process.

- Senate Bill 14 (state budget; continuous budget authority): Passed on final action by roll call, 82 yeas, 41 nays. Critics argued the bill could reduce the legislature's incentive to pass an annual budget; supporters said it establishes conditions and temporary reallocations in specified circumstances.

- Senate Bill 105 (vacancy appointments; statewide offices): Passed on final action by roll call, 87 yeas, 36 nays. The bill would require the governor to appoint a person from one of three legislative nominees and to appoint a replacement of the same political party for certain vacancies; it also creates a joint committee on vacancy appointments.

Committee of the Whole: The House resolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider general orders and reported several health and budget‑related measures favorably to the full House. The Committee of the Whole recommended passage and the House adopted the committee report. The committee report recommended passage of the following bills (committee report later adopted): SB 82 (rural emergency hospitals/skilled nursing licensing clarification), SB 88 (dementia training requirement for long‑term care ombudsmen), SB 175 (athletic trainers licensure adjustments), SB 193 (law enforcement administration of emergency opioid antagonists / naloxone) and HB 22‑17 (inspector general expansion) and House substitute for SB 126 (budget provisos including CHIP adjustments and hospital provider tax changes).

Notable details from Committee of the Whole items: - SB 82: Carrier explained the bill clarifies legislative intent about licensing of skilled nursing beds in facilities that convert to rural emergency hospital status and preserves continuity for facilities already providing those services. - SB 88: Would require long‑term care ombudsmen statewide to receive Alzheimer's/dementia care training, covering communication, behavioral symptoms, alternatives to restraints and referral resources. - SB 175: Amends the Athletic Trainers Licensure Act to modernize education and licensure requirements and provide exemptions for visiting athletic trainers accompanying teams from other states. - SB 193 (Substitute): Maintains liability immunity for law enforcement agencies and officers administering emergency opioid antagonists (naloxone), and exempts certain first responder agency staffing requirements; proponents cited sharp reductions in local overdose fatalities after police carried naloxone. - House substitute for SB 126: A budget‑proviso package including codification/updates for CHIP income thresholds (linking to federal levels), newborn screening expansions, increased local health department support, and an increase in an existing hospital provider tax (from historical 3% up to 6% in statute; proponents said federal approval processes have been initiated and the change could bring additional federal matching dollars to Kansas hospitals).

Other floor actions and procedural items: - The Legislature received messages from the Senate requesting conference on several bills; the House appointed conferees for the following Senate requests: House substitute for SB 9, SB 20, SB 21, SB 22 and SB 92. The clerk read the Senate message and the House appointed conferees by voice votes. - House Resolution HR 6012, recognizing the 40th year of operations at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station, was adopted by voice vote and ordered spread on the journal.

What to expect next: Bills reported favorably from committees will proceed through the House calendar for final consideration where appropriate. Several items adopted by the Committee of the Whole were forwarded to the full House in a committee report that was then adopted; final enactment requires completion of any remaining procedural steps and, where applicable, concurrence by the Senate and the governor's signature.