Weekly Look Ahead: Legislature enters final week of regular session

Gov. Kelly retains ability to wait until after First Adjournment
to take action on ‘voucher’ bill

By Timothy R. Graham
Director of Government Relations

The Legislature enters its final scheduled week of the 2026 regular session, shifting fully into the closing phase where remaining work is driven by timing and final agreement. With most policy decisions already made, attention turns to resolving outstanding issues before adjournment.

Decisions on what moves forward will often be made within a short window, and the pace of the week will reflect the compressed timeline of the session’s final days.

This is the stage of the process where final outcomes take shape ahead of the break and the eventual return for veto session.

All standing committee work on standalone bills has concluded for the year, absent an unforeseen development. Conference committees are the only committees continuing to meet for substantive legislative work.

Friday, March 27, marks First Adjournment, the final scheduled day of regular session work. After that date, no bills may be considered except those vetoed by the governor, the omnibus appropriations act, and the omnibus reconciliation spending limit bill, unless procedural rules are suspended. Sine Die - the formal end of the legislative biennium - occurs later, following veto session.

Conference committees serve as the mechanism for resolving differences between House and Senate versions of legislation. Their reports must receive an up-or-down vote on the floor and cannot be amended.

Lawmakers are expected to return beginning April 9 for veto session, where any gubernatorial vetoes will be considered alongside final budget actions.

Committee action and bill hearings

The Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) is still tracking several bills as the Legislature enters the final week of the regular session. With standing committee work now complete and no additional hearings scheduled, no formal testimony is planned at this time. Activity is centered on conference committee negotiations and final floor action, and KNEA will continue to monitor developments as they occur.

Anticipated floor action

As the Legislature enters the final week of the regular session, floor schedules remain fluid and are often finalized within 12-24 hours. General Orders calendars in both chambers may shift quickly, and debate agendas can change with little notice.

Several bills remain “below the line” on General Orders in both the House and Senate. These measures may be brought forward for debate in the final days or may not receive consideration before First Adjournment.

Floor activity this week will be driven largely by conference committee reports across a range of policy areas. These reports cannot be amended on the floor and must receive an up-or-down vote. Any effort to revise a report requires a motion to return the measure to conference committee.

‘Voucher bill’ - HB 2468

All eyes remain on the “voucher” bill - HB 2468, which has been delivered to the governor for consideration. The bill would expand Kansas’ existing Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program and opt the state into a new federal tax credit program designed to incentivize private contributions to scholarship granting organizations that support private school attendance. KNEA has formally requested that Gov. Laura Kelly veto the measure.

The bill was engrossed on March 19 and reengrossed on March 23. In the Kansas legislative process, engrossing a bill reflects the incorporation of adopted amendments into the official version of the legislation, while reengrossing indicates additional changes were made and formally updated in the bill text. The next step is for the bill to be enrolled and presented to the governor for her action.

Under Kansas law, once a bill is presented to the governor, she has 10 days, not counting Sundays, to act. She may sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature. Because the bill has not yet been presented, the governor retains the ability to wait until after First Adjournment to take action, preventing any override attempt during the regular session if she chooses.

Member engagement

The organization will have what may be one of the final Thursday night legislative update calls this week, continuing to provide members with real-time information and analysis as the session approaches adjournment.

KNEA remains actively engaged at the Statehouse as the Kansas Legislature works through the final week of the regular session and prepares for adjournment. While schedules remain fluid and subject to change, KNEA will continue to monitor developments closely and provide timely updates.

Visit Under The Dome at www.ksutd.org for ongoing legislative coverage, including our weekly podcast, standalone alerts and additional reporting throughout the week. A full Weekly Wrap-Up will be published Friday in the Under The Dome newsletter.

Members can also access a range of legislative resources on the Under The Dome website to stay informed and connected during the closing days of the session.

Timothy R. Graham can be reached by email at timothy.graham@knea.org.