1. Home
  2. Updates
  3. Newsletters
  4. 2025 Session Starts Monday
10 January 2025 | Economic Security Tax and Budget Education Early Learning Health

2025 Session Starts Monday

Kansas Action for Children | January 10, 2025

In just a few days, the 2025 legislative session kicks off in Topeka. Looking at the legislative deadlines, lawmakers will be working on a compressed timeline so they can be completely finished by April 12.

This year, 39 new lawmakers will be in the Statehouse, bringing along new opportunities to highlight the needs of Kansas kids and families. As we monitor legislative activities, we plan to deliver you news through our Statehouse Snapshot emails every Friday. One caveat: in past years, our emails would get to you before the end of business hours, but due to lawmakers potentially scheduling committees on Fridays, the timing might not be as prompt as you’re used to. We’ll make sure to get it out to you as soon as we can!

Our Priorities This Year

Here are some of the major policies we’re planning to spend our time on this legislative session. This list, however, is not exhaustive. If issues arise that require us to weigh in on behalf of Kansas kids, we’ll be ready. We hope you will be, too.

Education:

  • Allocate state funding toward the Child Care Accelerator Grant program.

  • Allocate approximately $2.9 million in state general funds to improve reimbursement to Tier 1 rate for child care providers in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

  • Eliminate the direct transfers from the Kansas Endowment for Youth Fund that do not fund the CIF.

Health:

  • Expand Medicaid in Kansas.

  • Modernize statutory language authorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

  • Protect all kids by continuing existing infectious disease prevention policies, including childhood immunization policy.

Economic Security:

  • Repeal the restrictive eligibility barriers and sanctions that were enacted in the HOPE Act.

  • Enact protections that remove source-of-income discrimination for Kansans using housing vouchers.

  • Allocate continued funding for eligible children to participate in summer feeding programs and no-cost school meals for every child.

  • Allocate funding for emergency rental assistance.

Tax Policy:

  • Enact a state-level child tax credit for every Kansas family.

  • Reinstate eligibility for renters to participate in the Kansas Homestead Property Tax Refund Program.

  • Advocate for tax policies that prioritize working Kansas families while maintaining sufficient revenue for state investments in children’s futures.

KIDS COUNT County Fact Sheets Available Now

You can find kid-centric data for all of Kansas’ 105 counties hosted on our website here. The KIDS COUNT County Fact Sheets are great resources when emailing or meeting with lawmakers and showing what the situation is for kids in their districts. We know that the more we highlight key data in our advocacy efforts, the harder it is for decision makers to ignore.

What to Expect in Week 1

As lawmakers return to Topeka for their first week of business, we’re keeping a close eye on several committees that could run harmful legislation. The House Committee on Welfare Reform and the new Senate Committee on Government Efficiency could both renew pushes to attack family support programs like SNAP, Medicaid, child care and housing assistance, and more.

And as some lawmakers set their sights on slashing state spending (potentially to give more tax cuts for large businesses), we could see education and Medicaid particularly targeted. Right now, we’re expecting lawmakers to present their budget bill on the first day of session, showcasing their priorities.

Most committees are likely to use their first week for members to introduce themselves and set the stage for the rest of session, but some hearings are already scheduled.

On Wednesday, Governor Kelly will present her State of the State address at 6:30 p.m. Her speech will outline what she wants the Legislature to accomplish this year and could give some insight into how the Governor’s Office will work with the Republican supermajority. The speech should be broadcast by several local television stations, as well as streamed on the Legislature's YouTube page.