By Tim Carpenter, Anna Kaminski and Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Annual session begins with questions about congressional redistricting, property taxes and more

TOPEKA — The 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature burst to life Monday as Republicans and Democrats staked out public policy priorities, welcomed members to fill unexpired terms of the departed and awaited the upcoming final State of the State speech by Gov. Laura Kelly.

Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, gaveled in the Senate and House in what could be the final legislative session for both. Masterson is competing in a crowded field for the GOP nomination for governor, while Hawkins tossed his hat into the ring in the race for state insurance commissioner.

In brief remarks with reporters, Masterson said his mind was on finding ways to control rising property taxes, embracing the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump and, possibly, redrawing the state’s congressional district boundaries for benefit of Republican candidates for Congress.

“A constitutional amendment to cap property tax, at least authorizing the ‘big, beautiful bill’ and parental freedom in education. Like to do a little tort reform. Obviously, get a budget passed,” Masterson said.

In terms of redistricting, the Senate president said he would “love to” advance a bill that shifted boundaries of the state’s four U.S. House districts to give GOP candidates a distinct edge over Democratic candidates. The idea would be to make it difficult for U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, to win reelection.

The original plan was to convene a special session of the Legislature in November to consider a new congressional map. The required two-thirds majority in the Senate signed a petition calling a special session, but Hawkins was unable to convince two-thirds of Republican peers in the House to sign a special-session petition.

“If we get it from the House, we’re going to take it up,” said Masterson, who would appear to have the easier task of securing enough votes to thwart a veto by Kelly.

The first order of business Monday was for Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Rosen to swear into office the Senate’s newcomers. Sen. Scott Hill, R-Abilene, and Sen. Silas Miller, D-Wichita, were drafted from the House to fill vacancies in the Senate. Hill replaced Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican who went to work for the Trump administration. Miller took the seat left open by Sen. Mary Ware, who announced her retirement in November.

At the front of the Senate chamber, Rosen turned to Hill and began reciting the oath: “Do you, Silas Miller …”

The gaffe was noted, and Rosen affirmed: “Not a good start.” He replaced Miller’s name in the script with Hill’s, and the perfunctory ceremonies for both were completed.

House and Senate committees begin meeting Tuesday. Kelly, a Democrat in the final year of her two terms as governor, is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the State speech to a joint session of the Legislature at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

‘Last first day’

Hawkins, a Republican insurance executive, marked his “last first day” of the session after 14 years in the House and three years as speaker. While he’s running for insurance commissioner, all 125 seats in the House will be up for election in November. The Senate won’t do likewise until 2028.

“The first day of the session is always a happy day,” Hawkins said to an almost full chamber. “I tried for the House to be the best House there ever was, and I think, for the most part, we have done just that.”

He said he strived to promote mutual respect in the House “so that we listen, hopefully, more than we talk.”

Hawkins encouraged spirited debate on the House floor that avoided personal jabs.

“Be engaged, and put everything you have into this session. But don’t leave wishing you would have done something,” he said.

Ahead of the House’s more ordinary first-day business, Rosen swore in Rep. Abi Boatman, a Wichita-area Democrat, Air Force veteran and advocate who replaced Miller.

Boatman, who is Kansas’ second-ever transgender legislator, worked in advocacy and civic engagement for the past decade. She said her first moments in the Legislature were fast-paced as she received a warm welcome. She said the Legislature felt like “the next natural step.”

Rep. Steve Brunk, a Wichita Republican who served in the House from 2003 to 2015, was appointed to complete the unexpired term of Rep. Patrick Penn, who took a job in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the interim period, Brunk lobbied for a conservative policy organization opposed to abortion.

After checking with Capitol security at the visitor center to make certain the state’s conceal-carry gun law hadn’t changed in his absence, he discussed his reasons for returning to the House.

“I just felt like there was unfinished business here. I always liked the process,” he said.

Democrats’ agenda

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat running for state insurance commissioner, said one of her top priorities would be to approve a refundable child tax credit. In the past, proposals have been made to offer a $25 to $600 per child income tax credit for low- and middle-income households to help families deal with escalating costs. She said it was unlikely the GOP-led Legislature would approve the bill.

“I would love to see child tax credits passed through, but I don’t think there’s a possible way for that,” Sykes said.

She said the Legislature ought to extend the existing K-12 school finance formula — due to expire in mid-2027 — for another year. That would allow the 2027 Legislature to craft a new formula that wouldn’t be implemented until 2028, she said.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Democrat seeking the party’s nomination for governor along with Sen. Ethan Corson, said she would take on a defensive mindset in an attempt to disrupt GOP legislation that she would view as harmful to the state’s most vulnerable people.

“I am always focused on things that will help the people,” she said. “We’ve been pushing things like Medicaid expansion for years. I’m going to look for ways to bring things good forward and push back against the bad stuff.”

After the House adjourned for the day, House Democrats gathered with reporters at the Capitol to highlight an agenda designed to benefit working families.

House Democrats proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, allowing renters to get 15% of their rent back in a tax rebate, providing universal school meals and addressing access to and the cost of child care. They also wanted to exempt $125,000 of a home’s value from the state property tax. The current threshold is $75,000.

House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, said Democrats were exploring ways to pay for their wish list. Legalizing recreational marijuana was on the table, he said, along with raising taxes for millionaires.

However, he said, cost of living was the No. 1 issue on Kansans’ minds. But their proposals would need support from Republicans to reach the minimum 63 votes for passage in the House.

“In the superminority, we have to go find friends, right?” Woodard said. “There’s only 37 of us, so we have to find 26 members that will work with us. The idea of coming up with our own agenda allows us to, one, tell Kansans what we stand for, but also, these are going to be floor amendments that you see on any of the bills that are introduced by Republicans.”

Rep. Dan Osman, D-Overland Park, said Kansas should be a place where growing families could afford child care, seniors could live in their homes on a fixed income, and young people could see a future instead of looking to other states.

“Families are doing everything right, working hard, budgeting correctly, planning for our future. Yet too many are still feeling squeezed,” Osman said.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.

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